Five Persons Charged for Gang Insignias

Moses Gonguez

As many as five persons were before the court in the past two days on charges relating to gang affiliation. Brandon Tillett, the son of Cyril McFoy who was murdered one week ago, was charged for Associating with a Criminal Gang.   Also appearing before Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser on Tuesday was Moses Gonguez, who is no stranger to the court or police. He was charged with the offense of Inviting Support for a Criminal Gang.   Police are allegations that on September twentieth, at May Flower Street, Gonguez invited support for a criminal gang, namely, the Ghost Town Crip in respect of a tattoo on his back.  He pleaded guilty, but Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser explained to him that through the charge, the police are alleging that he invited persons or solicited support from them for the Ghost Town Crips. Gonguez then changed his plea to not guilty, but the offense falls under the Crime Control and Criminal Act for which bail cannot be granted.  Gonguez was then remanded to the Belize Central Prison until November twenty-sixth.  Others before the court on similar offenses are Jeremy Rhaburn, who pleaded guilty to displaying gang membership after he was detained on North Front Street for a tattoo with a symbol of the Crips gang.  He was arrested when he was heading shirtless to a Chinese shop to buy soap powder.  The police caught him and spotted the tattoo. Rhaburn was fined five hundred dollars. Another street figure who was sentenced to one year imprisonment for the offense of Displaying Gang Membership to the Crips is Eugene Tillett. He was detained also on Independence Eve, but because it was his second related offense, he was remanded.  Shane Budram was also charged with the same offense; he pleaded guilty and was fined five hundred dollars.  Budram was also displaying a tattoo, but told the court he does not associate with any gang.  The arrests are back of a police crackdown on gang leaders.