Out of the Shadows: Part II Former airman refutes claims he is a gangster
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on December 10, 2016 11:13 PM
Local and federal investigators say a former active duty airman assigned to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base through 2015 is also the statewide leader of a Chicago-based, nationally recognized street gang -- the Gangster Disciples.
Curtis DeWayne Thomas, 28, who still resides in the area, denies the allegations against him.
An investigation conducted by the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations did not result in criminal charges, but did culminate in Thomas' ouster from the military in March 2015.
Officials with OSI at SJAFB declined to comment on the investigation and a records request sent to OSI headquarters in Quantico, Virginia, had yet to be processed at the time of this report.
Thomas denies any affiliation whatsoever with the Gangster Disciples, and said he was discharged from the Air Force on accusations of gang affiliation but that there was insufficient evidence to sustain the allegation.
"Everything that went down, it was totally not supposed to go that way," Thomas said. "They accused me of something they never had any solid facts, any solid evidence on me being this person."
Thomas, originally from Arkansas, entered the Air Force on Oct. 14, 2008, under the job specification of Material Management. He elevated to the rank of senior airman and eventually got stationed at SJAFB as a readiness spares package technician.
Somewhere along the way, OSI began investigating Thomas' alleged gang ties, resulting in his separation from the service.
"When I got my paperwork, my big file that they sent me, there was a lot of no evidence, no evidence, no evidence, no evidence," Thomas said.
A local Wayne County Sheriff's Office deputy and FBI Task Force Officer, Matt Miller, said Thomas is exactly who Air Force investigators say he is ---- the North Carolina leader of the Gangster Disciples.
Thomas never mentioned having spoken with Miller, but he said when he was confronted about his alleged gang affiliation and status by OSI, he said he did not speak to them or tell them his side of the story.
"I wouldn't tell them my side of the story because I felt like well, you got all the evidence that you needed, you know what I'm saying -- nothing, nothing, nothing -- so how can we even proceed to say I'm a part of what you say I'm a part of if all of your evidence coming back with nothing?" Thomas said. "The reason I didn't talk to them is because I didn't feel like it was going to go nowhere."
Thomas said he was initially given a Letter of Reprimand for his alleged gang affiliation and activities, and he thought the matter was closed.
He was discharged three days later.
Though he was discharged, Thomas was never charged with a crime nor did he face court-martial.
Thomas maintains that he has never been in the Gangster Disciples. He is, however, part of an organization called Growth and Development, which is a community outreach organization, he said.
"I'm not Gangster Disciple. I am part of Growth and Development, which is a branch that transitioned from Gangster Disciple to Growth and Development," Thomas said. "I am a part of that, which is a non-violent organization. But to the cops or to the media or to somebody you don't know, you tell them that, they think well, that's violent, that's criminal."
He said he has been part of Growth and Development for 12 to 13 years, since he was around 15 or 16 years old and still lived in Arkansas.
Therefore, he said, he was part of Growth and Development when he joined the military.
Thomas added that he is not a gang leader of the Gangster Disciples, and said he is a representative of Growth and Development, and every member of the organization is equal and there is no hierarchy.
Growth and Development evolved out of Gangster Disciples, Thomas said, but is not affiliated with the street gang.
"I was never affiliated with Gangster Disciple," Thomas said. "I've always been Growth and Development."
Thomas said the Gangster Disciples died off in the mid-1980s, and Growth and Development began as a community outreach organization. Some symbolism, such as six-pointed stars and other emblems attributed to the Gangster Disciples, were then appropriated by Growth and Development.
"If you see a six-point star, they may look at it as Gangster Disciple, but we look at it as Growth and Development," Thomas said. "That's how we look at it, that's how we was characterized to look at it. If you look at it as that, we know to look at it as this."
A tattoo depicting a six-pointed star with a "G" and "D" on either side of it is emblazoned across Thomas' chest, but is not there because he is a Gangster Disciple, he said.
"The tattoo was something that was originated by Gangster Disciples, and you can't take stuff away -- the only thing you can do is build up on it," Thomas said. "So when the transition changed from Gangster Disciples to Growth and Development, why remove them? I use this as a reminder as what not to do."
Thomas said the confusion with his affiliation stems from what he calls some people's reluctance to transition to Growth and Development and away from Gangster Disciple.
He said people were left behind and they did what they wanted to do, and those that stayed behind became something else that he is not affiliated with.
"You can't make a man be positive. You can't make a man be productive," Thomas said.