Two high-ranking members of the Unknown Vice Lords, a violent Memphis street gang also known as The Ghost Mob, were each sentenced to 50 years in federal prison following their conviction on gang-related murder charges, the Justice Department announced.

Edward Allen, 42, of Los Angeles — known in the gang as “E-Money” — and Deandre Rodgers, 29, of Memphis — known as “Dre” — were found guilty Feb. 13 by a federal jury of causing death through use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, specifically murder in aid of racketeering.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Allen and Rodgers were senior members of the Unknown Vice Lords, a criminal enterprise that controlled territory throughout Memphis as well as parts of Arkansas and Mississippi. Prosecutors said gang members committed murder, burglary, assault, human trafficking and drug trafficking on behalf of the organization.

The violence at the center of the case stemmed from the Jan. 10, 2019, murder of the gang’s “Supreme Elite Chief” — its statewide leader in Tennessee — and his girlfriend, who were shot in broad daylight in a Memphis residential neighborhood. The gang initially suspected a rival organization but later came to believe one of its own members was responsible and decided to retaliate, according to court documents.

Four days later, on Jan. 14, 2019, Allen and Rodgers obtained firearms from fellow gang member Vincent Grant, 41, of Memphis, also known as “V-Slash.” Early the next morning, Allen, Rodgers, Grant and another gang member drove the victim to the back of a rundown apartment complex, where Allen and Rodgers used the weapons Grant supplied to kill him, prosecutors said.

Grant was tried separately and also convicted of causing death through use of a firearm during a crime of violence. He was sentenced to 24 years in prison.

“These significant federal sentences have dismantled the leadership of the UVL street gang here in Memphis,” said U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant for the Western District of Tennessee.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said the sentences reflect the department’s commitment to prosecuting gang violence. “These defendants carried out a calculated, execution-style murder,” Duva said, adding that the sentences mean Allen and Rodgers “will now be known as long-term residents of the Bureau of Prisons.”