CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – A Clarksville man was sentenced to federal prison on Wednesday for giving false testimony during the trial of local Gangster Disciples members.
Ronald Marion Daniels II, 35, was sentenced to five years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, announced U.S. Attorney Don Cochran for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Daniels was indicted on two counts of perjury in August 2019, following the conclusion of the trial in April 2019 of several members of the Gangster Disciples, including Marcus Darden and Maurice Burks. Darden and Burks were both charged with criminal offenses related to the assault and murder in aid of racketeering of Malcolm Wright, a member of the rival Bloods gang, inside C-Ray’s nightclub in Clarksville on Nov. 3, 2012, the release said.
“Witnesses before the court and grand jury are sworn to provide the truth during their testimony,” said Cochran. “Testimony that deviates from the truth undermines the justice process and can have dire consequences on the integrity of the justice system. Those who lie during these proceedings should expect that we will always hold them accountable.”
During the trial, Daniels provided testimony that he did not know the identity of Brandon Hardison, aka, “Creep,” another defendant in the case. Daniels’ testimony was inconsistent with prior statements to law enforcement and sworn grand jury testimony in which Daniels had identified a photograph of Hardison, described Hardison’s appearance, and described statements Hardison had made in the parking lot of C-Ray’s nightclub prior to Wright’s murder.
In other testimony during the trial, Daniels testified under oath that he had never seen Elance Justin Lucas, aka “Mac Luke,” another trial defendant, cook powder cocaine into crack cocaine, the release said.
Daniels had previously provided sworn testimony to a grand jury during which he stated that he had in fact seen Lucas cook powder cocaine on two occasions.
Darden, Burks, Lucas and others were convicted at trial. Hardison is scheduled for trial in February 2022.
This investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the Clarksville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Schrader is prosecuting this case.
