A new report shows jobs in demand in the Memphis area at a time when we are again talking about which expansions and new businesses should be getting incentives and how to get better paying jobs. The annual report by CERT – Center for Economic Research in Tennessee – shows high employer demand for information technology, health care, engineering, business and financial operations and welding.

2. Last Word: Basketball Capitol, Gang Fight in Southwest Memphis and Moving Polk - Monday, March 27, 2017

There is something to be said for hosting a round of the NCAA’s March Madness without having a team in the playoffs. Much to be said against it. But after a weekend of what I think most of us here will call the most compelling of the regionals featured prominently on national television, you really can find very little to complain about. It might even have rekindled the intensity of our civic love of basketball.

3. March 24-30, 2017: This week in Memphis history - Saturday, March 25, 2017

2012: Guilty verdicts in the federal court trials of Clinton Lewis and Martin Lewis, the only two members of the Craig Petties drug organization to go to trial in the largest drug and racketeering case ever brought in Memphis federal court. Each is convicted of multiple drug conspiracy, racketeering and murder-for-hire charges and sentenced to life in prison.
The Lewises are relatively low-ranking members of a multistate drug organization whose center is the Riverside neighborhood of South Memphis. They are assigned to kill rival drug dealers and those within the organization suspected of cooperating with authorities. The trial testimony paints a vivid picture of the larger organization and its disintegration.
Petties, along with his childhood friends, builds an organization that deals directly with the Sinaloa drug cartel in Mexico, importing tons of cocaine and marijuana into the city via truck trailers and sending millions of dollars in drug money back to Mexico. Petties flees to Mexico in 2002 after police discover him in a house with 600 pounds of marijuana. It puts Petties and his organization on the radar of federal drug agents. Petties runs the drug organization from exile for six years before he is captured in Mexico and returned to the U.S. as the cartel splinters violently.
A year before the trial, Petties pleads guilty to federal charges in a sealed court hearing and is later sentenced to multiple life sentences. His attorneys argue that Petties did offer some cooperation short of testifying. But prosecutors say he never provided any significant information they didn’t already know and that he feared for his life if he cooperated in any significant way.

4. Last Word: Chattanooga's Tragedy, Elvis Presley's Memphis and Chandler Parsons - Tuesday, November 22, 2016

A grim Monday in Chattanooga where, as we post this, six school children were killed in a school bus crash and the driver of the bus was charged late Monday with reckless driving and vehicular homicide.

5. Last Word: The Law & Darrius Stewart, MEMShop's Return and The Pot Debate - Thursday, September 29, 2016

The Memphis Bar Association’s Law School for Journalists is where reporters and attorneys and a few judges meet annually to talk over the issues they have with each other. And it is usually about a specific topic. This year that topic was the July 2015 police shooting of Darrius Stewart.

6. Gangster Disciples Case Alleges Attempted Murder, Threats - Wednesday, May 11, 2016

When reputed members of street gangs are indicted on federal charges, the indictments are usually brief and technical.

They will allege that the accused had a firearm and was a felon and thus could not legally carry a gun. Or they will allege the defendant was dealing an amount of drugs that exceeds the threshold for federal charges.

7. Last Word: Overt Acts, Fringe Element and Roller Derby - Thursday, May 5, 2016

Gang cases in Memphis Federal Court are fairly common. Federal gang cases in which murder or attempted murder to further a criminal enterprise is among the charges are not common.

The last case to surface was also the largest drug case ever brought in Memphis Federal Court. It was the 2008 case against Craig Petties and his multi-state drug operation with direct ties to the Sinaloa drug cartel.

8. 16 Alleged Gangster Disciples Indicted in Memphis - Thursday, May 5, 2016

A federal grand jury in Memphis has charged 16 alleged members of the Gangster Disciples street gang in a case linked to the separate indictment of 32 people in Atlanta, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday, May 4.

9. Last Word: El Chapo and Memphis, First Filers for August and Origins in Graffiti - Monday, January 11, 2016

The Mississippi River at Memphis crested and then it rained.
The weekend rain added about two-tenths of an inch by Saturday to Friday’s crest.
But by Sunday, the river had dropped to 39.12 feet, which is still more than five feet above flood stage.

