Forty defendants – ranging in age from 21 to 62 -- face a 147-count indictment in what federal authorities on Thursday called “the largest federal racketeering case in South Carolina history,” according to a report. Charges brought by a federal grand jury against the defendants include murder, kidnapping, firearms distribution and drug trafficking, the office of U.S. Attorney Peter McCoy announced in Columbia, S.C., FOX Carolina of Greenville, S.C., reported. CALIFORNIA INMATES MAY HAVE BILKED $400M FROM STATE'S UNEMPLOYMENTSome defendants also ordered violent retaliation against accused of being informants for law enforcement, or accused of stealing drug proceeds or owing the gang money, authorities said. “It is alleged these violent acts, to include murder and kidnapping, were often carried out by IGD members outside the jails,” authorities said in a statement. Investigators included personnel from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); the Lexington County Multi-Agency Narcotics Enforcement Team; and the 11th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, FOX Carolina reported.

Source: Fox News December 11, 2020 09:32 UTC