Washington, D.C. – Joseph Jones, also known as Jo-Jo, a 37-year-old Washington, D.C. resident, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Richard W. Roberts to 180 months of incarceration, to be followed by 72 months of supervised release, for his role in the crimes prosecuted by the government last year as part of the case of United States v. Antwuan Ball, et al., also known as the Congress Park Crew case, U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Taylor announced.

Jones was one of six defendants prosecuted by the government during an eight-month trial in federal district court last year. The government presented evidence that Jones, along with his five co-defendants, Antwuan Ball, also known as Big Ant, David Wilson, also known as Cool Wop, Gregory Bell, also known as Boy-Boy, Desmond Thurston, also known as Dazz, and Dominic Samuels, also known as Don, as well as others, were members of a crew that had engaged in a series of crimes, including crack cocaine dealing, armed robbery, attempted murder, and murder in the Congress Park neighborhood of Southeast Washington, D.C. for over a decade. Since March of 2005, a total of 18 individuals have been indicted in connection with this case. Jones and his five-co-defendants were the final six defendants remaining from the original March 2005 indictment. The other defendants had previously either pled guilty or had been found guilty after trial.

The jury in this case acquitted the six defendants of the charged conspiracy in this case, and convicted on 18 other felony charges, including the August 1998 double-homicide of Ronnie “Squid” Middleton and Sabrina Bradley, which was committed by Wilson as part of an ongoing turf war between the Congress Park Crew and one of its rivals, the 1-5 Mob formerly led by Tommy Edelin. Wilson faces a mandatory minimum of 30 years incarceration for this double-murder. The jury hung with respect to the August 2002 murder of Jamel Sills, aka Black, which was charged against defendant Dominic Samuels. However, Samuels subsequently pled guilty to manslaughter while armed in connection with this murder, and was sentenced earlier this month by Judge Roberts.

The remaining four defendants – Ball, Thurston, Bell, and Wilson – each face up to at least 40 years of imprisonment for the narcotics crimes for which they were convicted.