Via Detroit News
Detroit— Two accused drug dealers indicted recently in federal court allegedly are involved in money laundering and helped run the downtown nightclub Envy, which was raided by drug agents, according to court records obtained by The Detroit News.
The records indicate drug agents have spent almost five years investigating a large-scale drug ring and seized more than $1 million cash, classic cars and more than $130,000 in jewelry.
The haul includes a Rolex watch and engagement ring belonging to alleged drug dealer Orlando Gordon's girlfriend, Deelishis, a Detroit native who in 2006 won the VH1 reality show "Flavor of Love 2." The show featured women vying for the affection of Public Enemy rapper Flavor Flav.
The revelations surfaced days after Gordon and more than a dozen others were indicted in federal court and accused of participating in a drug operation involving thousands of pounds of cocaine and marijuana.
Federal court records chronicle a colorful back story to the high-profile drug bust and indicate Gordon headed the drug ring with a second man, Wendell Tobias of Detroit.
"This was a major drug trafficking organization that distributed cocaine and marijuana throughout the region," U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman Rich Isaacson said. "There are aspects of the investigation that are continuing so that's all I can comment on at this point."
Tobias, 44, meanwhile, is at large and has not been arraigned in federal court.
The investigation sheds light on the shadowy underworld of Detroit's club scene and riches that prosecutors say were generated by drug deals.
It is the latest controversy to engulf Envy. The nightclub and other downtown hotspots drew police attention last summer following several shootings, assaults and allegations of drug crimes either inside or in the area.
In May, Courtney "Cortez" Smith, a 20-year-old Wayne State University student, was shot and killed near Envy as he distributed fliers promoting a party at the club. Police have arrested two men.
Envy appears shuttered. A "For Sale" sign adorned one wall outside the club on West Larned between Washington and Shelby recently and plywood covered each window.
Before it closed, Envy was one of several locations used to peddle drugs by Gordon, 31, whose nickname is "Haus the Boss," according to prosecutors.
Federal officials say a West Bloomfield businessman was the front man for Envy, according to a forfeiture complaint filed in federal court.
"Investigation has established that Tobias and Gordon have used (the businessman) as a nominee for their illegal narcotic trafficking and money laundering," Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Beck wrote in a court filing.
Gordon and Tobias put assets in the businessman's name, she added.
In Tobias' case, one of those assets was Envy, Beck wrote.
The West Bloomfield businessman's lawyer, Steve Fishman, disputes the claim.
"He couldn't be the front man for the Temptations, let alone drug dealers," Fishman said of his client.
The U.S. Attorney's Office asked a federal judge on July 15 to order cash, jewelry and classic cars seized during the investigation be forfeited to the government. The assets are proceeds of illegal activity, including drug crimes and money laundering, according to the complaint.
That request is pending.
Federal court records indicate the probe dates to 2007 and stretches from Detroit to Southfield and the tony suburb of Franklin in Oakland County.
The DEA investigation reached Envy on March 8, when drug agents raided the club.
In the basement, agents found two safes, $6,941, a 9mm handgun and traces of drugs, according to court records.
"A U.S. Border Patrol K-9 alerted positively for the scent of narcotics on both of the safes," Beck wrote in the July 15 complaint.
The documents chronicle an investigation that began in the fall of 2007 with a tip that led investigators to Gordon's home in Franklin, where he lives with Deelishis and their child.
Drug task force officers put the home on McKinney north of 13 Mile and west of Telegraph under surveillance and searched the home's trash.
In the trash, agents found a small amount of marijuana and later obtained a search warrant.
The DEA searched the home in February 2008 and found $516,366 hidden inside an ottoman, shoe boxes, a camera case, under a bed and inside a computer case, according to court records.
Agents also seized 28 grams of marijuana, a 9mm semi-automatic handgun, money-counting machines and a ledger indicating cocaine sales.
"All of the bundles of currency were bound with rubber bands, consistent with proceeds derived from drug trafficking," Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Falvey Jr. wrote in a court filing.
The same day, agents raided a Southfield home frequented by Gordon, according to prosecutors.
According to court records, investigators found a suitcase on the bed in the master bedroom stuffed with $37,000 cash — and a key to a safe deposit box.
The key led to LaSalle Bank in Detroit. When agents opened the safe deposit box, they found $100,000 worth of luxury timepieces, including a Rolex, a Hublot Big Bang and two Audemars Piguet watches, the least expensive of which cost $21,000.
A second search of the Franklin home led to Deelishis' engagement ring and Rolex being seized as proceeds of illegal drug trafficking, according to court records.
Deelishis, whose real name is Chandra London Davis, 34, is fighting to reclaim the jewelry from the U.S. Attorney's Office, according to court records.
She obtained the jewelry lawfully, her lawyer John Royal wrote in a court filing. The ring and watch are not proceeds of drug trafficking, he added.
Royal, who also represents Orlando Gordon, declined comment.
The investigation intensified in October 2009 when Tobias and a second man were spotted leaving a Warren hotel, where they were suspected of attempting to arrange a large drug deal, according to federal court records.
The men were detained and investigators found a suitcase filled with more than $447,000 in cash, a drug scale and a currency counter.
Investigators asked Tobias where he worked, according to court records. Envy, he said.
The DEA would not elaborate about the links between Gordon and Tobias.
Gordon is free on $10,000 unsecured bond. If convicted of drug conspiracy, he faces 10 years to life in prison and a $10 million fine.
rsnell@detnews.com
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