Its investigation of the racial profiling of Hispanic males—resulting in improper traffic stops and unlawful arrests—led to five Boaz police officers being convicted and sentenced to jail, the last in 2002. Bill Baxley repeatedly claimed Dewitt “would have made a great politician,” and even went so far as to declare he could’ve run for governor after George Wallace if he had chosen a different path. It was a quiet Sunday morning in Birmingham, Alabama—around 10:24 on September 15, 1963, 44 years ago this month—when a dynamite bomb exploded in the back stairwell of the downtown Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. Pride, the violent brother, seemed to act as the henchman. For the Birmingham Division, the most prominent investigation of the civil rights era involved the bombing of a church on a Sunday morning in 1963. During the early 1930s, the Bureau was a small agency, largely unknown to the public. I am the neice of Dewitt and Joyce Dawson. They typically used a stolen car to make the getaway, then abandoned it not far from the bank. When Pride passed away in 2005, his obituary described him as a “Colbert County native and a lifelong farmer.”, The Dawson family made The New York Times in September of 1975 after Billy Ray faced trial for bank robbery. The information was first set forth publicly in a book on organized crime published in 1969, "The Grim Reapers," by Ed Reid. A listing of fugitives wanted by FBI Birmingham for violent and non-violent crimes, suspected terrorism, kidnapping and missing persons cases, and cases for which the FBI is seeking more information. He had olive skin, jet black hair, and was built like a well-fed steamroller. It’s not bad in there.” They did let him go to Maxwell, where he earned his GED while serving his five years, ran card games and ate steak and shrimp while other inmates were given slop. The following June, the two men organized a white power march through downtown Birmingham by 150 skinheads and Klansmen. In September 2007, the Birmingham special agent in charge announced more than 350 arrests in a multi-agency investigation called “Operation Clean Sweep,” which targeted violent offenders and drug felons in five counties across northeastern Alabama. Don’t mess with them. Dewitt managed to catch a glimpse of Joyce at the visitor’s table and said to a fellow prisoner, “You see that girl? It was during the arrest that Kelly allegedly uttered something along the lines of, “Don’t shoot, G-men, don’t shoot!” He likely never said those exact words, but the press reported it and a legend was born. BIRMINGHAM – A federal jury today convicted Dr. PATRICK EMEKA IFEDIBA, 60, of Shelby County and Patrick Ifediba’s sister, NGOZI JUSTINA OZULIGBO, 49, of Trussville of numerous crimes stemming from their involvement with Care Complete Medical Clinic, located in Birmingham, Alabama, announced U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town, FBI Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp Jr., and Drug … The decision of the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals quotes a witness who claims after Pride shot Bobby Joe, he wrapped the body in a quilt, had it loaded into the trunk of a car and dumped in the woods of Tuscumbia. Very nice people to me and my family! FBI Offices in Alabama. His unadulterated pride kept him in a state of relative boasting to anyone about such incidents as the Highway 20 stop. In June 1991, Moody was convicted of the murder and sentenced to life in prison. With a livability score of 61/100, Birmingham is ranked #22,894 in the United States and #370 in Alabama. Liuzzo was killed; Morton was hurt but survived. Some of the group's criminal activities were in … The DEA was assisted by the Fairfield Police Department, the State of Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the Prattville Police Department, and the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office. Thank you for taking interest! By Carol Robinson | crobinson@al.com Five of 12 suspects indicted in a conspiracy to distribute heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine sourced from Mexico were arrested Tuesday in Alabama. Yes! He drove a black Lincoln Continental with “kingpin” for a front license plate. FBI investigators ultimately tied the crime to Rudolph, the same person who had set off a bomb during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and launched other attacks. But gambling is still illegal in Alabama—which is fine, because Tunica, Mississippi has always been a better bet to throw down. Along with several other racketeers, he “led machine-gun raids planned and executed with military precision” and obtained more than two million dollars over the span of five years. After the probe into the family, Plott was admitted into the FBI Academy. If you ever need information about the Dawson Gang, articles, his book or stories from still living members of tge family, please do not hesitate to get in touch. The initial investigation was closed in 1972 only when it was believed that federal jurisdiction in the bombing had lapsed. In January 1997, a bomb exploded at a Birmingham family planning clinic, killing an off-duty police officer and critically injuring a nurse. ( Log Out /  When they finally got him, which they were able to do because of a tax-evading informant that was willing to go into witness protection to reduce his own sentence, Dewitt’s response was so saccharine you couldn’t help but root for him. In 1919, the FBI’s office in Birmingham consisted of only three agents and a stenographer. When Dewitt went to prison in 1977 for that 1974 Vina, Alabama bank robbery, he handed over controlling stock in his business venture to his brother Bobby. They were defunct since 1938. The times have really changed in Colbert, Lauderdale and Franklin