MANATEE — A gang member was sentenced to 25 years of prison Thursday in the midst of new gang related violence.
Third Shift gang member Lucien Alexis, 21, was sentenced Thursday after he pleaded no contest to charges including racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering and selling cocaine, according to court records.
Alexis was sentenced to 25 years followed by five years of probation by Judge Diana Moreland. He received 15 years of probation to run consecutively on the cocaine charge.
Prosecutors said Alexis’ criminal history with gangs included battery on a law enforcement officer, possession of cocaine, sale of cocaine and resisting arrest.
Alexis is also a person of interest in the March 8, 2007 fatal shooting of Jose Castillo during a botched drug deal in Bradenton, according to detectives. Alexis was never charged in Castillo’s murder.
Diane Croff, a prosecutor with the state attorney’s office, said she recommended 16 years followed by four years probation for the racketeering charges. However, because Alexis entered a plea past the judge’s deadline, it was considered an open plea.
As a maximum sentence, he could have received 75 years for all three counts.
Alexis is one of 12 Third Shift gang members the sheriff’s office, as well as state and federal authorities, have arrested on charges of racketeering since an investigation kicked off July in 2007.
According to authorities, the gang is known for selling drugs to benefit the gang and members and is suspected of committing home invasion robberies involving money and drugs.
Another Third Shift gang member, Ryan Simmons, is slated to go to trial on racketeering charges Aug. 10.
Despite sheriff’s office investigators using racketeering laws to target gang leaders and active members, there has been a surge of gang violence, said Sheriff Brad Steube.
The sheriff’s office has applied for a grant in hopes of funding five more positions for the gang unit.
“This is going to be a battle we are going to have to continue fighting. Simply because we’ve put away 50 gang members from Brown Pride Locos to SUR 13 to Third Shift, we still have to continue to pressure them,” he said. “Right now, a number of them have gone to prison. We are seeing younger members of those same gangs going into those roles. We have to keep the pressure on them and continue our investigation.”
In the past couple of days the sheriff’s office has received reports of possible gang related drive-by shootings. It’s unclear which gangs could be responsible.
On Wednesday night there was a shooting in the 7400 block of Ponce De Leon Street.
On Thursday morning there were shootings reported in the 200 block of 60th Avenue West in Bradenton and in the 2500 block of First Avenue East in Palmetto.
No one was injured in those shootings.
On July 3, two young men were fatally shot after a car pulled up behind another vehicle in the 1100 block of 59th Avenue Drive East. “It’s hard to say whether (the shootings) are related or whether they aren’t. We thought they were going to be retaliation shootings because of the double homicide. Whether these are — we haven’t made a connection yet if there is one,” Steube said.
Beth Burger, criminal justice reporter, can be reached at 708-7919.
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