One member and two associates of the Wildboys gang were sentenced in federal court recently in Charleston after each pleaded guilty to attempted murder in aid of racketeering for their roles in retaliation attacks against a rival gang.
The announcement was made by several state law enforcement agencies and Solicitor Duffie Stone of the 14th Judicial Circuit, which includes Beaufort County.
U.S. District Court Judge Richard M. Gergel sentenced Brian Manigo, aka “B-Nasty,” of Green Pond, to 10 years in prison; Damien Robinson, aka “Sacked Up,” also of Green Pond, to 10 years in prison; and Kelvin Mitchell, aka “Kevy Boy,” of Ruffin, to 39 months in prison, after each pleaded guilty to attempted murder in aid of racketeering.
According to court documents, all three defendants were members or associates of the Wildboys gang, a violent street gang that originated in the Green Pond area of Walterboro.
From 2009 to 2015, Wildboys gang members used Facebook and YouTube to communicate with each other; threaten rival gang members and the police; flaunt gang colors, tattoos, and hand signs; and post photographs and videos depicting firearms, large amounts of cash, and what purported to be controlled substances.
Gang members also engaged in violent criminal activities, including robberies of convenience stores, attempted murders of rival gang members and narcotics trafficking.
The Wildboys gang was also, for a time, aligned with another violent street gang called the “Cowboys” that originated out of the Brittlebank, or Eastside, area of Walterboro.
In addition to sharing a common interest in posting threats and photographs depicting firearms, large amounts of cash, and narcotics on Facebook and YouTube, the Wildboys and the Cowboys gangs shared common enemies. These shared interests resulted in shootings aimed at rival gang members, which left innocent bystanders seriously injured.
Manigo and Mitchell were sentenced for their roles in a May 14, 2011, retaliation shooting aimed at a rival gang member. While Mitchell drove the vehicle, Manigo retrieved an AK-47 rifle from the trunk of the car and fired multiple shots at the gang member who was standing in a crowd of individuals. An innocent bystander sustained serious bodily injury as a result of the shooting.
Robinson was sentenced for his role in the April 7, 2015, retaliation drive-by shooting aimed at members of a rival gang. Robinson was the driver of the vehicle containing two other members of the Wildboys gang. As Robinson drove past the residence of the known rival gang members, the two passengers fired multiple shots at the home using an AR-15 and an SKS rifle.
Robinson gave the AR-15, which belonged to him, to his fellow gang member to use during the shooting. The shooting resulted in serious bodily injury to an innocent victim inside the residence.
As part of the sentence, Manigo, Mitchell and Robinson were ordered to serve a term of three years of supervised release and to pay the costs of medical care for the victims.
A fourth member of the Wildboys, Joshua Manigault, who pleaded guilty to the April 7, 2015, shooting, has yet to be sentenced.
Devin Brown, who was also charged in the indictment, is scheduled for a jury trial to begin on June 26. The charges against Brown contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Leshia Lee-Dixon of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Tameaka A. Legette, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney from the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office in Bluffton.
