Members of Milwaukee street gang 'Wild 100s' charged with mail fraud, accused of stealing millions, plotting a murder
Federal prosecutors have brought charges against 30 members and affiliates of a Milwaukee street gang known as "Wild 100s," alleging they secured millions of dollars by defrauding the government.
Two of the individuals, Ronnell Bowman and Ronnie Jackson, are accused of arranging and executing the April 2021 murder of a person, identified only as "N.B." in a Wednesday news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Bowman and Jackson were charged with murder for hire, discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, and conspiracy to commit offenses related to the possession and sale of firearms. Both men could be sentenced to life in prison. They are also facing charges related to a mail fraud conspiracy.
Of the 30 defendants, 27 have been named and have been charged with mail fraud conspiracy. Three individuals are being sought.
Prosecutors allege members of the "Wild 100s," which is also referred to as "Shark Gang" or "SNG," defrauded the Department of Labor by submitting false and fraudulent applications for benefits under programs such as the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program and other unemployment insurance programs.
According to the release, the members would go on to spend millions of dollars illegally obtained from the government to purchase guns, drugs, jewelry and vacations, in addition to Bowman and Jackson using some of the funds to arrange the murder for hire.
The following defendants have been charged with mail fraud, in addition to Bowman and Jackson: Michael Anderson, 26; Joel Blake, 24; Byron Claypool, 24; Javonte Cotton, 28; Ladarius Davis-Hughes, 22; Larry Echols, 24; Demetrius Exum, 22; Larry Hamilton, 31; Vernell Hamilton, 29; Akeem Hudson, 32; Calvin Kidd, 28; Marcus Malbro, 28; Deautris Mattison, 26; Quevon Mckinnie, 25; Chase Nanez, 22; Andrew Portis, 30; Maurice Rittman, 30; Ramon Savage, 27; Timothy Scott, 30; Keorie Smith, 26; Kejuaun Thomas, 22; Lawrence Turner, 29; Chazz White, 32; Jalen Williams, 23; and Jaquan Wright, 22.
Most defendants received one count of mail fraud conspiracy and a second count of mail fraud for mail fraud offenses relating to specific mailings of debit cards related to fraudulent applications, prosecutors said. Each mail fraud count carries a maximum term in prison of 20 years.
Prosecutors also allege some of the defendants conspired to sell and dispose of guns to felons, transferred firearms knowing they would be used for crime, and possessed machine guns. Each count for this activity carries a sentence of up to five years in prison.
The DOJ said many of the defendants were taken into custody Wednesday by law enforcement in Milwaukee, Houston and elsewhere.
Multiple law enforcement agencies participated assisted with the investigation and arrests, including the FBI, ATF, MPD and other area police departments.
"The Milwaukee Police Department is committed to working with our community, local, state and federal partners to combat violent crime," Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said in a statement.
"We are extremely proud of the dedication and hard work of the members of MPD, FBI, ATF, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the other law enforcement agencies that collaborated to arrest and indict several members of the Wild 100’s on very serious criminal charges. Our city is much safer due to the all the efforts of everyone involved,"
Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.
DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 30 members of Milwaukee street gang 'Wild 100s' charged
