An alleged Sin City Desciples leader fired his lawyer last month, citing a desire to withdraw from his plea deal, court records show.
Ronnie “Black” Major, 54, of Gary, was indicted in October 2021 as part of a 15-man racketeering and drug conspiracy for the Gary motorcycle gang.
Among other allegations, federal prosecutors allege Major paid his brother-in-law Antoine Gates and nephew Jamell Brooks to kill Jocelyn “Pie Face” Blair, 31, on Dec. 19, 2010 in the middle of Coney Island Restaurant in Gary, who was a witness against him in an upcoming county trial.
Major pleaded guilty in May to conspiracy to participate in racketeering activity and murder. Court documents indicate he served as the group’s vice president at one point.
In a hearing Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Philip Simon approved lawyer Jack Friedlander’s petition to withdraw from the case. He appointed Major a public defender.
A status hearing is expected in November. Once filed, it is generally difficult to withdraw from a plea agreement.
Friedlander wrote in his motion to withdraw that Major told him on Aug. 27 he was “not taking that plea.”
The lawyer noted Major had already pleaded guilty on May 2, and felt his client’s request to withdraw from the plea was without merit. Major wanted a “hard copy” of all the case’s discovery — or evidence — and Friedlander told him that wasn’t possible.
Friedlander wrote when he noted he hadn’t been fully paid and it would be best to find another lawyer, Major called him a religious slur, telling the lawyer to withdraw, filings show.
In a letter to the court filed Sept. 13, Major disputed information on the presentence report. He denied being a gang leader and had he gotten the case’s evidence himself, he would have opted to go to trial.
mcolias@post-trib.com
