Cornbread Mafia

The "Cornbread Mafia" was a group of close-knitted country boys that were thought to be an organized crime syndicate, based in Marion, McCreary, Nelson and Washington Counties in Kentucky. They first became known to the general public in June 1989 when federal prosecutors revealed that 20 men were arrested for organizing a marijuana trafficking ring that stretched across the midwest. This marijuana ring grew over the years of its operation to become the largest homegrown marijuana scheme in United States history. To this day, the actions of how the Cornbread Mafia operated are still a mystery to many people living in the midwest regions. Their actions and notoriety in those states are nothing short of legendary.

Origin of the name

The name was first used by law enforcement when they realized the scope of the organization. The name was part of an effort to invoke the RICO statute, adding time to everyone's sentence and allowing the government to seize the group's assets.

In 2016, "A memoir of sorts" as to the origins of the term, "The Cornbread Mafia," was written and released by Joe Keith Bickett, one of the Kentuckians associated with the group.^{[1] [2]}

Accusations

Beginning with "The Minnesota 17", 70 Kentuckians were accused of growing 182 tons of "cornbread" on 29 farms in 10 states, including Minnesota,^[3] Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska,^[4] Missouri and Kansas,^[5] which federal prosecutors considered to be the "largest domestic marijuana producing organization in the nation."^[6]

By the end of 1991, prosecutors had arrested more than 100 members of the Cornbread Mafia, mostly from Lebanon, Kentucky.^[7]

For much of the 1980s, the Cornbread Mafia was reported upon by photojournalist Steve Lowery^[8] of The Lebanon Enterprise, many of whose photographs are in the book.

By 2007, the term "cornbread mafia" had come to mean general Southern-style corruption.^[9] There is also a song by Molly Hatchet called Cornbread Mafia (on the Kingdom of XII album) and a now-defunct band that called itself Cornbread Mafia.^[10]

Johnny Boone

The most notable member of the Cornbread Mafia was and is Johnny Boone, he was the ringleader of the Minnesota-based "cornbread" ring, Boone was busted in October, 1987, for which he served about 15 years in prison. In June 2008, police discovered Boone growing 2,421 "cornbread" seedlings on his farm outside of Springfield, Kentucky in Washington County. If arrested, Boone would likely serve life in prison without parole because the bust would be his third federal strike under the Three Strikes Law. Consequently, Boone became a fugitive^[11] and the subject of a segment of America's Most Wanted.^[12][13] Johnny Boone has two Facebook fan pages with greater than 2,500 supporters each.^[14] There has also been a song written saluting Johnny Boone.^[15]

References

Further reading

• Bickett, Joe Keith. The Origins Of The Cornbread Mafia: A Memoir Of Sorts. ISBN 978-1536814446. 
• Higdon, James. Cornbread Mafia: A Homegrown Syndicate's Code Of Silence And The Biggest Marijuana Bust In American History. ISBN 978-0762788439.