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The believed leader of a Florida gang accused of conducting a series of murders, trafficking drugs into prisons and thefts has been sentenced to life behind bars.
Hernando Thompson, Jr., 36, of Orlando – the leader of the "Sex Money Murder" gang – was sentenced to serve five consecutive life sentences in the Florida Department of Corrections, following a conviction in January.
What we know:
Thompson – the last of his organization to be behind bars – was arrested in a wiretap operation – a joint effort by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, state attorney’s office and the Polk County Sheriff’s office – as authorities aimed to take down the Sex Money Murder hierarchy in Florida.
"This criminal led a violent, Bloods-affiliated gang that treated crime like a business—a business of robberies, drive-by shootings, and violence against children," Attorney General James Uthmeier said in a released statement. "This dangerous criminal deserved every minute of his sentence, and our prosecutors delivered."
Read more: 11 indicted in gang accused of orchestrating several murders within Florida prisons
Who is Hernando Thompson?
Thompson was found guilty on five charges: Racketeering, Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering, and three counts of Directing Criminal Gang Activities for his leadership role in the Blood-affiliated "Sex Money Murder" gang.
"This is a bad man, and he needs to go to prison for a long time," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said after Thompson's conviction.
Thompson's criminal history includes 14 felony charges, 10 misdemeanors and four re-arrests. Some of his previous charges include burglary, aggravated assault, reckless driving, resisting arrest, carrying prohibited weapons and battery and/or domestic violence.
Who is the Sex Money Murder gang?
According to the sheriff's office, the Sex Money Murder gang is responsible for home invasion robberies, property crimes and violent crimes. Deputies first began investigating these robberies in late 2018. In one home invasion, Judd said the gang pointed a gun at an eight-year-old boy and at an infant and threatened them.
Evidence presented at trial showed Thompson exercised leadership over gang operations in Florida, but the state attorney's office said Thompson was careful not to directly or publicly involve himself in criminal activity.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from the office of Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.