MIAMI – A convicted felon and gang leader has been sentenced to federal prison for illegally possessing firearms and conspiring to smuggle synthetic drugs into jail while awaiting trial.
U.S. District Judge Melissa Damian sentenced Michael Ridley, 34, of Fort Lauderdale, to 90 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to possessing firearms as a convicted felon, attempting to possess contraband in prison, and conspiring to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
“Michael Ridley was a convicted felon and gang leader who illegally armed himself, flaunted firearms on social media, and then, after his arrest, tried to continue his criminal activity from inside jail by conspiring to smuggle liquid synthetic drugs into the facility,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “This seven-and-a-half-year federal prison sentence reflects a simple reality: gang leaders who possess illegal guns and continue directing criminal activity from behind bars will be held accountable.”
According to court records, on June 12, 2025, Ridley posted a social media video showing him with two handguns at a shooting range. The video included the notation “TTB (Train to Bag),” a reference to a homicide victim’s body being placed in a bag and removed from a crime scene. Following the posting, law enforcement obtained a criminal complaint charging Ridley with unlawfully possessing the firearms while at the range.
Ridley was arrested on July 23, 2025. At the time of his arrest, law enforcement found him in possession of a firearm that had previously been reported stolen and an attached extended magazine.
Following his arrest, the U.S. sought Ridley’s pretrial detention. Ridley was a leader of the Eastside Gangsta Bloods (EGB), which operates as part of the larger United Blood Nation (UBN). The court ordered Ridley detained, and he was held as a federal detainee at two separate facilities in Broward County.
While detained, Ridley conspired with outside accomplices, including other gang members, to smuggle narcotics into the jail disguised as legal mail addressed to him. The method, commonly referred to as “paper dope,” involves saturating ordinary sheets of paper with liquid synthetic drugs.
At sentencing, the government presented evidence that Ridley possessed more than a dozen firearms and held a leadership position within EGB.
U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI Miami Field Office made the announcement.
FBI Miami investigated the case, with assistance from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia Vaglienti prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is a part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program. PSN is the centerpiece of the Department’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through the PSN program a broad spectrum of law enforcement and community stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs to reduce violence crime and gun violence, and to make our local neighborhoods safer for everyone.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov , under case numbers 25-cr-60177.
###
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Southern District of Florida — U.S. Department of Justice press release.