Smoke and Mirrors (DE)

29. Rebirth

" I looked into your case Richard, there is something I can do," Rick said, sliding a document across the cool metal table for Richard to read.

Richard squinted his hazel eyes at the document, his vision worn from years of being locked in that poorly lit correctional facility— it was a list of his case discovery.

Discovery is essential information or evidence gathered to help build a case such as witness testimonies, surveillance footage, items of evidence, crime scene photos etc.— and in this case, used in aiding a conviction.

Richard looked back up at Rick who had an elated expression on his face sliding the paper towards him. " I done seen all this shit before, I don't get what you tryna show me,"

" What's the one main piece of evidence that they used against you that's not on this document," Rick said pushing the documents back towards Richard.

" Man look I ain't in the mood to play no fuckin guessing games witchu," Richard grumbled irritatedly curling up his top lip.

" I had to do a lot digging around in your case, this is by far the messiest shit I've been assigned to," Rick chuckled digging around in his brief case for more documents. " The FEDs and criminal judicial system wanted your head on a silver platter so bad that they were willing to break every ethical oath they swore by just to bring you down,"

Rick produced a few more documents and slid them in front of Richard— court transcripts from the trial that never happened because he got killed, or so what the FBI made the public believe.

In 1970, the R.I.C.O act was put into effect— racketeer influenced and corrupt organizations act, a poor pass at the failed attempt to combat organized crime by the mafia in New York in the 1970s that led to no convictions until 1998 when the Supreme Court tried their first defendant— Richard Jones.

The arrest and criminal prosecution of Richard Jones was the most highly publicized case of that time period with news coverage on the case being broad casted nationally. Regular civilians from every corner of the United States crowded around their television sets tuning into updates on the fate of one of the largest drug kingpins the east coast had ever seen until his untimely demise.

Richard was number one on the FBIs most wanted list at the time but he was like a ghost in the night. With as much power and control as he had in the streets he was able to manipulate and use others to do his dirty work never having to get his hands dirty and making him harder to be caught. He had been under FBI surveillance for a while, but only by word of mouth. They'd yet to put a face to his name, that is until he threw his beloved daughter Grace one of the largest childrens birthday parties Harlem had seen bringing the whole neighborhood out to celebrate the first birthday of their princess catching the attention of the FEDs— they wanted to know who had the money to throw something so extravagant.

The Black Mafia imitated the Italian Mafia in many ways, Richard looked up to the way the Italian Mafia conducted business and ran such a tight ship. One of the few things Richard took from them that he applied to his criminal enterprise is their chain of command. Like a game of chess, the main goal is to protect the king— the chain of command is used to protect the boss, Richard.

At the bottom of the chain are the street soldiers, the crash dummies that stood on the block holding the weight and making the money. Next the capos or captains, right hands to the underbosses in charge of making sure the street soldiers stay in line and do what they're supposed to. Above the capos, the underbosses, the right hand men of the boss himself— Max and Darnell, and above them the boss— Richard.