10. Stanton Nominated to Memphis Federal Court - Monday, May 25, 2015

President Barack Obama has nominated U.S. Attorney Edward Stanton III to be a federal judge for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee.

11. Riverside Drug Arrests Linked to Nashville Case - Friday, December 13, 2013

For two years, Memphis police mounted an investigation in the Riverside section of South Memphis against a long-running drug organization allegedly headed by Kenneth and Keith Bohanon.

12. Crime Prevention - Friday, September 27, 2013

There are lots of teddy bears and other stuffed animals in the Riverside neighborhood declared the city’s first no-gang zone this week by a General Sessions Environmental Court order.

A large cluster of the toys are attached and strapped to a large tree that shades the gang graffiti-scarred abandoned house at the corner of Farrington Street and Hollowell Avenue.

13. First No-Gang Zone Sets Up in Riverside - Tuesday, September 24, 2013

The city and Memphis police began serving alleged gang members Monday with the city’s first try at establishing a no-gang safety zone in the Riverside area of southwest Memphis.

The first area with the designation in Memphis is bordered by South Parkway East to the north, West Mallory Street on the south, U.S. 55 on the west and Florida Street on the east.

14. Petties Appeals Prison Sentence - Friday, September 13, 2013

After being moved from the Memphis Federal Correctional Institution to a high-security prison in Allenwood, Pa., this week, Memphis drug kingpin Craig Petties has appealed his nine life prison sentences.

15. Petties Moved to Pennsylvania Prison - Thursday, September 12, 2013

Memphis drug kingpin Craig Petties has begun serving his nine life sentences at a federal prison in Pennsylvania.

16. Petties Sentenced to Nine Life Terms - Thursday, August 22, 2013

Memphis drug kingpin Craig Petties will be in prison for the rest of his life for heading a violent drug organization with direct ties to a Mexican drug cartel that sold millions of dollars worth of drugs in a multi-state area centered in Memphis from 1995 to 2008.

17. Petties Case Reveals Dark Details - Monday, August 12, 2013

One of the last loose ends in the largest drug case ever brought in Memphis federal court was rounded up last week, with a 15-year prison sentence for a childhood friend of drug kingpin Craig Petties.

18. Petties Associate Draws 15-Year Prison Term - Friday, August 9, 2013

Chris Hamlet didn’t have to spend five years in a Mexican prison.

Federal drug agents in Memphis were interested in a prisoner swap with Mexican authorities to get the childhood friend of Memphis drug kingpin Craig Petties to and across the border.

19. Sentencing Set for Drug Gang Leader - Friday, July 26, 2013

A sealed sentencing hearing Thursday, July 25, for Memphis drug kingpin Craig Petties was postponed to Aug. 22.

20. Drug Kingpin Petties Returns to Memphis - Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Memphis drug kingpin Craig Petties has returned to the city after a brief stay in a federal prison transfer center in Oklahoma City.

21. Petties Returns To Memphis - Saturday, July 20, 2013

Memphis drug kingpin Craig Petties has returned to the city after a brief stay in a federal prison transfer center in Oklahoma City earlier this week.

22. Petties Again Switches Federal Prisons - Friday, July 19, 2013

Memphis drug kingpin Craig Petties is on the move again in the federal prison system as more sealed documents involving Petties have been filed in the largest drug case ever brought in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee.

23. Lewis Gets Life Sentence in Petties Drug Case - Monday, June 17, 2013

Martin Lewis, convicted last year of killing a man in 2007 for the Craig Petties drug organization in a busy restaurant, was sentenced Friday, June 14, to life in prison.

24. Lewis Gets Life in Petties Case - Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Clinton Lewis was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday, May 14, for his role in the multi-state drug organization headed by Craig Petties.

25. Hamlet Pleads in Petties Drug Case - Thursday, May 9, 2013

After five years in a Mexican prison, Chris Hamlet pleaded guilty in Memphis federal court Tuesday, May 7, to U.S. drug conspiracy charges that could earn him an even longer stint in a U.S. prison.

26. Hamlet to Plead in Petties Drug Case - Thursday, April 25, 2013

The last defendant in the Craig Petties federal drug case is scheduled to plead guilty in May to drug conspiracy charges.

27. Defendant Gets 12 Years in Petties Drug Case - Monday, March 25, 2013

A contract killer for the Craig Petties drug organization who never carried out his job got a 12-year, five-month prison sentence Thursday, March 21, from U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee Judge Samuel “Hardy” Mays.

