LSP street gang convict wants sentence vacated

YOUNGSTOWN — One of the reported leaders of the city’s former “LSP” street gang wants a new sentence.

DaQuann Hackett was just 22 in 2012, when a federal judge sentenced him to 37 years in prison on conspiracy to commit racketeering. He filed a motion to vacate his sentence April 30, court records show.

The motion cites a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that would make his racketeering conviction unconstitutional due to the ineffectiveness of his defense counsel. The motions also claims the trial court improperly enhanced his charges by considering he was in a “leadership role” within the gang.

Four of the LSP gang members, including Hackett, were sentenced to a total 119 years in federal prison. Prosecutors said the gang committed violence to control territory and push drugs.

The gang’s name stands for LaClede, Sherwood, Parkview and Princeton avenues on the city’s South Side in the Idora Neighborhood.