Nine Individuals Charged and Arrested on Various Firearms, Drug, and Fraud Charges

CHICAGO — Nine individuals have been charged in Chicago, including eight alleged members of the Black P Stone Nation (“BPSN”) street gang, eight Chicagoans, and one suburban resident.  The nine defendants have been charged in federal court on an array of charges including possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, firearms trafficking, and trafficking, distribution, and conspiracy to distribute drugs, including fentanyl, heroin, fentanyl-laced heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine.

• Steven Nash, also known as “Redd”, 56, is charged with firearms trafficking (counts 1 and 4), possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, namely 40 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl (count 2), and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, namely 100 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of heroin (count 3).

• Marcus Taylor, 38, of Hinsdale, is charged with distribution of a controlled substance, namely, 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine.

• Josephus Turner, also known as “Jamo”, 35, is charged with distribution of a controlled substance, namely a mixture and substance containing heroin (count 1), distribution of a controlled substance, namely a mixture and substance containing cocaine base (counts 2 and 4), firearms trafficking (count 3), and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, namely 40 grams or more of mixtures and substances containing fentanyl (count 5).

• Calvin Bunting, also known as “White Boy”, 39, is charged with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, namely 40 grams or more of mixtures and substances containing fentanyl (count 5). 

• Antonio Washington, also known as “Itch” and “Britney”, 45, is charged with distribution of crack cocaine.

• Fernando Ramirez, also known as “Enterprise”, 67, is charged with distribution of a controlled substance, namely, 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine.

• Alix Aurel, 47, is charged with distribution of a controlled substance, namely, a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine.

• Andre Howard Jr., also known as “Baby Stone”, 35, is charged with possession of a weapon as a convicted felon.

• Joshua Broughton, ”Twiggz”, 33, is charged with possession of a weapon as a convicted felon.

Defendants Turner, Bunting, Aurel, Howard, Nash, and Broughton are alleged to be members of the Rack City faction of BPSN, which controls territory in the vicinity of W. 93rd St. and S. Halsted St. on the South Side of Chicago.  Washington and Taylor are alleged associates of the Rack City faction belonging to another faction of the PBSN.  All men have been charged via complaint with the exception of Howard, who was been charged via indictment.  During the course of the multi-year investigation, law enforcement seized approximately 62 firearms, approximately 6 kilograms of cocaine, approximately 500 grams of heroin/fentanyl, and approximately 250 grams of crack cocaine. 

All nine defendants are in law enforcement custody.  Arraignments will be scheduled in U.S. District Court in Chicago.

The charges are announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Eric Carter, Interim Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. Substantial assistance was provided by the Illinois State Police, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office Intelligence Unit, the Internal Revenue Service, and Rosemont Police Department. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jimmy L. Arce and Patrick Mott.

The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.  The maximum terms of imprisonment for the charges range from 5 to 40 years in federal prison. If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.