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History

From 1964 to today: a timeline of STGs in South Carolina

Oct 14, 2026

This timeline records Security Threat Group activity in South Carolina from national origins in the 1960s and 1970s through October 14, 2026, drawn from court opinions, prosecutor releases and news reports. It traces the June 16, 1995 SCDC designation of the Five Percenters, the 2007 Criminal Gang Prevention Act, the April 15, 2018 Lee Correctional riot, and federal and State Grand Jury cases built on inmates' use of contraband cell phones.

Eras of STG activity in South Carolina

National roots: the Five Percent Nation formed in New York in 1964 and the Gangster Disciples began in Chicago in the early 1970s, per federal appellate opinions. No public source opened for this timeline documents South Carolina STG activity in the 1970s or 1980s. [1][2]

1990s prison designation: after assaults and an April 1995 hostage riot at Broad River, SCDC designated the Five Percenters an STG on June 16, 1995. The Fourth Circuit affirmed the designation and segregation on April 21, 1999. [1]

2000s street recognition: a December 2001 NDIC assessment described Bloods, Crips and Gangster Disciples activity in SC cities. The Criminal Gang Prevention Act took effect June 12, 2007. [3][4]

2010s federal cases and contraband: Capt. Robert Johnson was shot on March 5, 2010 in a hit arranged from inside prison. Federal racketeering cases followed against Bloods, Cowboys, Wildboys and Elm Street Piru defendants. On April 15, 2018, seven inmates died in the Lee Correctional riot. [5][6][7][8][9]

2020s prison-run enterprises: the December 10, 2020 Insane Gangster Disciples RICO case charged 40 defendants. The State Grand Jury's Prison Empire case reached 100 defendants by March 8, 2021. The FCC acted on September 30, 2025 to advance prison cell phone jamming. [10][11][12]

The full chronology, with a source on every entry, is on the timeline page.

Sources12 cited
  1. In re Long Term Administrative Segregation of Inmates Designated as Five Percenters, 174 F.3d 464 (4th Cir. 1999) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (CourtListener) (1999-04-21)
  2. United States v. Smith, 223 F.3d 554 (7th Cir. 2000) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (CourtListener) (2000-08-17)
  3. South Carolina Drug Threat Assessment (Overview) — National Drug Intelligence Center, U.S. Department of Justice (2001-12-01)
  5. Man gets 20 years in conspiracy to kill corrections officer — The State (John Monk), republished by Corrections1 (2014-08-14)
  6. Bloods Street Gang Investigation Culminates in Life Sentence — U.S. Attorney's Office, District of South Carolina (2014-06-06)
  9. Timeline of how the Lee prison riot exploded — The Post and Courier (2018-04-15)
  10. 40 Charged in Largest Federal Racketeering Conspiracy in South Carolina History — U.S. Attorney's Office, District of South Carolina (2020-12-10)