By Joe Johnson
A high-ranking member of the Gangster Disciples convicted of a murderous conspiracy stemming from gang-related retribution that resulted in the shooting deaths of three Athens, Georgia, men was sentenced to life in federal prison without parole today.
Lesley Chappell Green, aka “Grip,” 35, of Stone Mountain, was sentenced to life in prison by Chief U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell on Feb. 20. Green, along with two co-defendants, was convicted by a federal jury of Racketeer Influenced and Corruption Organization (RICO) conspiracy on Aug. 17, 2023. Green is not eligible for parole.
“No sentence could ever ease the pain that Lesley Green inflicted on the families of the murder victims in this tragic case,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “The Gangster Disciples are a strategically violent organization whose members willingly committed these monstrous crimes."
Athens-Clarke County Police Chief Jerry Saulters said, “While this life sentence can never undo the loss of the affected family, it sends a message that justice will prevail. We are grateful to our officers for their continued support of this case and those involved in the prosecution. Our community is safer because of your efforts.”
Two co-defendants convicted with Green at trial will be sentenced on March 20 in Macon:
Philmon Deshawn Chambers, aka “Dolla Phil,” 35, of Atlanta was convicted of Racketeer Influenced and Corruption Organization (RICO) conspiracy; Violent Crime in Aid of Racketeering - Murder (VICAR-Murder); Carry and Use of a Firearm During and In Relation to a Crime of Violence; and Causing the Death of a Person Using a Firearm. Chambers faces a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison for the VICAR-Murder offense, and a maximum of life in prison for each of the remaining offenses.
Co-defendant Andrea Paige Browner, aka “Drea,” 29, of Athens, Georgia, was convicted of Racketeer Influenced and Corruption Organization (RICO) conspiracy; Violent Crime in Aid of Racketeering - Murder (VICAR-Murder); and Causing the Death of a Person Using a Firearm. Browner faces a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison for the VICAR-Murder offense, and a maximum of life in prison for each of the remaining offenses.
Two co-defendants previously entered guilty pleas and will be sentenced on March 22 in Macon:
Robert Maurice Carlisle, aka “Different,” 37, of Lithonia, Georgia, pleaded guilty to Racketeer Influenced and Corruption Organization (RICO) conspiracy on June 8, and is facing a maximum sentence of life in prison; and
Shabazz Larry Guidry, aka “Lil Larry,” 29, of Decatur, Georgia, pleaded guilty to Racketeer Influenced and Corruption Organization (RICO) conspiracy on June 8 and is facing a maximum sentence of life in prison.
According to court documents, Chambers held a “Position of Authority” within the national Gangster Disciples criminal organization, which included overseeing members of the “Enforcement Team.” The Enforcement Team is directed to discipline gang members using physical assault or murder. Co-defendant Green was a member of the Enforcement Team and held the title of “Assistant Chief Enforcer.” Co-defendant Browner was a member of the “Sisters of the Struggle” (SOS), a parallel female component of the Gangster Disciples, and held a leadership position in the gang.
Evidence presented at trial proved that on Dec. 10, 2018, Gangster Disciples member Walter Brown was murdered in Athens, Georgia. Chambers and Browner sought retaliation for Brown’s death and believed three unnamed Athens residents were responsible. On Dec. 14, 2018, Browner met Rodriquez Apollo Rucker, of Athens, at a downtown Athens hotel and learned that Rucker was related to one of the individuals she believed killed Brown. Browner texted Chambers, and Chambers came to the motel. Chambers followed Rucker home and shot and killed him. Browner notified an associate of the Gangster Disciples that she and Chambers would be leaving town because the police would be looking for them.
Browner was taken into custody in Mt. Enterprise, Texas, on Dec. 15, and Chambers got away. Chambers was suspicious that someone was cooperating with law enforcement and focused his suspicions on Derrick Ruff and Joshua Jackson who were, in fact, not cooperating with law enforcement. Chambers incorrectly concluded that Ruff and Jackson were “snitches” and directed Green, who held a subordinate position on the Enforcement Team, to carry out the murders of Ruff and Jackson.
Text messages and intercepted phone calls between Chambers, Green, Carlisle and Guidry revealed that Ruff and Jackson were lured by Green, as directed by Chambers, to drive from Athens to Lawrenceville to break into storage sheds and steal items to send to Chambers as “aid and assistance” as he was hiding out from law enforcement in a Gangster Disciple “safe house” in Killeen, Texas. The ruse worked, and Ruff and Jackson were murdered on Dec. 19 and their bodies concealed in the storage unit until March 17, 2019, when police with the assistance of cadaver sniffing dogs located them. Additional messages between Chambers, Green, Carlisle and Guidry showed that they conspired to dispose of the victims’ bodies, which included potentially burning the bodies or dumping the bodies in a landfill. Law enforcement recovered the bodies and made arrests before these plans could be carried out.