28. Prosecutors Weigh Cooperation Against Murder - Tuesday, February 12, 2013

For a second time, prosecutors in the largest drug case ever brought into Memphis federal court have decided not to recommend a reduction in the sentence of a high-ranking member of the Craig Petties drug organization who cooperated to some extent.

29. Petties Case: Vaughn Gets 36.5 Year Prison Sentence - Saturday, February 9, 2013

Vacha Vaughn, a high ranking member of the Craig Petties drug organization, was sentenced Friday, Feb. 8, to 36 years and six months in prison on a federal drug conspiracy conviction.

30. Fields Gets 37-Year Sentence in Petties Case - Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Demetrius Fields, a high-ranking member of the Craig Petties drug organization, drew the longest jail term yet as those convicted in the largest drug case ever brought in Memphis federal court continue to be sentenced.

31. Fields Gets 37-Year Sentence In Petties Case - Saturday, February 2, 2013

Demetrius Fields, a high ranking member of the Craig Petties drug organization, drew the longest jail term yet as those convicted in the largest drug case ever brought in Memphis federal court continue to be sentenced.

32. Mays Hears of Cell Phones and Drug Delivery Planned Behind Bars At Mason - Friday, February 1, 2013

Two leaders of the Craig Petties drug organization were caught with cell phones while they were prisoners at the federal prison in Mason, Tennessee last year and a third was suspected of trying to have a kilogram of cocaine delivered to him in prison.

33. Hamlet Pleads Not Guilty in Petties Organization Case - Saturday, January 12, 2013

A high-ranking member of the Craig Petties drug organization pleaded not guilty Tuesday, Jan. 8, to federal racketeering and drug conspiracy charges.

34. Hamlet Pleads Not Guilty in Petties Organization Case - Thursday, January 10, 2013

A high-ranking member of the Craig Petties drug organization pleaded not guilty Tuesday, Jan. 8, to federal racketeering and drug conspiracy charges.

35. Petties Hit Man Sentence Poses Dilemma - Monday, January 7, 2013

U.S. District Court Judge Samuel “Hardy” Mays had a dilemma as he sentenced a contract killer Thursday, Jan. 3, for his part in the Craig Petties drug organization.

36. Broady Gets 31 Year Sentence In Petties Case - Friday, January 4, 2013

Clarence Broady, who at one time robbed drug dealers, was sentenced to 31 years in prison Thursday, Jan. 3, for being a hit man for the Craig Petties drug organization.

37. More Sentences Expected for Petties Drug Case in 2013 - Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Five years after Memphis drug kingpin Craig Petties was captured in Mexico, the federal court drug case that bears his name is still moving through the courts of the Western District of Tennessee.

38. Petties Drug Case Suspect Returns to U.S. - Monday, December 24, 2012

Chris Hamlet, a high-ranking member of the Memphis-based drug organization headed by Craig Petties, is back in the U.S. and on his way to a Memphis courtroom.

39. Petties Drug Runner Draws Eight-Year Sentence - Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Bobby Cole was a professional drag racer and race promoter known as a kind of arbiter of differences among drivers and someone who helped those in financial straits with loans of cash or one of his trailers.

40. Petties Drug Runner Draws Eight-Year Sentence - Tuesday, October 30, 2012

A professional drag racer and mechanic who used his racing trailers to run money and cocaine for the Craig Petties drug organization was sentenced Monday, Oct. 29, to eight years and one month in prison.

41. Drug Kingpin Petties Moved to New York - Thursday, September 27, 2012

Memphis drug kingpin Craig Petties has been moved from the federal prison in Atlanta to the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City.

42. Petties Sentencing Delayed to June - Tuesday, March 27, 2012

The sentencing hearing for Memphis drug kingpin Craig Petties has been delayed again – this time to June 13.

43. Drug Trial Moves Into Sentencing Phase - Tuesday, March 27, 2012

The verdicts are in, and the jurors have been polled and dismissed after more than a month of trial.

The long-awaited and just-completed Craig Petties drug organization trial now gives way to sentencing hearings to come for Martin Lewis and Clinton Lewis and some of those who once belonged to the organization and testified against them.

