Monday, May 6, 2013 | 5:51 p.m.
A member of the Playboy Bloods street gang faces life in prison after being convicted Monday of federal murder, racketeering and drug charges, officials said.
Jacorey Taylor — known as “Mo-B” — is the ninth of 10 gang members convicted after being charged in federal court in 2008, according to Nevada’s U.S. Attorney Daniel G. Bogden.
Taylor, 30, was convicted of a racketeering conspiracy charge, murder in aid of the racketeering enterprise, use of a firearm during a crime of violence, conspiracy to distribute more than 280 grams of crack cocaine and two counts of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, officials said.
Authorities said Taylor participated in the retaliation murder of a man in November 2004. That man was Billy Ray Thomas, who was shot multiple times Nov. 1, 2004, in the parking lot of the Pecos Terrace Apartments, 3555 E. Lake Mead Blvd.
Taylor and his co-defendants, Reginald Dunlap and Steven Booth, murdered Thomas after mistakenly identifying him as a rival street gang member, officials said. Playboy Bloods members — including Taylor, Dunlap and Booth — drove through neighborhoods known to be occupied by Crip gang members, as they searched for rivals to retaliate against for the murder of Quaza Burns, a Playboy Bloods leader.
But Thomas, who was working on his car while waiting to take his girlfriend to work, did not have any gang affiliation, officials said.
During Taylor’s trial, Booth, 27, and Dunlap, 30, were sentenced to 20 years each in federal prison. They pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy charges, including aiding and abetting in murder related to the Playboy Bloods racketeering conspiracy, officials said.
Authorities said Booth admitted to participating in the January 2004 murder of Brian Wilcox, a security guard working at the Sherman Gardens Annex who was shot several times while on duty.
The monthlong trial also included evidence showing that on March 21, 2002, Taylor robbed a Henderson casino. Taylor, carrying an assault rifle, and another armed man, entered the Klondike Casino, forced their way behind the casino cage and stole more than $7,000, officials said.
The Playboy Bloods is a local affiliate of the Bloods, a nationwide criminal street gang whose members participate in drug trafficking and acts of violence, authorities said. The Piru Bloods and West Coast Bloods are also Las Vegas gangs affiliated with the Bloods.
Taylor, Dunlap and Booth were in a group known as the Full Throttle Clique, a subset of the Playboy Bloods, officials said. Taylor operated drug houses in the Sherman Gardens Annex and surrounding area, along with other Playboy Bloods members.
Taylor will be sentenced Aug. 8 by Chief U.S. District Judge Robert C. Jones. He faces a mandatory life sentence without parole for his murder conviction, officials said.
The trial for the 10th defendant, 31-year-old Markette Tillman, is scheduled to begin Sept. 23.
Eight other defendants already convicted received federal prison sentences ranging from five to 20 years.
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