JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 Newly unsealed federal court documents reveal three additional men connected to Jacksonville\u2019s alleged \u201cSlime\u201d gang pleaded guilty weeks before prosecutors publicly announced a sweeping indictment against 13 other people in August.<\/p>\n
Jermaine James, Marquise Felton and Derrick Jerome Brown were not among the 13 defendants named during the federal announcement, when prosecutors outlined a 16-count indictment targeting the Jacksonville-based organization.<\/p>\n
But court documents filed in July, which were recently unsealed, show the three men were already facing racketeering conspiracy charges.<\/p>\n
News4JAX sat down with attorney and former federal prosecutor Curtis Fallgatter to discuss what the guilty pleas could mean for the government\u2019s case and why prosecutors might pursue charges under the RICO.<\/p>\n
Why prosecutors use RICO charges<\/p>\n
Fallgatter explained that RICO allows federal prosecutors to bring multiple alleged crimes together under one case when they are connected to a criminal organization.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there\u2019s a criminal organization designed to sell drugs, use guns, do murders, do robberies, that\u2019s an organization that the RICO statute allows the federal authorities to prosecute,\u201d Fallgatter said.<\/p>\n
He said the law gives prosecutors a broader way to pursue organizations accused of committing different crimes.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can lump them all in together if they\u2019re part of a single organization, a criminal organization, under the RICO statute,\u201d Fallgatter said.<\/p>\n
The August indictment accused the alleged Slime organization of involvement in drug trafficking, firearms offenses, murder for hire and witness retaliation.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors said the organization operated under several names over the years, including Pearl World, BB4L (Block Burners for Life), K4T (Killers for Telly) and Slime World.<\/p>\n
Three guilty pleas before the August announcement<\/p>\n
James\u2019 federal charging document was filed July 21 in U.S. District Court in Jacksonville. Felton\u2019s and Brown\u2019s charging documents were filed the following day.<\/p>\n
The indictment against the 13 other alleged Slime members was filed Aug. 5, and prosecutors publicly announced the case five days later.<\/p>\n
Court records show James pleaded guilty July 28 to racketeering conspiracy and a drug charge. Brown pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy July 29, followed by Felton on July 30.<\/p>\n
News4JAX asked Fallgatter what the earlier guilty pleas could reveal about how federal prosecutors are building their case.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou found the court documents, which show that they actually waived indictment, which means they\u2019re cooperating,\u201d Fallgatter said.<\/p>\n
Fallgatter believes the guilty pleas indicate the government may have secured potential witnesses before announcing the larger indictment.<\/p>\n
However, waiving indictment and entering a guilty plea do not, by themselves, establish that a defendant has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. The available court records confirm the pleas but do not independently establish cooperation agreements.<\/p>\n
Fallgatter said testimony from people familiar with an organization\u2019s operations can be particularly valuable in a racketeering prosecution.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis case undoubtedly involves surveillance, probably some wiretaps, maybe some other covert recordings. And now they have live witnesses that are part of the organization,\u201d Fallgatter said.<\/p>\n
He added that securing testimony from insiders could help prosecutors explain how individual defendants and alleged criminal acts are connected.<\/p>\n
What prosecutors allege the three men did<\/p>\n
Court documents show James was initially indicted in April 2025 on three federal drug charges that did not mention the Slime organization.<\/p>\n
A July filing dropped two of those original charges and added racketeering conspiracy, alleging James participated in the organization\u2019s affairs through criminal activity.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors say James maintained a Jacksonville house used for drug distribution, supplied drugs to other members, ordered violence to collect a drug debt and bailed another alleged Slime member out of custody in another state.<\/p>\n
James also faced a charge of possessing drugs with intent to distribute them.<\/p>\n
Felton\u2019s July charging document alleges he maintained two drug houses and participated in attempts to kill two people as part of the conspiracy.<\/p>\n
News4JAX previously reported on Felton\u2019s arrest alongside Terrance Williams and Devonne Rivers in connection with a 2024 shooting that left a man critically injured.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors accuse Brown of distributing drugs, maintaining a house used to store drugs and firearms and helping assault a lower-level drug dealer over money owed to the organization.<\/p>\n
All three July charging documents describe Slime as an organization operating primarily in Jacksonville\u2019s Northside and Oceanway neighborhoods.<\/p>\n
Federal prosecutors allege the group generated money through drug trafficking and robberies while using threats and violence to protect territory, intimidate rivals and enforce discipline.<\/p>\n
Why were the court proceedings sealed?<\/p>\n
Although the three men pleaded guilty in July, their connection to the larger Slime case was not publicly known when prosecutors announced the August indictment.<\/p>\n
Court records show attorneys for Brown and Felton raised concerns about their clients\u2019 safety and requested that their hearings be sealed. A judge granted those requests.<\/p>\n
Fallgatter said keeping proceedings confidential can serve several purposes in a case involving allegations of organized violence.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne is that they don\u2019t want the others to become fugitives, because if they learn that these members of the organization are cooperating, they might flee,\u201d Fallgatter said.<\/p>\n
He said another potential concern is protecting defendants and their families from retaliation.<\/p>\n
Those explanations reflect Fallgatter\u2019s assessment of why secrecy can matter in a federal investigation. The documented safety requests came from defense attorneys.<\/p>\n
What happens next?<\/p>\n
With multiple defendants and allegations spanning several years, Fallgatter said one of the government\u2019s challenges will be showing how individual acts fit into the alleged criminal enterprise.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone\u2019s going to have different little parts in it, and the witnesses that they recruited will help explain how those pieces fall into place,\u201d Fallgatter said.<\/p>\n
He believes additional defendants could eventually reach plea agreements with prosecutors as the case progresses.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s fairly likely that some more of those 13 defendants will work their cases out with the government,\u201d Fallgatter said. \u201cThe government will rack up additional witnesses to testify against those who decide to go to trial.\u201d<\/p>\n
James, Felton and Brown are awaiting sentencing. The federal case against the 13 other defendants remains ongoing.<\/p>\n
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