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Press Release

Thirty Individuals Associated with Milwaukee Street Gang Charged With Federal Offenses Ranging from Fraud to Murder for Hire

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Wisconsin

Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced today that 30 individuals – all alleged to be members and affiliates of a Milwaukee street gang known as the “Wild 100s,” the “Shark Gang,” or “SNG” – had been charged in a 43-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury.  The charges include mail fraud conspiracy (Count 1), mail fraud (Counts 2 through 26), murder for hire (Count 27), discharging a firearm during a crime of violence (Count 28), conspiracy to commit offenses related to the possession and sale of firearms (Count 29), unlawful possession of firearms by felons (Counts 30, 31, 32, 35, 36, 39, 42, & 43), possession with intent to distribute controlled substances (Counts 33 & 40); possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking (Counts 34 & 41), possession of a machinegun (Count 37), and possession of a firearm by a fugitive from justice (Count 38).

The indictment has been unsealed as to the following twenty-seven defendants, while the charges against three other defendants remain sealed pending their arrests:

Name

Age

Counts

RONNELL BOWMAN

29

1, 2, 27, 28, 29

MICHAEL ANDERSON

26

1, 3, 29, 38

JOEL BLAKE                  

24

1, 4

BYRON CLAYPOOL

24

1, 5

JAVONTE COTTON

28

1, 7, 29, 32, 33, 34

LADARIUS DAVIS-HUGHES   

22

1, 8

LARRY ECHOLS

24

1, 10

DEMETRIUS EXUM

22

1, 11, 29

LARRY HAMILTON

31

1, 12, 29

VERNELL HAMILTON

29

1, 13

AKEEM HUDSON

32

1, 14

RONNIE JACKSON

23

1, 27, 28, 29

CALVIN KIDD

28

1, 15

MARCUS MALBRO

28

1, 7

DEAUTRIS MATTISON

26

1, 16

QUEVON MCKINNIE

25

1, 29, 42

CHASE NANEZ

22

1, 17

ANDREW PORTIS

30

1, 18

MAURICE RITTMAN

30

1, 19, 29, 30

RAMON SAVAGE

27

1, 20, 29, 35

TIMOTHY SCOTT

30

1, 21

KEORIE SMITH

26

1, 22, 29, 36, 43

KEJUAUN THOMAS

22

1, 29

LAWRENCE TURNER

29

1, 23

CHAZZ WHITE

32

1, 24, 29, 39, 40, 41

JALEN WILLIAMS

23

1, 25, 29

JAQUAN WRIGHT

22

1, 26, 29, 31

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Regarding the mail fraud conspiracy charged in Count One, the indictment alleges that the named defendants conspired to defraud the Department of Labor through the submission of false and fraudulent applications for benefits under programs such as the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program and other unemployment insurance programs.  The indictment alleges that the conspirators wrongfully obtained millions of federal dollars through their fraudulent activities and used the funds to purchase, among other things, firearms, controlled substances, jewelry, and vacations, and to solicit murder for hire.  Counts Two through Twenty-Six allege substantive mail fraud offenses relating to specific mailings of debit cards related to the fraudulent applications.  Counts One through Twenty-Six each carry a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

Regarding the alleged murder for hire, Count Twenty-Seven alleges that between on or about March 15, 2021, and April 5, 2021, Ronnell Bowman and Ronnie Jackson used facilities in interstate commerce to arrange the murder of N.B. in exchange for the payment of money.  Count Twenty-Eight alleges that on or about April 5, 2021, these same two defendants used, carried, and discharged a firearm in furtherance of the murder for hire, resulting in the death of N.B.  As charged, Counts Twenty-Seven and Twenty-Eight each carry a maximum penalty of up to life in prison, and Count Twenty-Eight carries a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years.

Regarding the conspiracy charged in Count Twenty-Nine, the indictment alleges that between approximately July 2020 and April 21, 2023, the fifteen defendants named in that count conspired to: (1) sell and dispose of firearms to prohibited persons (such as felons); (2) transfer firearms knowing that the firearms would be used to commit a crime of violence or drug trafficking crime; (3) possess and transfer machine guns; and (4) possess firearms as prohibited persons.  This offense carries a prison sentence of up to five years. 

With the exception of Counts Thirty-Four and Forty-One, which allege offenses punishable by a minimum of five years and up to life in prison, the remaining counts carry maximum penalties of up to 5 or 10 years depending on the specific offense charged. 

Multiple defendants named in the indictment in this case were arrested earlier today as a result of law enforcement operations in Milwaukee, Houston, and elsewhere.

“Every resident of the Eastern District of Wisconsin deserves to live in a safe and secure neighborhood, free from groups which engage in violent offenses and other crimes involving firearms and free from individuals who seek to defraud programs designed to help others simply to enrich themselves and fund other crimes,” said United States Attorney Haanstad.  “Today’s charges are the direct result of hard work and excellent collaboration between our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, all of whom are dedicated to making the City of Milwaukee and the entire Eastern District a safer and better place in which to live and work.”

“The arrests today are outstanding examples of the sustained and successful collaboration between federal and local law enforcement agencies to combat both significant violent and financial crime in Milwaukee,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Hensle. “Additionally, the charges represent the commitment of the government to hold those accountable who steal the money of law-abiding taxpayers for personal gain and for use in committing acts of violent crime.  The FBI’s Milwaukee Area Safe Streets Task Force along with our partners will continue to identify and disrupt criminal organizations which threaten the safety of our communities with the goal to make Milwaukee a safer place for everyone.”

“Law enforcement partnerships among agencies at the local, state, and federal level proved effective in both investigating and charging these individuals responsible for these violent and senseless crimes,” commented ATF Special Agent in Charge Christopher Amon of the Chicago Field Division. “I commend the United States Attorney’s office for their leadership and commitment to the community of Milwaukee, the victims of these tragedies.”

“An important part of the mission of the Office of Inspector General is to investigate allegations of fraud related to unemployment insurance programs. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to aggressively investigate these types of allegations,” said Irene Lindow, Special Agent in Charge, Great Lakes Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.

 “The Milwaukee Police Department is committed to working with our community, local, state and federal partners to combat violent crime. 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,” said Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman.

The defendants were charged based on joint investigation by law enforcement officers from FBI, ATF, Department of Labor-Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), and the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD).   This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Laura Kwaterski and Peter Smyczek.

Multiple law enforcement agencies participated in the arrests and execution of search warrants related to the case, including FBI, ATF, DOL-OIG, MPD, the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department, Wisconsin State Patrol, Wisconsin Department of Justice-Division of Criminal Investigation, Cudahy Police Department, Oak Creek Police Department, Washington County Sheriff’s Department, Brown Deer Police Department, West Allis Police Department, Glendale Police Department, Houston (Texas) Police Department, Montgomery County (Texas) Sheriff’s Department, and the Harris County (Texas) Sheriff’s Department.

The public is cautioned that an indictment is merely a charge and each defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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For Additional Information Contact:

Public Information Officer Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov

414-297-1700

Updated May 10, 2023