Department of Justice

BALTIMORE — Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Raekwon McMann, age 26, of Baltimore, yesterday to 25 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for a racketeering conspiracy, including two murders and two attempted murders, related to his participation in the violent street gang known as Cruddy Conniving Crutballs or Triple C. Triple C operated throughout Baltimore City. 

The sentence was announced U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); and Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department.

According to McMann’s plea agreement and other court documents, Triple C members engaged in a pattern of criminal racketeering activity between 2015 and 2020, including more than a dozen murders and numerous non-fatal shootings, robberies and carjackings, in order to promote the reputation of Triple C and to command respect from the neighborhood. Other spin-offs of the gang are “SCL” and recently “TRD.”

As detailed in the plea agreement, the gang benefitted financially from selling narcotics, murdering drug dealers, taking contract killings and engaging in street robberies. Triple C members also robbed dice games for cash and occasionally carjacked vehicles. Members divided the proceeds of illegal activities among those who participated in the crimes, and often contacted each other to commit a robbery if a member needed money.  

Triple C members routinely used social media to identify and locate victims and to communicate with each other and share information concerning possible retaliation for violent crimes committed by gang members. Triple C members and associates used at least 14 firearms to commit crimes, often trading with each other or other groups to avoid detection through ballistic evidence. Details of the crimes committed by Triple C members were publicized on social media and thus were well-known to CCC members. Members of Triple C often critiqued each other after committing crimes regarding ways to improve their performance.

McMann admitted that he was present at two murders during which at least one member of the Triple C conspiracy discharged a firearm, including the murder of Darius Mason on July 29, 2018, and the murder of Larry Matthews on April 22, 2019. In addition, McMann was present at two attempted murders on Feb. 24, 2019, and April 14, 2019. McMann liked to boast about his association with Triple C on social media and what members would do for each other. McMann frequently appeared in social media posts with other Triple C members, many times with firearms. McMann also admitted that as part of his activities with Triple C, he distributed controlled substances, including crack cocaine. McMann also knew that a victim could be murdered or shot during the course of the conspiracy.   

This investigation has led to the guilty pleas of 34 members and associates of Triple C, including Correy Cawthorn, one of the gang’s leaders. Cawthorn, age 25, of Baltimore, is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 4, 2024.

This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-….

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders works together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in this investigation and thanked the U.S. Marshals Service and the Office of the Baltimore City State’s Attorney for their assistance in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia C. McLane and Michael C. Hanlon, who prosecuted the case.

###