‘Goon Squad’ ringleader fights back against 27-year sentence, calling it “excessive” in appeal

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - The man described by prosecutors as the ringleader of the Rankin County Goon Squad claims a federal judge sentenced him to an excessive amount of prison time for his role in the rape and torture of two Black men, according to court records filed Wednesday.
The attorney for former Rankin County Chief Investigator Brett McAlpin argues that his client was not a member of the squad nor its leader when four other Rankin County deputies and a Richland Police officer responded to a Braxton home in January 2023.
The encounter, which involved sexual assault, torture and prolonged bouts of tasing, reached a horrifying climax when former deputy Hunter Elward put his gun inside the mouth of Michael Corey Jenkins and fired, seriously injuring him.
McAlpin’s appeal concedes he did set everything in motion, however, when he reached out to two different deputies to get them to check out a house for suspicious activity.
The 73-page filing, written by attorney Theodore Cooperstein, states McAlpin didn’t order anyone to do anything inside the home nor participated, but he was there when most of the violent events took place.
The filing also admits McAlpin played a pivotal role in the coverup that followed that night of torture.
McAlpin and the five former officers all signed plea agreements with the U.S. Government last year, which waived their right to an appeal.
Cooperstein maintains his client is no longer bound by that restriction because the government did not live up to its end of the plea agreement, rendering it null and void.
The attorney said the feds didn’t dismiss any counts against McAlpin, and because it didn’t offer him any benefit for cooperating, the government breached the agreement.
Cooperstein said his client also got the second-highest sentence of the six men -- 327 months -- even though his role was not as prominent as anybody else’s.
Investigators concluded former deputy Jeffrey Middleton was actually in charge of the Goon Squad itself, yet only got 200 months behind bars. Elward nearly killed Jenkins when he shot him in the mouth, yet got roughly two-thirds of McAlpin’s sentence.
McAlpin’s lawyer also claims the government lumped in other cases where McAlpin was accused but never convicted of similar torture incidents and enhanced his penalties based on those unproven claims.