Felony Lane Gang-associated man sentenced to federal prison

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Florida man from Fort Lauderdale was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison by a U.S. District Court in Nashville.

Melvin Brooks, 40, was charged in November 2021 with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft. He pled guilty to all charges in January.

Brooks used tactics of a group called the Felony Lane Gang (FLG) — a group of thieves from Florida who travel the country targeting cars for "smash and grab" thefts, stealing purses and illegally using stolen IDs and credit cards. The group is known to cash stolen checks in bank drive-thrus, in the furthest lanes away from the building.

According to court documents, Brooks conspired with 39-year-old Bobbie Lynn Riley of Dickson to steal IDs and checks and used them to rack up more than $30,000 in cash and gift cards from banks and businesses.

The two traveled across states using stolen license plates to hide the identity of rental cars they used throughout their crimes, which is another FLG trick.

Riley was charged in 2019 and sentenced to 22 months in prison in 2020 after pleading guilty to conspiracy and bank fraud.