NORFOLK, Va. – Two Portsmouth men were arrested Thursday for their alleged roles in a racketeering conspiracy that included the murder of 23-year-old Delante Eley.
A federal grand jury returned a 13-count indictment on March 6, charging Rashaun Taylor, aka “Diablo”, 31, and Timothy Sawyer-House, aka “Trouble”, 28, with racketeering conspiracy, attempted robbery, felon in possession of a firearm, and distribution of heroin and fentanyl. Taylor was also charged with the capital-eligible offense of murder in aid of racketeering and use of a firearm resulting in death.
According to the indictment, the two men allegedly were members of a Portsmouth-based “set” of the Nine Trey Gangsters (NTG), a gang affiliated with the United Blood Nation. The indictment alleges that on March 11, 2014, after a series of incidents between Delante Eley and members of Taylor’s gang, Taylor and Sawyer-House followed Eley to his home, where Taylor shot and killed Eley. Two days later, Taylor, Sawyer-House, and others attempted to rob a drug dealer of cash, heroin, cocaine, and marijuana while armed with a high powered Romanian-made semi-automatic rifle.
The indictment also alleges that Taylor and Sawyer-House sold heroin and fentanyl.
If convicted of the charged murder, Taylor would be eligible for the death penalty or a mandatory life sentence. If Sawyer-House is convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum of life in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.
