Member of gang sentenced to 14 years

Jace Radke

Thursday, Feb. 17, 2005 | 8:31 a.m.

Henry Arthur Carr Jr. said Wednesday that he was not a leader in the Rolling 60s Crips street gang, but U.S. District Judge Larry Hicks was unconvinced, saying that Carr . was a "street commander" serving as a manager of a gang cell.

Hicks sentenced Carr, 25, to 14 years in prison and five years of supervised release following his prison time after a Wednesday morning hearing at the George Federal Building. Carr pleaded guilty to racketeering charges in April.

Carr's attorney, Karla Butko, asked Hicks to sentence Carr to only nine years in prison because of the hard life and childhood he has had because of his environment and both of his parents having drug problems.

"This case is an example of the failure of American society," Butko said. "We're willing to pay for enforcement, but we're not willing to go into these communities and make a change."

Hicks said that he took Carr's past into account, but could not drop his sentence any lower than 14 years because he was at the center of illegal activities and drug dealing at an apartment complex.

Hicks added that from 2000 through 2003 the Rolling 60s were splintering and small cells emerged, and that the evidence points to Carr as being the supervisor of one of those cells.

Among the crimes that Carr was involved in was a March 2001 shootout at the Heritage Lounge in the 1000 block of West Owens Avenue near H Street in Nucleus Plaza.

That shooting left one man dead and Carr wounded as Rolling 60s clashed with the rival Gerson Park Kingsmen.

Carr is the sixth member of the Rolling 60s to have pleaded guilty and be sentenced in connection with an 88-count federal indictment charging drug dealing, murder and other violent crimes in the aid of racketeering. In all there are 22 defendants in the case.

One other defendant has pleaded guilty, but has not yet been sentenced, and the 15 remaining defendants are awaiting trial. A trial date has not yet been set as attorneys work through the discovery process in the case.