Charles Battle
LaCharles Hodges
Update: LaCharles Hodges and Charles Battle, both members of the "Corna Sto Boys" group, have pleaded guilty for their involvement in the Portsmouth-based cocaine trafficking operation.
Samuel Gray also pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute crack cocaine. He is an affiliate of the group.
Back in February, Norman Stephenson pleaded guilty.
Officials say Hodges was one of the group's primary suppliers of cocaine. Police say during a six-month period in 2014, he distributed around 30 kilograms of cocaine.
Hodges was also a supplier for other organizations in Hampton Roads. His twin brothers, who belonged to one of the groups, were federally prosecuted last year. They have been identified as James and Jeremy Saunders.
Portsmouth, Va. - Indictments from Federal Court reveal for years, a gang sold crack cocaine and committed violent crimes less than a block away from a Portsmouth Elementary School.
The documents name LaCharles Hodges, Jawanza Johnson, Charles Battle and Norman Stephenson as four of the men in the gang called "The Corna Sto Boys".
Court documents cannot say exactly how long these men were involved in the gang, but starting in early 2014, all four helped operate a crack cocaine ring on multiple corners on Elm Avenue in Portsmouth, most commonly at the intersection of Fillmore Street.
Not only did court documents explain how the gang used drugs right near Brighton Elementary School, it also shared how gang members would meet and work with other drug dealers in Hampton Roads to distribute the drugs.
Court documents claim the reason why these men were able to operate for years without being caught is because of lookouts who were paid to warn gang members of nearby police activity.
Hodges was arraigned on his charges on Wednesday in U.S. District Court. Johnson and Battle made initial appearances. Stephenson pleaded guilty on Feb. 3.
