U.S. Attorneys file motion in Quando Rondo federal case, allege gang membership
Court documents revealed that attorneys for the Southern District of Georgia have filed a notice in federal court of their intent to call expert witnesses that specialize in criminal street gangs and drug distribution in the case against Tyquian Bowman, a Savannah resident and rapper also known by the name Quando Rondo.
In the 20-page notice, U.S. Attorney Jill Steinberg is asking the court to allow the testimony of two special agents with the Savannah-Chatham Counter Narcotics Team (CNT) and two forensic chemists with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), who specialize in drug distribution analysis, drug identification, firearms technical analysis, and criminal street gangs.
The notice, filed on June 7, also goes into detail about Bowman’s alleged gang ties. The U.S. attorneys claim that Bowman is a member of the Crips Criminal Street Gang, the Rollin’ 60s Neighborhood Crips, Only Tha Mob (OTM), and Jumpout Gang (JOG).
OTM and JOG are “neighborhood-based gangs operating in Savannah” that are associated with Crips, which is headquartered in California, according to the notice. A review of Bowman’s social media, online interviews, recorded intercepts, and online video recordings reveal his involvement with the organizations, the notice alleges.
The notice is the latest filing in the federal case against Bowman, a saga that has continued since the federal court unsealed the indictment on Dec. 11, 2023. The filing reveals that the U.S. Attorneys intend to pursue this case with a focus on Bowman’s alleged gang involvement. No hearing is scheduled yet in the case.
More: Tyquian Bowman, aka rapper Quando Rondo, arrested in Savannah on federal drug charges
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What is Bowman being charged with?
In the indictment, federal prosecutors charge Bowman with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and one count to distribute controlled substances, as previously reported by SMN. The indictment alleges that beginning in January 2021, Bowman conspired with two other co-defendants to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl and marijuana.
Bowman was out on bond for local charges at the time of his arrest on federal charges.
On June 14, a Chatham County grand jury indicted Bowman for conspiracy to violate the Georgia Controlled Substances Act and Violation of Street Gang Terrorism act, illegal use of a communication facility, and another count of conspiracy to violate the Georgia Controlled Substances Act. The June indictment alleged that Bowman is a member of the Rollin’ 60s gang and asked fellow gang members to provide him with guns and set up a marijuana sale in Macon, two and a half hours west of Savannah.
On Feb. 1, less than two months after the federal indictment was unsealed, Chatham County Superior Court Judge Tammy Stokes placed the upcoming trial of Bowman on a dead docket at the request of Chatham County Assistant District Attorney (ADA) Louis Annunziata. In placing the case on the dead docket, Annuziata cited the federal case, which included “charges arising out of the same transaction and occurrence.” A dead docket postpones the case indefinitely but allows the court to reinstate it at any time at its discretion.
In a separate incident, previously reported by SMN, Bowman was arrested by Savannah Police on Feb. 6 and booked into the Chatham County Detention Center for an incident that occurred on July 19, 2023, when he was charged with reckless driving and driving under the influence of drugs. That case has not been bound up to Superior Court. A misdemeanor docket is scheduled for June 13 of this year.
Drew Favakeh is the public safety and courts reporter for Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Attorneys file motion in Quando Rondo case, claim he is a gang member