Counties . The best man I ever knew. Enjoy. The Birmingham office has been in continuous operation ever since. The FBI and DEA investigated the case under the auspices of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Organized Crime (OCTF), prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama and the United States Attorney's Office in Birmingham. I wrote this a while back and no one wanted it, so I’m posting it here for all y’all. In 2006, he joined the Pelham Police Department and served in the patrol division until 2007. In one case, they developed strong evidence that the operator of a saw mill was forcing people work illegally, but twice a grand jury of the day refused to issue indictments. Her family now heartbroken. Honestly, and I probably shouldn’t say this, Dewitt is one of my biggest heroes. While the campaign, organized by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Reverends Fred … Though this is just hearsay, Dewitt might’ve told fellow inmates that Pauline was not supposed to be with Buford when she was shot, and Towhead White was a close associate of the Colbert County faction. The FBI and DEA investigated the case as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force operation. In Birmingham, the North Alabama Joint Terrorism Task Force was officially created in April 2002 to leverage the resources and skills of the FBI and many partner agencies. Birmingham agents also investigated various white-collar crimes. I wish this was in a book. The majority of "organized crime" in Alabama is centered around bookmaking and the like. They were country people, after all, and their troubles were never condemnation worthy. The latter included espionage, subversion, and other issues involving Bureau intelligence work. They say there is a pattern to these crimes, which are often armed robberies that take place on the weekend in trailer parks. And Billy Ray, perhaps the most important member of the group for his lasting imprint on law enforcement, revolutionized the form of bank robbery. The group targeted small, rural banks around Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and North Carolina. Gang Statistics for Birmingham, Alabama The following page presents statistics and interpretations on the activity of gangs in Birmingham in Alabama, including information relating to overall numbers, per capita numbers, approximate gang membership, locations, and any correlations between gang activity and the demographic and socio-economic environment of Birmingham, Alabama. But despite his convictions and pleadings, Dewitt seemed to relish in his reputation, often using his position as an outlaw to expose the crimes and corruption of law enforcement officials in the area. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Two leaders of the national gang the Gangster Disciples, including a man from Alabama, were sentenced Friday for a racketeering conspiracy involving murder. More than the approximate four million dollars his family made robbing banks, Dewitt was, for all intents and purposes, one bad looking dude. Langford was convicted in October 2009 and removed from office. Extensive investigation by Birmingham and other FBI offices pinpointed the culprit—Walter Leroy Moody, Jr., who had been sentenced by Vance years earlier and wanted revenge. William Hill Dawson raised his children in Leighton, a town in Colbert County, Alabama, as a farmer that sometimes dabbled in moonshine. Gfy! He began his career with the Bessemer Police Department, before leaving in 2007 to join the Birmingham Police Department. Two prisoners, along with four abettors, one they call a “member of the Dawson Gang,” stole a laundry truck from the school and crashed it through a chain-link fence, carrying the fence with them as they ran. Pride was sentenced to thirty years for second-degree murder, although the body was too decomposed by the time the coroner examined it to determine an actual cause of death. The county, particularly Phenix City, had become lawless, and Persons lost faith in the local law enforcement, which had been implicated in illegal gambling syndicates, political corruption, and the murder of Albert Patterson, the Democratic Party's nominee for Attorney General of Alabama. When Dewitt was serving time in Montgomery in 1975, he allegedly was given the weekends “off” of prison. Retrieved from " https://godfather-fanon.fandom.com/wiki/Birmingham_crime_family?oldid=7696 " According to people kicking around North Alabama in the 1970s, Dewitt was about as admirable as an outlaw could be. The Adamic myth and fall of man are attractive for a reason. In December 1957, Clarence M. Kelly became the special agent in charge in Birmingham. ... in the city include the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham School of Law, and Samford University. The Dawson Gang of North Alabama is as much myth as it is gospel. In November 1991, Handley and Riccio co-hosted a huge skinhead and Klan gathering on Handley's farm. … The crime shocked the nation, and the Bureau’s response was immediate. Today, if you ask an old boy in Alabama about Willie Dewitt Dawson, you will rarely hear anything but pride in the fact that North Alabama was home to such a talented and proud outlaw. He had five brothers and sisters, only becoming a professional racketeer with his brothers, Pride and Bobby, and several of his many nieces, nephews, and cousins. After comedian Dave Gardner, who went by the stage name Brother Dave, fell five-grand deep into a hole at Dawson’s gambling table, Dewitt allegedly told him, “Don’t they call you fellas ‘stand-up’ comedians? Regional Informations Sharing Systems® (RISS) The Regional Organized Crime Information Center (ROCIC), a … Dewitt was in charge of the money, which, in a sense, made him the chief executive officer of all things