![]() ![]() ![]() In a landmark hearing in December 2017, nine federal judges overseeing the cases heard testimony from dueling experts on policing who came to dramatically different conclusions. In 2014, the University of Chicago’s Federal Criminal Justice Clinic led an effort to have charges against 43 defendants dismissed on grounds that the cases were racially biased. ![]() His brother, with only a nonviolent drug conviction in his past, and his cousin both were given 25-year prison terms. Mayfield was convicted at trial in 2010 and handed a 27-year sentence. They were arrested after they arrived at a meet-up with guns in their car. At the agent’s behest, Mayfield assembled a crew - including Dwayne White, his younger brother, and Montreece Kindle, a cousin - to carry out the robbery. Mayfield eventually agreed to meet with the undercover ATF agent who was posing as a disgruntled drug courier. But the informant, he said, wouldn’t relent. He was stressed out.Īt first, Mayfield resisted. He needed cash to fix his broken-down car. Mayfield was working full time, struggling to take care of his girlfriend and her four kids, all of whom lived together in a cramped Naperville apartment. In Mayfield’s case, the informant targeted him at work, repeatedly asking him if he’d take part in a rip-off. Nearly all the targets, though, turned out to be African American or Hispanic - many of whom had minimal criminal histories. Since agents claimed that massive quantities of drugs were involved, the prosecutions often carried eye-popping sentences, sometimes even life behind bars. An undercover agent posing as a disgruntled drug dealer followed a script aimed at convincing the target to agree on secret recordings to take part in the robbery, pledge to bring guns - and use them if necessary. The elaborate operations included a fake stash house location, fictitious amounts of money and drugs, and other made-up details of a robbery plot. If the target met certain criteria - including a violent criminal background - agents approved the sting. The outlines of each stash house sting followed the same basic pattern: ATF informants identified people they believed would commit a drug-related robbery. But when I wake up every day, I think about my brother and co-defendants.” ‘The dark corridors of our past’ I know with hard work good things will come. “I just haven’t gotten to the point where I fully enjoy my freedom,” Mayfield said in a recent interview. He also continues to fight guilt over the plight of his brother and cousin - both of whom he recruited into the scheme and are still serving decadeslong prison sentences. Until then, they cannot award points to Stash members, nor are they eligible for redemption stays.Like so many ex-cons, Mayfield is learning how hard it can be to rebuild his life after prison. * Hotels with "Coming Soon" are still getting set up with Stash. Crown Mansion Boutique Hotel - Coming Soon*.Semiahmoo Resort, Golf and Spa (Blaine).The Roost Boutique Hotel - Coming Soon*.The Inn of Ocean Springs - Coming Soon*.Gulf Hills Hotel and Resort - Coming Soon*.The Kent Hotel (Miami Beach) - Coming Soon*.Singing Hills Golf Resort at Sycuan (El Cajon). ![]()
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