Woman gets 19 years in prison after ‘obscene’ United Blood Nation gang conviction, lawyer says

Three people described as North Carolina members of the United Blood Nation gang were sentenced in Charlotte on Monday, according to the office of U.S. Attorney Andrew Murray.

The longest sentence – 19 years in prison – was handed to 43-year-old Cynthia “Lady Bynt” Gilmore, who was convicted of racketeering conspiracy in May. Gilmore’s attorney Aaron Michel told the Observer he plans to file an appeal.

During the May trial, Gilmore sat beside two men described as top leaders or “godfathers” of the Bloods. Prosecutors said the two men ran the gang from New York state prisons for years and that Gilmore served as a key Bloods leader on the ground in North Carolina.

The two “godfathers,” Pedro Gutierrez and James Baxton, were each sentenced to 20 years in prison in September. That’s the maximum sentence for racketeering conspiracy. Citing Gutierrez’ influence on the gang from within his prison cell, U.S. Chief District Judge Frank Whitney recommended that Gutierrez go to ADX Florence, the federal supermax prison in Colorado.

According to prosecutors, Gilmore played a major role in the gang’s communication network, including ferrying messages in and out of prison for Gutierrez. She was also involved in drug trafficking, prosecutors said.

Michel, her attorney, called the sentence “obscene” Monday evening. He said Gilmore did not get a fair trial.

Whitney also sentenced two other men described as Bloods members on Monday. Robert Allen “Trigga” McClinton, 29, was sentenced to about 3 1/2 years in prison, and 40-year-old Renaldo Rodregus “Rodeo” Camp was sentenced to nearly six years. Both men pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and drug charges, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

This story was originally published October 22, 2018 at 8:05 PM with the headline "Woman gets 19 years in prison after ‘obscene’ United Blood Nation gang conviction, lawyer says."