Florida just sent a message every gangbanger in America heard loud and clear.
The kingpin of one of the most violent gangs in the country is looking at five life sentences.
And Sheriff Grady Judd delivered one warning to gangsters that left criminals running for the border.
Judge slams the hammer down on gang leader
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd stood in front of cameras Monday with a simple message for thugs watching from behind bars or out on the street.
Florida is done playing games with violent criminals.
Hernando Thompson, the 40-year-old top dog running the Florida operations of the notorious "Sex Money Murder" gang, just got convicted on 17 felony counts after investigators caught him red-handed directing murders, robberies, and drug trafficking while trying to keep his own hands clean.
Thompson thought he could run the show like a CEO and never get touched.
He was wrong.
"He managed it like a business crime syndicate," Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said at the press conference.
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"This was a bad dude, a violent guy, and we're going to do what needs to be done to protect our communities at all costs."
The conviction came after years of wiretaps that intercepted more than 4,700 communications where Thompson gave orders like a mob boss sitting at the top of the food chain.
Investigators seized $1.5 million worth of drugs, 18 firearms, and ballistic armor during the takedown.
But here's what really shows how brutal this gang is.
Thompson's crew used children as targets
During home invasion robberies, gang members under Thompson's command turned guns on kids — aiming weapons at a young boy and threatening an infant who couldn't even crawl yet.
Read that again.
Thompson's soldiers terrorized children to intimidate victims during armed robberies.
"The only reason the victim wasn't murdered is that he got away in the middle of the night," Judd explained.
"We locked him up on other charges to keep him alive until the investigation was complete."
Thompson's criminal record stretches back more than 20 years with 14 prior felony charges, 10 misdemeanors, and two prison terms already.
Yet some judge let him out on bail during this investigation.
"I don't know who the harebrained judge was that let him out," Judd said without mincing words.
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"When he's not in jail, he's out committing crime."
Sex Money Murder has terrorized communities for decades
The gang Thompson led is part of a nationwide network that's been spreading violence since the 1990s.
Sex Money Murder started in the Bronx under the leadership of Peter "Pistol Pete" Rollock, who got life in prison back in 2000 for seven murders.
The gang spread from New York to Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and beyond.
Federal prosecutors in Georgia indicted 30 members just last year, including guys who ordered murders from inside prison and killed a 9-month-old baby during a home invasion.
That's the kind of pure evil Trump designated as terrorist organizations when he came back into office.
This isn't just street crime anymore.
These gangs operate like the cartels Trump's been crushing on the border, with hierarchies, communications networks, and members running operations from behind bars.
The conviction proves Florida's taking Trump's lead on getting serious about organized crime.
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Judd fires off blunt message to criminals nationwide
After announcing Thompson faces up to five consecutive life sentences at his February 20 sentencing, Judd delivered the line criminals across America are talking about today.
"If you really want to commit crime unabated, there's California, New York, New Jersey," Judd said.
"Just get out of Florida."
That's not a joke or empty rhetoric.
Under Trump's second term, states like Florida are getting the tools they need to crush gangs while blue states coddle criminals with cashless bail and defund-the-police nonsense.
The Trump Administration designated MS-13, Tren de Aragua, and major Mexican cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, giving prosecutors new weapons to go after gang members.
Attorney General Pam Bondi's making it clear the DOJ will prosecute gang cases with everything they've got.
Judd's been working with state prosecutors and Trump's team to dismantle criminal enterprises that Democrat-run cities let flourish.
This is the second major joint bust between Judd and Uthmeier in six months after they took down an $8.8 million bank fraud ring in July.
Florida's not waiting for Washington to fix broken cities.
They're showing what happens when law enforcement gets the backing to do its job without lawyers and activists second-guessing every move.
Thompson thought he could hide behind gang members while directing violence from the shadows.
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Now he's looking at dying in prison while his organization's been gutted by investigators who spent years building an airtight case.
The investigation's not over either.
Officials identified leaders and associates in North Carolina and South Carolina, and more cases are coming.
"We want him behind bars for the rest of his life," Uthmeier stated. "If you run drugs, guns and violence into our communities, you are going to pay the price."
Sources:
- Fox News Digital, "Florida sheriff Grady Judd fires off warning to gangsters after 'Sex, Money, Murder' kingpin taken down," January 13, 2026.
- Florida Politics, "James Uthmeier Announces Conviction of Prominent Bloods Gang Leader," January 13, 2026.
- Drew Dixon, "James Uthmeier, other law enforcement officials announce breakup of 'Sex Money Murder' gang in Polk County," January 12, 2026.
- Department of Justice, "Thirty Gang Members and Associates Indicted on Racketeering, Murder, Drug Trafficking, Fraud, and Firearm Charges," June 23, 2025.
- ClickOrlando, "'Notorious' leader of 'Sex Money Murder' gang arrested, Polk County sheriff says," January 12, 2026.
- InsightCrime, "GameChangers 2025: How the Trump Administration Reset the Fight Against Organized Crime," January 2026.
