Vice Lord ‘prince' convicted in federal court
Flickr | Beth Cortez-Neavel
CHICAGO (STMW) - Another high-ranking member of the Imperial Vice Lords has been convicted by a federal judge.
U.S. District Judge Elaine Bucklo convicted Joseph “Little Joe” Faulkner and Otis “O” Sykes after the pair went on trial for their roles in a conspiracy involving an open-air drug market at Thomas and Keystone on the West Side. A federal indictment described Faulkner, at times, as “prince” and a five-star universal elite member of the Vice Lords, the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting.
The judge found both guilty last week of each count they faced, records show. Their bench trial began in early November.
Prosecutors said Faulkner ran the drug market for at least 15 years and at times made $20,000 to $30,000 a day. They’ve described Sykes as a “worker” for Faulkner, though Sykes’ attorney said his client was not part of the gang.
Nathaniel Hoskins, the so-called Vice Lord “king” convicted in a bench trial earlier this year, decided who could sell in the drug market, according to the feds. Prosecutors also said Faulkner set out in January 2010 to kill a man named Tony Carr who sold marijuana just south of Division and Pulaski because Faulkner wanted to take over that territory — and “get with” Carr’s girlfriend.