How the U.S. Justice Department got 37 gang members off the streets in Mississippi

The U.S. Department of Justice said Friday that the final defendant in the prosecution of members and associates of the Simon City Royals gang in Mississippi has pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy.

In all, the DOJ said 37 members and associates of the gang, which is closely aligned with the Gangster Disciples, have been prosecuted in the case and are awaiting sentencing.

Some of the defendants were from South Mississippi.

According to court records, the gang primarily operated out of Mississippi prison though outside associates and other members also took part in crimes outside of prisons in Mississippi, Louisiana and elsewhere. The crimes the gang took part in included murder, attempted murder, assault, kidnapping, robbery, extortion, fraud, money laundering, racketeering and drug trafficking.

The gang was also tied to the January 2018 stabbing death of inmate, Brad Fitch, at the Wilkinson County Correctional Facility in Woodville.

Authorities determined gang members Dillon Heffker and Robert Williams stabbed the victim dozens of times with makeshift shanks, or knives, under the orders of fellow gang members. Afterward, the DOJ said, the gang leaders arranged for hundreds of dollars to be deposited into the pair’s commissary accounts.

The DOJ also linked the gang members to the 2015 kidnapping and torture of a former gang members for “violations of the gang’s code of conduct.” In that attack, the gang members kidnapped the victim at knifepoint, and forced him into a motel room. There, the gang members and associates tied the man to a chair, interrogated him, tortured him and burned off his Simon City Royal tattoo.

“These convictions demonstrate the steadfast commitment of the FBI and our law enforcement partners to protecting the public from violent gangs that terrorize and poison our communities,” said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “As a result of our collective efforts, this destructive criminal enterprise has been dismantled and the members who have been operating both in and out of the prison system are being held accountable.”

The gang also ran a large-scale drug-trafficking operation that smuggled meth, marijuana, heroin and other drugs into Mississippi prisons.

“The Simon City Royals terrorized Mississippi prisons and communities for far too long,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These convictions underscore the Justice Department’s dedication to disrupting and dismantling violent criminal enterprises, regardless of where they operate.”

“Our communities have every right to expect that violent criminal gangs will be held to account and incarcerated for their crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner for the Northern District of Mississippi. “There will be no compromise in protecting our citizens, and every criminal gang operating in the Northern District of Mississippi can consider itself to be on notice.”

The DOJ provided the following list of defendants and the charges they pleaded guilty to:

• Allen Posey, 48, of Jackson, Mississippi, racketeering conspiracy;

• Jonathan Davis, 39, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, racketeering conspiracy;

• Jeremy Holcombe, 43, of Meridian, Mississippi, racketeering conspiracy;

• Jonathan Burnett, 39, of Birmingham, Alabama, racketeering conspiracy;

• Hank Chapman, 38, of Riply, Mississippi, racketeering conspiracy;

• Jason Hayden, 42, of Picayune, Mississippi, racketeering conspiracy;

• Joshua Miller, 41, of Jackson, racketeering conspiracy;

• Gavin Pierson, 33, of San Diego, racketeering conspiracy;

• Justin Shaw, 36, of Holly Springs, Mississippi, racketeering conspiracy;

• Bobby Brumfield, 44, of New Orleans, racketeering conspiracy;

• Jordan Deakles, 31, of Gulfport, Mississippi, racketeering conspiracy;

• Bryce Francis, 43, of Columbus, Ohio, racketeering conspiracy;

• Anthony Murphy, 30, of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, racketeering conspiracy;

• Chancy Bilbo, 31, of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, racketeering conspiracy;

• Dillon Heffker, 32, of Bay St. Louis, racketeering conspiracy;

• Douglas Jones, 34, of Jackson, racketeering conspiracy;

• Cody Woodall, 31, of Gulfport, racketeering conspiracy;

• Michael Muscolino, 43, of Phoenix, racketeering conspiracy;

• Valerie Madden, 54, of Chicago, drug conspiracy;

• Samuel Conwill, 45, of Tupelo, Mississippi, money laundering conspiracy;

• Jason Collins, 40, of Loraine, Ohio, money laundering conspiracy;

• Justin Leake, 43, of Meridian, racketeering conspiracy;

• Michael Dossett, 42, of Carriere, Mississippi, felon in possession of a firearm;

• Angel Labauve, 43, of Picayune, Mississippi, drug conspiracy;

• Bruce Floyd, 42, of Senatobia, Mississippi, drug conspiracy;

• Jacquelyn Harmon, 33, of Senatobia, drug conspiracy;

• Cody Myrick, 33, of Grenada, Mississippi, unlawful transport of firearms;

• Craig Thomas, 36, of Grenada, unlawful transport of firearms;

• Arvis Tolbert, 43, of Hurley, Mississippi, violent crime in support of racketeering activity;

• Preston Edwards, 36, of Jackson, drug conspiracy;

• Catherine Perry, 41, of Tupelo, interstate transportation in aid of racketeering;

• John Brooks, 37, of Greenwood, Mississippi, drug conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy;

• Alana Dickey, 21, of Holly Springs, interstate transportation in aid of racketeering;

• Austin Ruby, 35, of Holly Springs, drug conspiracy;

• Chris Vincent, 20, of Gulfport, drug conspiracy;

• Trevor Overby, 45, of Jackson, drug conspiracy;

• Anthony Rouse, 33, of Picayune, drug conspiracy.