GEORGIA – Georgia’s statewide Gang Prosecution Unit is marking four years of work and has secured more than 140 convictions since it began on July 1, 2022, Attorney General Chris Carr announced.
The majority of those prosecutions involve shootings, both fatal and nonfatal, and include a 3-year-old victim, Carr said. The unit was created to give the attorney general’s office concurrent jurisdiction to prosecute gang activity across the state.
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“In just four years, our Gang Prosecution Unit has achieved historic results — taking down some of the most violent offenders in our state and removing deadly and dangerous drugs from our streets,” Carr said. “It’s exactly why we created this unit in the first place, so we could bring strong cases that ultimately lead to safer communities. Behind every conviction is a family who has been impacted by gang violence or lost a loved one due to senseless crime. They’re the reason we’re fighting each day, and we will continue to send a strong message that gang activity won’t be tolerated anywhere in Georgia.”
Gov. Brian Kemp praised the unit’s expansion from a single office in Metro Atlanta to satellite offices across the state. “What started as a single unit in Metro Atlanta has now expanded to nearly every corner of the state, making it loud and clear that gang violence will not be tolerated in Georgia,” Kemp said. He commended Carr, Chief Prosecutor Cara Convery and their teams for their work.
How the unit started
The unit was created in July 2022 after the General Assembly passed HB 1134, giving the attorney general’s office concurrent jurisdiction to prosecute gang activity statewide. Initial funding came from the state’s fiscal 2023 budget.
The unit began with one chief prosecutor, Cara Convery, and a main office in Atlanta. It has since added satellite offices in Albany, Augusta, Columbus, Macon, southeast Georgia and Savannah, and works with local, state and federal law enforcement.
Notable cases
- Bryan County: Convictions of 15 members of the Outcast Motorcycle Gang and recovery of more than 100 firearms following a multiagency investigation. Officials said it was the largest motorcycle gang indictment in state history and involved activity across multiple Georgia counties and beyond.
- Statewide: Convictions of 16 members of the 1-8 Trey Gangster Bloods in a probe into violent crimes, drug trafficking and gang recruitment directed from inside and outside prisons. The convictions include Jamar Ramsay, the gang’s statewide leader, and Brantavious Sims, who was later sentenced to life without parole for a 2022 murder.
- Spalding County: Kionta Parks was sentenced to life plus five years for the 2023 murder of 11-year-old Asijah Jones, who was shot while asleep.
- Macon-Bibb County: Indictment of 11 alleged members of the Macon Mafia in a probe that led to seizures of cocaine, meth, fentanyl, handguns and cash.
- DeKalb County: Convictions of three members of a local gang known as PDE, including Darius Scott, who received a 95-year sentence for gang-related weapons offenses.
Local impacts
Athens-Clarke: The unit has worked with police to address a long-running conflict between the Red Tape Gang and Everybody Eats. Officials say the conflict has claimed multiple lives, including a 3-year-old, and the unit has secured 20 convictions in Athens. Police reported a decline in shootings of more than 50 percent last year compared with 2022.
Dougherty County: Nearly 20 convictions in partnership with the Albany Police Department, including three men sentenced to life for a 2018 murder. The attorney general’s office said it is prosecuting an individual in connection with shootings at Albany State University homecoming in October 2024 and three people in a separate 2026 death.
Laurens County: Thirteen convictions tied to a local gang known as Money Power Loyalty, including the founder and three leaders. Two defendants received life plus 410 years for murders in the county.
Muscogee County: Five murder convictions and eight gang convictions in Columbus, including life sentences for three men convicted in a 2021 drive-by shooting that killed two teenagers. The office is prosecuting seven defendants in connection with a 2025 jail assault.
Richmond County: More than 45 defendants prosecuted, including a 333-count indictment charging 30 people in drug distribution and related violence. Authorities said they seized 15 pounds of fentanyl — an amount officials described as enough to kill 3.5 million Georgians.
The Gang Prosecution Unit is part of the attorney general’s Prosecution Division, which also houses units focused on human trafficking, organized retail crime, white-collar and cybercrime. Carr said the unit will continue prosecuting gang-related crimes to strengthen public safety across Georgia.