Five members of the notorious Short North Posse gang were convicted on multiple charges in U.S. District Court Thursday.
In a trial that lasted two months, the gang members were convicted of murder and racketeering.
Robert B. Ledbetter, 37, Christopher A. Harris, 28, Rashad A. Liston, 26, Deounte Ussury, 31, and Clifford L. Robinson, 38, all of Columbus, were convicted on all counts.
"The verdict today has sent a clear message that their reign has ended and such behavior will not go unpunished," U.S. Attorney Benjamin Glassman said.
Prosecutors say the multi-generational gang terrorized the Weinland Park neighborhood, north of the Short North, in Columbus, through "violence and intimidation." The gang was formed in the late '80s.
Their convictions accounted for 10 of 14 previously unsolved murders. Each defendant could get life in prison.
The convicted men are five of 20 people indicted in October 2014 in a racketeering case. The charges include murders, attempted murders, drug trafficking, weapons offenses, extortion and robbery.
Nine of the 20 defendants have pleaded guilty. One has died.
The remaining five defendants are scheduled for trials on July 11 and September 26.