44. Petties Jury Convicts on All but One Count - Monday, March 26, 2012

The jury in the Petties drug organization trial has convicted the two defendants on all but one of the drug conspiracy, racketeering and murder-for-hire counts they faced.

Clinton Lewis and Martin Lewis were found guilty of 10 of the 11 federal charges they faced. The verdict came after less than a day of deliberation and five weeks of testimony.

45. Fed. Drug Trial Moves to Conclusion - Thursday, March 22, 2012

It may have been one of the more unusual PowerPoint presentations. Closing arguments in the Craig Petties drug organization trial in Memphis federal court began Tuesday, March 20, with the presentations most associated with corporate workshops and seminars adapted to summarize what has been a complex set of events covering seven years.

46. Deliberations to Begin in Petties Org Case - Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Seven weeks ago jury selection began in the largest drug case ever brought in Memphis federal court.

More than 350 exhibits, 70 witnesses and 130 sidebars or bench conferences later, the jury is about to begin deliberations in the trial of Clinton Lewis and Martin Lewis, two members of the drug organization headed and built by Craig Petties.

47. Testimony Ends in Fed Drug Trial - Friday, March 16, 2012

After five weeks of testimony, the last witness testified Wednesday, March 14, in the Petties drug organization trial in Memphis federal court.

He was Vacha Vaughn, a high-level member of the organization who was shot in a 2004 robbery by men dressed as police officers. Three years later, he was a target of the organization itself because he was believed to be cooperating with authorities.

48. Drug Jury Must Choose ‘Whose Truth’ - Thursday, March 15, 2012

Someone has been lying during the trial of two alleged hit men in the Craig Petties drug organization – a trial now ending its sixth week in Memphis federal court.

49. Mistrial Motion Denied In Petties Drug Org Trial - Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Memphis Federal Court Judge Hardy Mays has denied a motion by defense attorneys for a mistrial in the Petties drug organization trial.

The decision by Mays in a 15-page written ruling, clears the way for the defense in the drug conspiracy, racketeering and murder for hire case to begin telling its side of the story Wednesday, March 14.

50. Petties Case Court Documents Suggest Post Conviction Plans - Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Toward the end of the prosecution’s case last week in the Craig Petties drug organization trial, jurors heard a corrections officers say that Clinton Lewis, one of the two defendants, told Carlos Whitelow, another member of the organization, to keep quiet and not tell prosecutors anything about the organization.

51. Prosecution Rests in Fed Drug Trial - Friday, March 9, 2012

The prosecution in the Craig Petties drug organization trial rested in case in chief Thursday, March 8, after four weeks of testimony.

52. Petties Jury Hears of 2007 Arrests of Defendants and Plea Talks - Thursday, March 8, 2012

When they were arrested separately within months of each in 2007, neither Clinton Lewis nor Martin Lewis went quietly.

53. Violent Acts Take Stage in Fed Drug Trial - Thursday, March 8, 2012

When Mario McNeil allegedly threatened the mother of drug kingpin Craig Petties in 2007, the Memphis drug organization Petties ran from exile in Mexico took it seriously.

54. Fed Drug Case Zeroes in on Defendants - Wednesday, March 7, 2012

For three weeks, federal prosecutors in the Craig Petties drug organization trial have told a jury the wide-ranging story of the organization and dozens of the leaders and other players in it.

55. Petties Drug Trial Testimony Focuses on Defendants - Tuesday, March 6, 2012

After three weeks of detailing a broad conspiracy to sell drugs in the Memphis region and silence those who cooperated with authorities, prosecutors in the Petties drug organization trial began the trial’s fifth week with more specific testimony about the two defendants.

56. Petties Trial Focuses on Turner Killing - Monday, March 5, 2012

The point at which the prosecution ends and the defense begins in the Craig Petties drug organization trial in Memphis Federal Court should be when the 2006 murder of Marcus Turner becomes the center of attention again.

57. Petties Trial Focuses on 2006 Murder - Friday, March 2, 2012

The second witness to testify in the Petties organization drug trial that begins its fifth week Monday, March 5, was Lucy Turner, a police dispatcher from West Memphis, Ark. and the mother of Marcus Turner.

