NEW BOSTON, Texas–A Bowie County jury sentenced one of the founders of Texarkana-based street gang Loyalty Cash Business to life in prison Friday for money laundering related to organized criminal activity.
Van Dmarcreus Grissom, aka “Red,” 35, was hammered with the maximum sentence by a jury of eight men and four women after hearing three days of testimony about the gang’s nefarious activities in the Texarkana region which includes drug trafficking, assaults, murders, robberies and more, according to court records.
In addition to the life term the jury recommended, Grissom also received an additional ten years from 202nd District Judge John Tidwell for failing to complete a term of felony probation without committing a crime. Judge Tidwell ordered that Grissom will serve the terms consecutively.
First Assistant District Attorney Kelley Crisp told TXK Today on Friday that, “This group of criminals has been trafficking drugs and committing violent crime in our county for more than a decade.”
“This conviction and sentence of life imprisonment is at least a start on the wholesale dismantling of their organization that is overdue,” Crisp said. “An extraordinary amount of work went into this investigation and prosecution and this outcome is a testament to the dedication of the men and women of the Texarkana Texas Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the outright rejection of this lawless behavior by the good and lawful citizens that make up Bowie County juries.”
The gang was initially called “Little Cuz Boyz” when it was organized about two decades ago by Grissom and Courtney Hope, aka “Bloc,” 35, when both were juveniles. The gang later rebranded itself as Loyalty Cash Business or LCB.
Hope pleaded guilty to engaging in organized criminal activity in December and was sentenced to 40 years as part of a plea bargain.
Grissom pleaded guilty Tuesday, the same day the jury was selected in proceedings before 202nd District Judge John Tidwell. A jury heard several days of testimony and arguments regarding the punishment he should receive in the range of 15 to 99 years or life in prison.
Assistant District Attorney Bradley Akins, who prosecuted the case alongside Crisp, said he told the jury that the state brought the racketeering-type charges against Grissom, Hope and dozens of other alleged gang members and their associates.
“We have individuals who have laundered money across the country and paid hit men out of Memphis but we are here in state court, not federal,” Akins said. “No one is coming to help us, we are on our own.”
Grissom and Courtney have admitted through their pleas of guilty that the gang formed multiple business entities which are registered with the Texas Secretary of State, including R&B Trucking, H&H Trucking and Hope’s Hauling to make it appear that money earned from drug trafficking and other illegal dealings was legitimate. According to court records, the gang used a commercial truck to move pounds of marijuana and U.S. currency between Texarkana and states like California, Washington and Oregon.
The gang also formed an entity called, “I-30 Cartel,” under which it recorded music that glorifies a criminal lifestyle. YouTube videos of some of the performances were played this week for the jury.
“Courtney Hope and Van Grissom are the leaders of the organization, and this criminal street gang primarily makes money by selling narcotics and by stealing through theft, burglary, or robbery,” court records state. “LCB uses extreme acts of violence to carry out the business of the gang. This criminal behavior would include, but not be limited to, murder, robbery, burglary, assault, weapons charges, deadly conduct, terroristic threats, tampering with witnesses, tampering with evidence, narcotics trafficking and gambling.”
Evidence obtained from social media accounts of gang members included many photos of Grissom, Hope and other known LCB members wearing LCB jewelry and tattoos while posing with stacks of U.S. currency and firearms.
The gang is alleged to have been behind multiple murders in the Texarkana area, including a shooting that occurred during the daytime hours in the parking lot of a busy restaurant in Texarkana, Texas.
Once arrested, the illegal activity of Grissom and Hope and the gang continued. The men acquired contraband cell phones and recruited correctional officers, several of whom have been arrested and charged, to bring drugs, cigarettes, phones and phone chargers into the Bowie County jail, court records show.
Witness tampering and intimidation has been a constant challenge in the case, prompting the district attorney’s office to proceed with the money laundering charges as banking records can’t be influenced by threats, Crisp said.
“This gang has avoided facing the consequences for their actions in large part due to their incessant threats and intimidation of the witnesses that would testify against them,” Crisp said. “Thus the security for the witnesses and trial participants this week was of utmost concern.”
Crisp offered special thanks from the D.A.’s office for, “Sheriff Jeff Neal and Chief Deputy Robby McCarver for coordinating a security plan that ensured the safety of those of us who were involved in the trial,” and added that, “Additional assistance for the security and integrity of the trial process was provided by the Texarkana, Texas Police Department, and all of these officers and deputies are to be commended for their steadfast resolve in the face of hostility and danger.”
Grissom was represented by Heath Hyde of Heath Hyde PC.
