Rayful Edmond

Rayful Edmond III, (born November 26, 1964), was a notorious drug dealer who is largely credited with introducing crack cocaine into the Washington, D.C. area.

Criminal career

Edmond was alleged to have moved In an indictment involving two of Edmond's associates, it said that they bought between 1000 and 2,000 kilos over a 1 week period at a time. In 1992 from the Trujillo-Blanco brothers, who were associated with the Medellin cartel, and sold the drugs to Washington area wholesalers. He was known to have spent some $457,619 in an exclusive Georgetown store (Linea Pitti, specializing in Italian men's clothing) owned by Charles Wynn who was later convicted on 34 counts of money laundering.

Relationship with the Georgetown Hoyas

Edmond was an avid fan of the Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team. He relished the "12 angry black men" image of the Hoyas, often touting them as "Black America's Team," the "First Team" of the inner-city gangster and hip-hop youth, always cast as the dark, intimidating villain. Edmond revered the aggressive tenacity, snarl and swagger the Hoyas played with, so much that when his soldiers were gunned down, they were always buried in Georgetown jerseys [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3247962 ESPN - ESPN The Magazine ] ] .

The Meeting With Coach Thompson

At the height of his empire, Edmond became very friendly with several Hoya players. When Georgetown University basketball coach (and D.C. native) John Thompson received word of what was happening, he sent word through his sources to have Edmond meet him at his office at McDonough Gymnasium. When Edmond arrived, Thompson was initially cordial, and informed Edmond that he needed to cease all contacts with his players post haste, specifically John Turner and Alonzo Mourning, both of whom had befriended Edmond [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/29/AR2007032902467_pf.html Michael Wilbon - A Coach, Not a Crusader - washingtonpost.com ] ] . When Edmond tried to tell him that his players were not involved in anything illegal, the 6'10" Thompson stood up and put his finger in Edmond's face. A profanity-laced tirade ensued, in which Thompson told Edmond he didn't give an (expletive) who Edmond was on the street or his crew's violent reputation; he had crossed the line with his players, and that he wasn't going to let Edmond (expletive) up their lives. If Edmond had any sense of intelligence, the coach continued, he'd be wise not to (expletive) with Thompson. Thompson's parting words to Edmond before dismissing him was that he was not going to repeat himself: Stay the (expletive) away from his players, or Edmond would suffer serious consequences [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/09/AR2007020902184.html 'Big John Is Still Big John' - washingtonpost.com ] ] . By all accounts, Edmond never associated with another Hoya player on a personal level. It is believed that Thompson is the only person to stand up to Edmond without consequence, initially causing some shock and surprise that there was no reprisal against Thompson for standing up to Edmond [ [http://www.411mania.com/movies/dvd_reviews/78860/American-Gangster:-Season-Two---Disc-3-Review.htm 411mania.com: Movies - American Gangster: Season Two - Disc 3 Review ] ] . While he felt embarrassed and humiliated by the encounter, Edmond could not bring himself to seek any retaliation whatsoever. Thompson was a black man Edmond truly admired and revered, and he respected the honor, presence, and leadership role that Thompson commanded in the black community.

Arrest, Trial, and Conviction

Edmond was arrested in 1989 at the age of 24. His arrest and subsequent trial were widely covered by local and national media. Judicial officials, fearful of reprisals from members of Edmond's gang, imposed unprecedented security during the trial. Jurors' identities were kept secret before, during, and after trial, and their seating area was enclosed in bulletproof glass. Edmond was jailed at the maximum security facility at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia and flown to the Federal Court House in Washington, D.C. by helicopter each day for his trial. Authorities took this unusual step due to heightened fears of an armed escape attempt. This gang was believed to have committed over 40 murders including the attempted murder of a local pastor, the Reverend Mr. Bynum, who was shot 12 times during an anti-drug march in his Orleans Place neighborhood.Fact|date=July 2008

Edmond was eventually sentenced to life in prison without parole. His mother, Constance "Bootsie" Perry, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for participating in his criminal enterprise. Several of his sisters and cousins also received sentences.

Rayful continued to deal after being incarcerated in Lewisburg, PA federal prison. He hooked up with Dixon Dario and Osvaldo “Chiqui” (pronounced Cheeky) Trujillo-Blanco (son of Griselda "Godmother" Trujillo Blanco) who shared the same cell block with him. Rayful was setting up deals between D.C. area traffickers and his Colombian connect (Dario and Blanco) while incarcerated.(2) In 1996, Edmond and another drug dealer from Atlanta, named Lowe, were convicted after conducting drug business from a federal prison phone. Edmond received an additional 30-year sentence. Edmond's case is one of the most notorious abuses of such phone privileges, [ [http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/special/9908/callsp1.htm www.usdoj.gov] ] and an embarrassment for the Bureau of Prisons. In an interview with the Bureau of Prisons, Edmond said he had spent several hours every day on the telephone, occasionally using two lines simultaneously to conduct his drug business.

Following this conviction, Edmond became a government informant in order to secure his mother's release from prison and a reduced sentence. Edmond is still incarcerated but is now part of the United States Federal Witness Protection Program and his place of incarceration is confidential.

Television and Film

In 2005 May 3rd Films produced a hit documentary called 'The Life of Rayful Edmond -The Rise and Fall Vol 1'. Actor, comedian Raymond "The Rayvolution" Baxter has been rumored to play the cocaine king-pin in a major screen adaptation.

References

(1) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/29/AR2007032902467_pf.html(2) http://www.gorillaconvict.com/blog2/

[http://estore.websitepros.com/2003908/Detail.bok?no=3 Street Stars DVD: Rayful Edmond]