B.M.F. - The End Of An Era.

"BMF co-leaders sentenced
Strong show of support for Black Mafia Family's Flenory brothers
Published 09.17.08
By Mara Shalhoup


DETROIT — On Sept. 12, inside a small courtroom on the second floor of the Theodore Levine federal courthouse, an anxious crowd gathered to witness the symbolic end of the government's two-decade investigation into the Black Mafia Family.

One of the bailiffs barked a succinct order: "No outbursts." A moment later, a team of U.S. marshals escorted a slender man, gazing straight ahead through rimless glasses, into the courtroom.

"That's your Uncle T," one of the onlookers, Lucille Flenory, whispered to her grandson, sitting next to her. The bespectacled man, Lucille's son, was hardly recognizable as he made his way to the defense table. From the time he was locked up three years ago, Terry "Southwest T" Flenory lost close to 100 pounds.

Shuffling close behind him, in a matching orange jumpsuit, was Terry's older brother, Demetrius "Big Meech" Flenory. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and the tattooed letters "BMF" peeked above his collar on the left side of his neck. He scanned the courtroom, turned to his supporters and flashed a wide smile.

The two men, both of whom pleaded guilty to federal drugs charges last year, rose from the down-and-out streets of Detroit to build a massive, multistate cocaine empire headquartered in Atlanta and L.A. In less than two decades, the Flenory brothers and their Black Mafia Family amassed a $270 million fortune. The drug organization relied on an estimated 500 employees. And, with Meech's guidance, BMF helped jump-start the careers of some of Atlanta's best-known rappers.

One of those rappers, Young Jeezy, was implicated in BMF's drug trade during the Atlanta federal trial earlier this year of Meech's third-in-command, Fleming "Ill" Daniels. Jeezy hasn't been charged with a crime in relation to the feds' BMF investigation. Daniels, who was convicted of cocaine conspiracy, as well as several of his co-defendants, including the rapper Barima "Bleu DaVinci" McKnight, will be sentenced in Atlanta later this year."

Continued:

"With the two Flenory brothers seated in front of him, U.S. District Court Judge Avern Cohn asked to hear from Terry first.

Terry spoke in a quiet, steady voice. He told the judge he'd never been in trouble before. He described how he's been telling other inmates "to use my life as an example to lead them in the other direction."

And he said he was sorry he wasted the feds' time.

"I'd like to apologize to the government for my ignorance and for them having to spend countless hours working this case," Terry said. "I'd like to apologize to the many families hurt by the result of this ignorance."

Judge Cohn's response was sharp. "I think you're a very lucky man that it took the government this long to build a case against you," he said.

The judge read Terry's sentence so quickly that many of his supporters missed it. He sentenced him to 30 years.

As Terry was cuffed and led out of the courtroom, Meech and his attorneys were asked to approach the bench. Meech's Atlanta-based lawyer, Drew Findling, told the judge that Meech had requested a meeting with Terry shortly after Meech entered a guilty plea. During the meeting, Meech advised his brother to do the same – an act that would spare the government a lengthy, expensive trial.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison then said Meech shouldn't be credited for Terry's guilty plea. "That meeting did not go very well," she said. "In fact, it was disastrous."

Ison contended that it wasn't Meech who persuaded Terry to plea. She said it was Terry's father.

When it came time for Meech to address the judge, he apologized – and said he knew an apology wasn't enough. "I don't think 'I'm sorry' is the right thing to say," he told Judge Cohn. "'I'm sorry' is what people say when they get caught."

The judge quickly sentenced Meech to 30 years, too. As he was ushered out of the courtroom, Meech turned to smile, again, at his friends and family."

Read The Full Story Here: Atlanta.Creativeloafing.Com


CHRIS LIVE AKA SHAKER SAYS: When these guys were active the sheer brazenness of their behavior had me thinking that either A) these niggas were the Feds incarnate OR B) they simply did not give a single solitary fuck ... lol. As the heads of this organization have since been knocked and received their numbers, I am convinced that they played it straight until the bitter end and should be commended for that. Obviously, @ some point though, the whole Black Mafia Family concept got away from them.

Have Y.O.U. ever seen male groupies? I have and it's not pretty ... lol. Now, these male "groupies" weren't on no gay shit, instead they were desperate to be a part of this street organization and fronted up a storm as if they literally laid any of the bricks that built this empire. B.M.F. would load up a flat bed trailer with Lamborghinis and Rolls Royce Phantoms and take their unique street show on the road across the country and, in every city they touched, they picked up a gang of hoes and were forced to flick off the wannabe fleas that just wanted to be down.

I clearly recall being in Sues Rendezvous (a popular strip club in Westchester, New York) with my brother Niketown and various members of my team/family for the Atlanta Vs. New York stripper showdown a few years back - B.M.F. was there backing the ATL chicks and makin' it rain torrentially throughout the night. Son, I saw grown men trying to pick up unclaimed money from the floor and paying more attention to these hustlers than the bad ass women on stage ... lol.

Some Of Y.O.U. may never experience the pure comedy of watching supposed-to-be entertainment "big shots" expose themselves in the presence of men that get it in-the-streets as opposed to the industry. Maaaaaaaan, Ed Lover was such a dickrider ... lol. He appointed himself as the official B.M.F. cheerleader that night ... lol. Jermaine Dupri was trying to be down as well although he made a noble attempt to hold his own.

Anyway, we had our tables and our Rosé bottles in the V.I.P. section of Sues Rendezvous when Meech, J-Bo and like 100 other black t-shirt clad homies came through and made the already meager accommodations of the V.I.P. area tighter than Faison Love and Funkmaster Flex in matching Vanson© motorcycle jackets.

B.M.F. certainly came to play that night ... $1,000 in singles per stack (and there were plenty), cellophane wrapped and ready to go. They easily dropped $80,000 @ Sues and even that estimate might be too low. Every other "go getter" in the club (myself included) ranked a distant 2nd that night ... nobody else was spendin' money like they were.

I respected B.M.F.'s loyalty before and that goes double for them now following this trial. As a crew, B.M.F. was a little too flashy and irresponsible for my tastes, however, they each made their choices as grown men and have accepted the consequences of their lifestyle with equal valor. Hold your head Big Meech and Southwest T. Do your time and don't let your time do you.