UPDATE: Thirteen members of MPL gang in Dublin sentenced to prison

Thirteen gang members have been convicted and sentenced for violent crimes in Laurens County.

UPDATE (4/23/25): –  Two Dublin gang members have been sentenced to life in prison plus 410 years each for a 2024 double murder that also injured five others, according to a news release from Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr.

On Monday, the Superior Court of Laurens County sentenced Jaswain Bell following his conviction earlier this month. Bell and co-defendant Quintez Mercer, both members of the Money Power Loyalty (MPL) gang, were found guilty on April 8 after a 12-day jury trial.

According to the release, Bell and Mercer opened fire on a crowd while driving through a residential area of Dublin on March 31, 2024. The shooting killed 24-year-old Sacred Brown and 23-year-old Miyori Ellington and left five others injured. Authorities say the attack targeted a rival gang member.

Bell was convicted on charges including two counts of malice murder, four counts of felony murder, eight counts of aggravated assault, five counts of aggravated battery and 11 violations of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act. He was also convicted on multiple weapons charges, including possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Mercer was sentenced immediately after the April 8 verdict. He faced nearly identical charges, including 12 violations of the gang statute.

“We’re grateful to the Court for handing down the maximum sentence in this case,” Carr said. “It sends the message that if you are engaged in violent gang activity in this state, we are coming for you.”

Carr’s Gang Prosecution Unit has now secured convictions against 13 members of MPL, including the gang’s founder and three of its leaders. The gang is affiliated with the 1831 Pirus and Rollin’ 20s Neighborhood Bloods.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Dublin Police Department led the investigation. Assistant Attorneys General Ashton Jordan and Lee M. Stoy, Jr. prosecuted the case.

ORIGINAL STORY (4/17/25):

DUBLIN, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Eleven members of the street gang Money Power Loyalty (MPL) pleaded guilty to racketeering and other charges and have been sentenced to prison, including the gang’s founder and three leaders, according to a news release from the Georgia Attorney General’s Office.

The gang members were charged in a 114-count indictment obtained in January 2024 by Attorney General Chris Carr’s Gang Prosecution Unit, following a multi-agency investigation that led to the recovery of firearms, drugs, fentanyl, and cocaine laced with fentanyl.

“These gang members have victimized at least 55 individuals in Dublin, Laurens County, and surrounding areas since 2016,” the release said. “This includes 10 shootings with more than 45 victims, many of whom were children and innocent bystanders.”

The April 14 plea agreement brings the total number of MPL members convicted in Dublin to 13, including two gang members already convicted for a drive-by shooting in March of 2024 that killed two people and injured five others.

“For years, this gang terrorized the community,” Carr said. “Now, a total of 13 MPL associates are behind bars, including the founder and three leaders, and Laurens County is safer today because of it.”

The convictions are the result of a multi-year investigation involving the Dublin Police Department, Laurens County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, FBI, ATF and other agencies.

Dublin Police Chief Keith Moon praised the outcome.

“The sentences handed down by our courts in these cases directly reflect the community’s uncompromising commitment to having a safe Dublin-Laurens County,” he said.

All 11 defendants pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Some also pleaded guilty to murder, attempted murder and other violent crimes:

• 25-year-old Jamil Thompkins pleaded guilty to the 2020 murder of Travis Plummer. He was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole plus 20 years.
• 24-year-old Jayqwan Stephens pleaded guilty to 12 counts of aggravated assault and other gang-related charges. He was sentenced to 30 years, 13 to be served in prison.
• 22-year-old Lequayvion Stuckey received a 30-year sentence with 14 years in prison.
• 26-year-old Askiri Lewis also received 30 years with 14 in prison.
• 24-year-old Jacorey Reese was sentenced to 27 years, with 10 to be served in prison.
• 22-year-old Gregory Floyd was sentenced to 30 years, 15 in prison, for attempted murder and aggravated assault.
• 27-year-old Gerez Duty, founder of MPL, was sentenced to 25 years, with 12 in prison.
• 22-year-old Keoctavious Devoe received a 35-year sentence with 15 in prison for armed robbery, hijacking, and gang charges.
• 27-year-old George Jackson was sentenced to 20 years, six in prison.
• 25-year-old Jarquavious Stanley was sentenced to 45 years, with 25 to be served in prison.
• 24-year-old Daylon Vickers also received a 45-year sentence, with 25 years in prison.

According to the release, MPL is a hybrid gang with ties to the 1831 Pirus and Rollin’ 20s Neighborhood Bloods. The gang operated in Laurens County and maintained a rank structure with paid dues, distributing criminal proceeds among members.

“With these prison sentences, the FBI and our state and federal partners once again show our commitment to hold accountable and bring to justice violent gang members who terrorize our communities,” Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta Paul Brown said.