criminal in North Alabama. Alabama (including our divisions in both Birmingham and Mobile) was at the epicenter of the conflict between those demanding full citizenship for African-Americans and those who favored segregation. ( Log Out /  Joyce was pretty, with a button nose and brown curly hair, and went to the prison that day with a friend to visit another inmate. After some colorful exchanges, such as yelling, “You dirty dog, where is my money,” Pride shot toward the two in the parking lot with a pistol until Fusher was face down on the ground. That started to change as agents began hunting down notorious gangsters across the country, ultimately becoming known as “G-men.” The Birmingham Division played a key role in the origins of that nickname. The rain is making peace with this broke South. According to the late Florida journalist and author Bill Cornwell, who actually spent time interviewing the Kingpin in his Colbert County residence, Dewitt was as close to being born a criminal as one could be. Both men pled guilty to various charges. He joked that he wanted Burt Reynolds to portray him in the film adaptation of his life. His family’s dealings in Tennessee and Mississippi were never even alleged publically to be part of Buford Pusser’s hitting an embankment at over a hundred and twenty miles per hour, or his wife being shot and his house getting blown up. Alabama Drug trafficking Laws & Penalties Generally speaking, trafficking refers to importing or exporting a large amount of drugs into or out of the United States or moving drugs across state lines. I still have relatives that live in Leighton and surrounding area.This article was enjoyable to read While serving time in Kilby State Prison for receiving and concealing stolen property in 1963, Dewitt met his wife, Minnie Joyce Bevis. The title “Snake and Tree” comes from the Alabama proverb that if you hang a dead snake in a tree it’ll bring rain. Extortion is very limited. They hardly ever came to town. The events of 9/11 led to a stronger focus—in Birmingham and nationwide—on preventing and solving acts of terror and improving intelligence capabilities, leading to far-reaching changes in the FBI. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Two leaders of the national gang the Gangster Disciples, including a man from Alabama, were sentenced Friday for a racketeering conspiracy involving murder. Even though he didn’t take many measures to hide his activities, he was retentively specific about what he was proud of doing. In 1959, for example, the division handled 449 criminal matters but only 56 national security ones. The FBI and DEA investigated the case as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force operation. The whole Country has changed and not for the better in a lot of ways . Pure y’all tales. Everyone is a little good and a little bad, and we spend our lives navigating which we want to use more of. Roy Long, an agent out of Florence, claimed, “He was so far undercover that everyone thought he was crooked.” For nearly a year after the story went public, Plott’s family was guarded by Alabama State Troopers, and George Wallace found the time when he wasn’t being racist to send over ten thousand dollars to the Sheriff’s Department to secure Plott’s family’s safety. The Birmingham crime family was an Italian-American organized crime syndicate based in Birmingham, Alabama. Prosecutors said Shauntay Craig, aka Shake, 42, of Birmingham, was sentenced to 40 years in prison. Category: 1940s, 1950s / Tags: Alabama, firearm, murder, organized crime, politics For violence and hurt tangle every man in their toils, and for the most part fall on the head of him from whom they had their rise; nor is it easy for one by who his act breaks the common pact of peace to lead a a calm and quiet life. Gang Statistics for Birmingham, Alabama The following page presents statistics and interpretations on the activity of gangs in Birmingham in Alabama, including information relating to overall numbers, per capita numbers, approximate gang membership, locations, and any correlations between gang activity and the demographic and socio-economic environment of Birmingham, Alabama. (160) Reid, a former editor of the Las Vegas Sun, was a writer on organized crime and the coauthor, with Ovid Demaris, of "The Green Felt Jungle," published in 1963. In March 1965, Liuzzo, who was white, and Leroy Morton, an African-American man, attended a voting rights rally with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and were driving back from dropping off fellow demonstrators when they were forced off the road by a car containing several members of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), who shot at them. Lieutenant John Green is a Birmingham, AL native with 15 years of combined law enforcement experience. My name is Jessica Bevis. In February 1992, for example, the Birmingham Division helped create a Violent Crimes and Fugitive Task Force, which combines FBI agents with officers and deputies from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, the Birmingham Police Department, and the Bessemer Police Department to jointly solve and stop crimes and track fugitives. Kelly later served as FBI Director from 1973 to 1977, bombing of a church on a Sunday morning in 1963. A lock () or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. A new lottery only bill is gaining traction at the Alabama State House, after the Senate rejected a bill that would have allowed for both a lottery and casinos. The event was organized in response to a recent surge in robberies targeting the Hispanic community in Birmingham. More successfully, agents pursued bankruptcy frauds, including one involving jewelry businesses that led to the arrest of 19 people. 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