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Karvarise Person, 33, was convicted last June of a litany of racketeering and conspiracy charges related to Reading's "Sevens" street gang, of which he was the "most ruthless leader," said US Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero in a statement.
During the trial, federal prosecutors said Person was already a member of Gangster Disciples — "a national gang with roots in Chicago," the FBI says — when he "tied flags" and agreed to join the "Sevens" in Reading.
He quickly worked his way up to "general" rank, federal authorities say. In a violent takeover that one witness likened to "Russia invading Ukraine," Person and the Sevens stormed a 50-room boarding house on South 4th Street that would then serve as his personal base of operations, prosecutors said.
Jurors heard horror stories about the conditions inside the boarding house.
"A minor was forced to engage in a commercial sexual encounter (i.e. prostitution) while Person held a gun to her head," Romero wrote.
"At other times, he also assaulted her with a baton and hammer and locked her naked in a dog kennel while he poked her with a knife through its bars," she continued. Other victims were also "shot, assaulted with a baton, stabbed with a knife, and beaten with a hammer."
Feds say Person wasn't the only Sevens member with a prior, more infamous gang affiliation — other members previously represented the "Bloods and Crips," according to Romero.
At his sentencing hearing Thursday, Feb. 2, Person was given life in prison plus 10 years followed by a decade of supervised release.
Also sentenced Thursday was 47-year-old James Goode, another Reading resident and convicted Sevens "associate." Prosecutors say Goode distributed drugs and also lured in potential victims for the gang's sex trafficking scheme.
For his trouble, Goode will spend 37 years in prison and another 10 on supervised release.
“The demise of the Sevens gang was the result of the successful collaboration among local and federal authorities to dismantle a violent gang that terrorized the City of Reading,” Romero wrote.
“We will continue to partner with our local counterparts to bring the resources necessary to dismantle violent gangs and restore peace and safety to the communities upon which they prey.”
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