Crime & Safety
Detroit Vice Lords Gang Leader Gets Lengthy Prison Term After Plea Deal
Kenneth Smith admitted that he ordered the shooting of his gang's members when they wanted out.

DETROIT, MI — A leader of the Vice Lords street gang was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison on Tuesday after pleading guilty shooting four people with an AK-47 assault rifle in 2015. As part of his deal, Kenneth Smith, 36, of Detroit, provided details about the gang and its ties to Detroit and Chicago.
Smith pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Detroit to a single count of racketeering in February. As part of his plea deal, Smith admitted that he was a leader in the gang and had directed his gang’s members to go to the home of home of other gang members who wanted out and shoot them with the assault rifle.
He also admitted to sending threatening text messages to possible witnesses. (For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Detroit Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)
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Smith is the last of nine people convicted and sentenced in the case. Other defendants received prison terms ranging from three years to 20 years.
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