A member of the Detroit and Chicago-based street gang the Vice Lords was sentenced to four years in prison for witness tampering by stealing the private health information of the gang's shooting victims, as well as family member information, from the medical facility where he worked, the Department of Justice announced Wednesday.
That information was then disclosed a another gang member for the purpose of scaring the them into not cooperating with an ongoing investigation into a gang-related shooting, the DOJ said.
Jamerio Clark of Detroit, 28, also known as Merio, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge David M. Lawson of Michigan.
According to a Politico report, Clark accessed the database at the Karmanos Cancer Institute more than a dozen times looking for personal information regarding a mother and her two sons who had been shot on May 7, 2015 at their home by Vice Lords gang members.
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The DOJ said Clark admitted to searching the database for information on three shooting victims, and then provided the information including dates of birth, addresses, phone numbers and also information on relatives of the victims to his brother and fellow Vice Lords gang member Antonio Clark.
Jamerio Clark also admitted he knew his brother's intention was to locate the relatives and intimidate them, such that they would decline to assist with the shooting investigation and prosecution, the DOJ said.
Nine of the gang's members and leaders have pleaded guilty to charges connected to the shooting. Eight have been sentenced, including Antonio Clark who received a 20-year sentence.
Twitter: @BethJSanborn