A federal jury convicted an Oakland man of murder for hire in a 2016 killing in East Oakland.
Burte Gucci Rhodes, also known as Moeshawn, was found guilty Friday in a federal court in San Francisco for his involvement in the murder of Louisiana native Trince Thibodeaux, 28, on March 22, 2016, according to an announcement from the Department of Justice.
The case against Rhodes, 41, was preceded by the convictions of his two co-defendants, Marcus Etienne (also known as Hitler) and Mario Robinson.
Both Etienne, 41, of St. Martin Parish, La., and Robinson, 39, of Oakland, pleaded guilty and admitted their roles in the murder. They are serving sentences of more than 30 years in prison.
According to federal prosecutors, evidence at trial showed that in 2016 Etienne believed Thibodeaux had stolen several thousand dollars that he had been tasked with transporting from Louisiana to California.
Etienne ordered Robinson and another member of the organization to have Thibodeaux killed. Robinson then contracted with Rhodes, a longtime friend of his from Oakland, to carry out the murder in exchange for $5,000.
Prosecutors said Robinson and another member of the organization lured Thibodeaux to a predetermined location near the intersection of 90th Avenue and International Boulevard in Oakland, where Rhodes approached him from behind and shot him nine times.
