Feds: Detroit gangster got what he deserved for picking murder and drugs over his 8 kids

Detroit gangster Duane Peterson deserves to die in prison, the feds say.

He killed a man execution-style, almost choked his girlfriend to death, opened fire on innocent bystanders who witnessed him beating his girlfriend, and ran a multistate heroin ring with an untold death toll, prosecutors say.

Peterson did all this, the FBI says, while running a gang called "It's Just Us" — but now it's just him, locked in a prison cell, for the rest of his life.

In federal court Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Robert Cleland sentenced Peterson, 38, to life in prison for a slew of crimes of which he was convicted at trial, including murder, racketeering and drug trafficking.

Peterson's 'thirst for violence must now come to an end'

According to prosecutors, Peterson was the leader of "It's Just Us," a family operation that at its peak boasted 40 members and terrorized Detroit neighborhoods from 2014-19. His victims were many, including his eight children, who, prosecutors argued, are paying a big price for their father's felonious ways.

"Peterson’s utter disregard for human life, reckless attitude and thirst for violence must now come to an end," Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret Smith wrote in court documents. "And because of his choices, eight children —three of whom are the same age — have been denied a meaningful opportunity to grow up with a biological father’s law-abiding mentorship and financial assistance."

The prosecutor noted that one of the children’s mothers claimed that Peterson is a “fantastic father.”

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"That cannot be true where, as here, Peterson has been absent from these children’s lives, chosen drug trafficking, partying, living at numerous houses, and violent criminal acts over child-rearing," the prosecutor wrote, adding Peterson impregnated multiple women at the same time, and "has beaten/choked at least one of these mothers to near unconsciousness."

"Those are not the hallmarks of a real father, let alone a 'fantastic' one," the prosecutor wrote.

Perhaps most notably, the prosecutor argued:

"He killed to show (the gang) that he was the 'king.' For this act alone, Peterson should spend the rest of his earthly life in custody."

Peterson's lawyer, Ryan Machasic, said he will appeal to the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeal on multiple grounds, including what he described as a "horrendous" violation of his client's due process rights. He argues that during trial, he was repeatedly cut off during cross-examination of the government's witnesses and not given enough time to thoroughly question them. And before trial, he said the government gave him discovery — or evidence — at the last minute, not giving him enough time to prepare.

In court documents, Machasic also argued that one of the government's key cooperating witnesses lied during testimony.

Family-run gang thrived on intimidation

Witness intimidation was big on the gang's list, said prosecutors, who outlined their case against the notorious gang leader in court documents, using Peterson's own lyrics to rap songs as chapters, along with his text messages and social media.

Here, according to prosecutors, is how Peterson ran his gang, and wound up in prison for life:

“It’s Just Us” was a violent family business that made money by, among other things, selling drugs. Peterson was the leader, his brothers the next-line lieutenants. An uncle and cousins were also involved.

Intimidation and paybacks were constant, prosecutors argued.

For example, in May 2017, Peterson and his gang went out to celebrate a deceased mentor's birthday. His name was Fuji. The night began at Trolley’s bar, and ended near Bob'z Lounge, where the gang ambushed a man they believed was disparaging Fuji's name.

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The man tried to run from the gunfire, but fell to the ground, where Peterson stood over him, and shot him dead in the back of the head.

Almost a year later, the gang went to a store called Liquor Island to cap off their night when Peterson ran into his girlfriend. She was angry and a fight ensued.

"Peterson did not hesitate to slam her to the ground and choke her until she nearly died," Smith wrote in a sentencing memo. "The jury in this case will likely never forget the video of Peterson slamming a petite female on the ground for challenging him. He choked her so hard she could not speak."

But his fellow gang members "simply looked on, doing nothing," the prosecutor wrote.

The fight continued in the parking lot when a carful of men, who happened to be stopped at the traffic light, looked over and saw what was happening. Peterson saw the witnesses and ran into the street and shot at the back of their car, injuring one of the occupants.

Again, the prosecutor wrote, the gang members did nothing.

A man disappears, two others die

Prosecutors maintain the gang's violent acts were too numerous to share with jurors. Some of those acts were cited in court documents, including:

• In the spring of 2018, a man named Darius Brown disappeared. No one has seen or heard from him since. According to prosecutors, the Just Us gang believed Peterson or another high-ranking member killed him or had him killed for cooperating with authorities.

• In 2017, a man who sold drugs for the gang was shot to death in Flint.

• In August 2018, a gang member was killed during a shootout with fellow gang member. He was shot in the back.

'How many addicts died?'

As the gang leader, Peterson controlled the heroin that ran through the Detroit-Jackson-Flint pipeline, as well as the drugs that were sold in West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio. The operation sold heroin for about $100 a gram, and Peterson himself sometimes traveled to West Virginia to manage the flow, using a bogus entertainment company to launder the money. In one month alone, prosecutors said, more than $47,000 in cash from West Virginia deals was deposited into one bank account with no explanation.

At trial, one witness testified that he saw Peterson preparing heroin every day for almost six months, making bricks about the size of a deck of cards. That same witness also testified that he knew of 15 people who sold or delivered heroin/fentanyl for Peterson.

"How many addicts died as a result of overdosing on Peterson’s poison? We will never know. But Peterson acted more than proud of himself, flashing cash all over social media to advertise his riches," the prosecutor wrote in her sentencing memo.

The gang's use of intimidation was also no secret to the judge, the prosecutor argued, noting that during trial, gang members sought to identify cooperators in the case. One posted on social media to "out" a cooperator, while others encouraged the post to “go public” to reach more people.

"Duane Peterson enjoyed the money he made off the backs of heroin addicts. He hosted parties where the patrons carried around bottles of liquor and threw money in the air to make it rain," prosecutors wrote.

And he never hesitated to exert authority in violent ways, no matter the cost, they stressed.

"He believed himself to be invincible," the prosecutor wrote. "The untold number of victims will forever be impacted by his reign. This is why Congress deemed a life sentence appropriate."

Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Feds:Detroit gangster's reign of terror ends with life sentence