ORLANDO, Fla. – The leader of the Blood-affiliated “Sex Money Murder” gang received five life sentences on Friday after his capture earlier this year, according to the Florida Attorney General’s Office.
In a release, state officials said that the man — identified as Hernando Thompson, Jr., 36, of Orlando — had been convicted after a Polk County trial back in January due to his leadership role in the gang.
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After only an hour of deliberation, the jury in that case found Thompson guilty of racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering, and three counts of directing criminal gang activities.
“This criminal led a violent, Bloods-affiliated gang that treated crime like a business — a business of robberies, drive-by shootings, and violence against children," Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said. “This dangerous criminal deserved every minute of his sentence, and our prosecutors delivered... This violent criminal orchestrator will spend the rest of his life and any other life he may come across behind bars.”
According to investigators, Thompson exercised leadership over all gang operations in Florida, though he was careful not to directly or publicly involve himself in criminal activity so as to avoid jail time.
He is also the last outstanding gang member in this case, state officials concluded.
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