58. Fed Drug Trial Testimony Ends Fourth Week - Friday, March 2, 2012

Martin Lewis jumped Marcus Brandon as soon as Brandon came on the line in May 2007 during a jailhouse phone call three-wayed by Lewis’ girlfriend using another prisoner’s ID number.

59. Witness Recalls Drug Money Accounting Duties - Thursday, March 1, 2012

Dana Bradley remembers the day he went to work for the Craig Petties drug organization.

60. Petties Org Drug Trial Hits Fourth Week - Monday, February 27, 2012

The Craig Petties drug organization trial has settled into some predictable rhythms as it begins its fourth week Monday, Feb. 27, in Memphis Federal Court.

61. Petties Org Drug Trial Ends Third Week - Friday, February 24, 2012

The Craig Petties drug organization trial has settled into some predictable rhythms as it begins its fourth week Monday, Feb. 27, in Memphis Federal Court.

62. Questions Raised About Plea Deals - Friday, February 24, 2012

Shortly after Clarence Broady shot Latrell Small and Kalonji Griffin to death in a car at a Hickory Hill apartment complex in 2004, Demetrius Fields got a new tattoo.

63. Defense Critical of Plea Deal for Fields in Petties Case - Thursday, February 23, 2012

Shortly after Latrell Small and Kalonji Griffin were shot to death by Clarence Broady in a car at a Hickory Hill apartment complex in 2004, Demetrius Fields got a new tattoo.

64. Georgia Drug Dealer Turns Up in Fed Case - Thursday, February 23, 2012

When Torrance Hill testified in Memphis Federal Court this week about his role as a major drug dealer from Columbus, Ga., and the Atlanta area, it was new to the jury in the Petties drug organization trial.

65. Miss. Drug Kingpin Talks of Life on Run in Mexico With Petties - Monday, February 20, 2012

When Dave Warner learned police and federal agents were searching his house in Mississippi in 2004, he ran. And while he was on the run, he got a phone call from Memphis drug kingpin Craig Petties who said Warner could come live in Mexico where Petties had fled two years earlier.

66. Court Hears Details Of Drug Org - Thursday, February 16, 2012

Memphis Federal Court Judge Hardy Mays has been balancing other cases on his schedule with the Craig Petties drug organization trial that began Feb. 6 with jury selection.

67. UPDATE: Jury Hears Recording of Hit Man Talking With Petties Target - Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Big drug dealers don’t count the money as soon as they make a drug deal. They wait until they leave the exchange to count it.

That was among the details offered Tuesday, Feb. 14, in the full-day of testimony by Orlando Pride, a long time member of the violent multi-state drug organization headed by Craig Petties.

68. Petties Associate Testifies On Drug Ring's Origins and Growth - Tuesday, February 14, 2012

The violent multi-state drug organization headed by Craig Petties began with a group of eight and nine-year-old boys in the Riverside neighborhood of South Memphis selling rocks of crack cocaine to those in cars who would drive down their street, West Dison Avenue, in the neighborhood.

69. Testimony to Begin in Fed Drug Case - Monday, February 13, 2012

The first witnesses could testify Monday, Feb. 13, in the federal drug conspiracy, racketeering and murder-for-hire trial of Martin Lewis and Clinton Lewis.

70. Jury Selection Progresses in Major Drug Case - Thursday, February 9, 2012

Jury selection in the Memphis federal court trial of two alleged hit men for the biggest drug organization ever prosecuted in the court took longer than expected.

The selection process, which began Monday, Feb. 6, and stretched into Wednesday, also provided a window into the dividing line between the privacy of prospective jurors and the need of attorneys and the judge to explore the jury pool’s lives in some depth to pick a fair and impartial group.

71. Petties Trial Jury Selection Underway - Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Jury selection in the trial of two men accused of being hit men for a powerful Memphis-based drug organization began Monday, Feb. 6, with a long line of jurors seeking to be disqualified from jury duty for emergency reasons.

72. Major Federal Drug Trial Gets Under Way Monday - Monday, February 6, 2012

One of the cameras in the courtroom of Federal Judge Hardy Mays was moved just a bit last month.

It was adjusted so the camera’s view could not take in the jury box and those to be seated in it.

73. Court Docket Sees 2 Notable Drug Cases - Thursday, January 26, 2012

For now, Federal Judge Hardy Mays has decided that the last two defendants in the biggest drug case ever brought in Memphis federal court will not be shackled when the jury begins hearing the case.

