'Beat Down Posse' leader Gustafson guilty

A jury has found the head of a north Minneapolis gang known as the "Beat Down Posse" guilty of racketeering.

Fifty-six-year-old Joseph Gustafson was accused of leading a gang that assaulted, intimidated and stole from drug dealers. Prosecutors also charged that Gustafson's gang set fire to one of his properties for insurance money.

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said Gustafson's criminal organization terrorized the north side for 20 years.

"The jury system isn't perfect. But in this case, and a lot of others, the jurors can just smell. They can sense, they can feel. They could sense and feel that this was a bad actor, and they put him away," he said.

Calls to Gustafson's attorney weren't immediately returned

Gustafson could face up to 20 years in jail. He's being held without bail and is scheduled for sentencing on March 1. Gustafson's son, Joseph Robert Gustafson Jr., goes to trial four days later.