WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – Hernando Cortez Thompson Jr., a 39-year-old Orlando man identified by prosecutors as the leader of the Bloods-affiliated “Sex Money Murder” gang in Florida, was convicted this week on all charges following a Polk County jury trial, state officials announced.
The verdict, delivered after about an hour of jury deliberation on January 8, 2026, capped a four-day trial stemming from a 2022 investigation into the gang’s criminal operations. Thompson was found guilty of racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering, and three counts of directing criminal gang activity. Prosecutors say the convictions could result in Thompson spending the rest of his life in prison.
“This criminal led a violent, Bloods-affiliated gang that treated crime like a business,” Attorney General James Uthmeier said in a statement. “A jury delivered justice, and he is looking at spending the rest of his life behind bars.”
According to prosecutors, Thompson exercised control over gang operations throughout Florida while attempting to shield himself from direct involvement in crimes. Evidence presented at trial described a wide-ranging enterprise that included illegal drug sales, robberies, drive-by shootings, coordinated attacks, conspiracy to commit murder, and the introduction of contraband into state prisons…