74. Recordings Could be Played in Major Drug Trial - Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Tobias Pride told Mario Stewart that leaders of the drug organization Pride worked for wanted Stewart dead because they believed he was cooperating with police.

75. Petties Trial Date Delayed - Monday, January 9, 2012

The upcoming trial of the last two defendants in the largest drug case ever brought in Memphis federal court has been delayed until Feb. 6.

Memphis Federal Court Judge Hardy Mays postponed the scheduled Jan. 17 start of the trial of Martin Lewis and Clinton Lewis an additional three weeks to Friday, Feb. 6.

76. AP Interview: US Atty. Stanton Targets Gangs - Wednesday, January 4, 2012

MEMPHIS (AP) – In his 17 months as U.S. attorney for West Tennessee, lifelong Memphian Edward Stanton has taken a tough stance against sex traffickers and drug rings, while also showing a willingness to get personally involved in the region’s most serious cases.

77. Fed Drug Case Defendant Wants New Atty. - Monday, January 2, 2012

Just two and a half weeks before he goes on trial for racketeering, drug conspiracy and murder-for-hire charges, Clinton Lewis wants a new attorney.

78. Rules for Federal Drug Case Still Being Formed - Thursday, December 15, 2011

The words “inordinate” and “extraordinary” keep coming up in the court documents for the largest drug case ever brought in Memphis federal court, even though the case is now down to two defendants who are scheduled to go to trial next month.

79. Broady Pleads In Petties Drug Case - Thursday, November 24, 2011

One of the three remaining defendants in the largest drug case ever brought in Memphis federal court has pleaded guilty to multiple conspiracy charges including racketeering, murder for hire and drug distribution.

80. Broady Pleads In Petties Drug Case - Wednesday, November 23, 2011

One of the three remaining defendants in the largest drug case ever brought in Memphis federal court has pleaded guilty to multiple conspiracy charges including racketeering, murder for hire and drug distribution.

81. Petties Drug Case Moves Toward Jan. Trial - Tuesday, November 22, 2011

The three remaining defendants in the largest drug case ever brought in Memphis federal court are scheduled to go to trial Jan. 17 before U.S. District Court Judge Hardy Mays.

The trial of Martin Lewis, Clinton Lewis and Clarence Broady is expected to take four to five weeks.

82. Drug Cartel Case Moves Closer To January Trial - Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Memphis Federal Court Judge Hardy Mays will talk Wednesday, Nov. 16, with attorneys for the three defendants left in the largest drug case ever brought in Memphis federal court.

Federal prosecutors and attorneys for defendants Clarence Broady, Clinton Lewis and Martin Lewis come to court for an attorney conference on their way to a scheduled January trial date on drug conspiracy and racketeering charges that also include murder for hire.

83. Defendant in Petties Case Pleads Guilty - Monday, October 24, 2011

The biggest drug case ever brought in Memphis federal court is down to three defendants who have a tentative trial date in January on racketeering and murder-for-hire charges.

Demetrious Fields pleaded guilty last week to three of the counts he faced for his role in the multi-state drug organization headed by Craig Petties from 1995 to 2008.

84. Fields Pleads In Drug Case - Friday, October 21, 2011

One of the four remaining defendants in the largest drug case ever brought in Memphis federal court pleaded guilty Thursday, Oct. 20, to drug conspiracy, racketeering and money laundering charges.

Demetrious Fields pleaded guilty Wednesday, Oct. 19, before Federal Court Judge Hardy Mays with his sentencing scheduled for March 2.

85. Feds Seek Anonymous Jury in Drug Case - Thursday, September 15, 2011

Federal prosecutors want an “anonymous jury” for the trial next year of four men accused of being contract killers for the largest drug ring ever tried in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee in Memphis.

86. Motions Offer New Details in Petties Drug Case - Friday, June 3, 2011

Three of the four remaining defendants in the largest and most violent drug case ever brought in Memphis federal court want more information about the cases against them and a separate trial for two of them.

87. High-Profile District Court Judge Lets Lighter Side Show - Friday, April 1, 2011

Complicated, high-profile cases that frequently carry far-reaching significance have a knack for winding up in the lap of U.S. District Court Judge Hardy Mays.

The most recent hot potato to be launched his way is the messy legal fracas stemming from the Memphis City Schools’ surrender of its charter in December. A court hearing before Mays appears set for Monday on the future of an appointed countywide school board.

88. Petties Sentencing Moved From Friday Until Summer - Wednesday, March 30, 2011

A sentencing hearing for alleged drug kingpin Craig Petties scheduled for Friday has been delayed until June.

89. Four Petties Codefendants May be Tried in January - Thursday, March 17, 2011

Four codefendants in the largest and most violent drug-trafficking case ever brought in Memphis federal court may go to trial in January 2012.

Report dates for Demetrius Fields, Clarence Broady and Clinton Lewis in the last week have focused on what happens next in the case. That follows the revelation last month that the alleged leader of the drug organization, Craig Petties, pleaded guilty to 19 counts including murder-for-hire in December 2009. The guilty plea was unsealed and made public just last month.

90. Drug Case Gets Stranger With Plea Revelation - Thursday, February 24, 2011

It is not unusual in Memphis federal court for a grand jury indictment to be sealed by a judge. And there are times when a guilty plea may be sealed.

But the revelation this week that alleged drug kingpin Craig Petties pleaded guilty over a year ago to 19 counts including murder for hire charges in Memphis federal court is unusual.

91. Petties Guilty Plea From 2009 Unsealed - Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Alleged drug kingpin Craig Petties has pleaded guilty to 19 counts of racketeering, drug and murder for hire conspiracy, drug trafficking and money laundering charges.

92. Mays: Petties Codefendants to Keep Capital Counsel - Monday, February 7, 2011

Extra legal counsel appointed for four defendants in the largest and most violent drug case ever tried in Memphis federal court will remain on the job, but they will take a pay cut.

U.S. District Court Judge Hardy Mays issued the ruling this week after federal prosecutors sought to have the extra attorneys dismissed because the government will not seek the federal death penalty against Demetrious Fields, Clinton Lewis, Martin Lewis and Clarence Broady.

93. Stanton Creates Appellate Chief Positions - Tuesday, December 21, 2010

In a reorganization of the federal prosecutors’ office for Western Tennessee, U.S. Attorney Ed Stanton has created two appellate chief positions.

The chiefs will oversee civil and criminal cases on appeal.

94. Petties Makes Rare Comments in Court - Monday, December 20, 2010

Whatever jail time Craig Petties faces for having a shank hidden in the mattress in his prison cell may not be much more than the time he has already served in federal prison.

95. Petties Pleads Guilty to Contraband Charge - Friday, December 17, 2010

The weapon alleged drug kingpin Craig Petties had in his cell at the Memphis Federal Correctional Institution last year was a shank – or homemade knife – fashioned from a plastic shard from a tray.

96. Petties to Plead Guilty to Contraband Charges - Thursday, December 2, 2010

Craig Petties is scheduled to plead guilty to charges he had contraband while in prison awaiting trial on other charges

97. Drug Kingpin Petties Back in Federal Court - Monday, October 4, 2010

Craig Petties, the alleged head of the largest and most violent drug organization ever tried in Memphis federal court, returns to court this week for the first status conference since the U.S. Justice Department decided not to seek the death penalty against four of his co-defendants. Attorneys for those four codefendants will also be in court to map out where the case goes from here.

98. Petties "Change Of Plea" Delay Motion Amended - Thursday, September 30, 2010

The attorney for Craig Petties, the alleged head of a violent multi-state drug organization based in Memphis, says it was a mistake.

99. Petties To Plead to Prison Contraband Charges - Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Craig Petties, the alleged head of the city’s largest drug organization ever tried in Memphis federal court, is scheduled to plead guilty to charges he had some kind of weapon while in the Memphis Federal Correctional Institution.

100. Petties Drug Case Begins Moving to Next Phase - Wednesday, September 8, 2010

After several years of report dates that take less than five minutes, the largest drug case ever prosecuted in Memphis federal court is beginning to move into questions about what comes next.

Sometime this month, U.S. District Court Judge Hardy Mays will meet with defense and prosecution attorneys for a status conference. It will be the first conference of its kind since the U.S. Justice Department decided not to seek the death penalty against four of the defendants: Demetrius Fields, Clinton Lewis, Martin Lewis and Clarence Broady.