Five members of a Detroit street gang known as Related Through Money have been indicted on racketeering charges alleging acts of violence on the city's northwest side, including around a local high school, the U.S. Attorney's Office said Monday.
The indictment alleges crimes such as murder, shootings, carjackings, assaults, breaking and entering of homes and businesses, and robberies and attempted robberies of jewelry stores, said U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade in a news release Monday. The indictment was a result of the collaboration of local, state and federal law enforcement under the Detroit One initiative, McQuade said. The initiative targets violent crime.
"The Detroit One partnership has made it a priority to dismantle violent street gangs to restore peace to our neighborhoods," McQuade said. "By working together with various law enforcement agencies, we are able to detect patterns and repeated crimes by the same individuals to build larger cases out of separate incidents."
The gang, known at RTM for short, operates in northwest Detroit, according to the release. RTM members refer to the area between the Southfield Freeway and Greenfield Road to the west and east, and by Plymouth and Joy roads to the north and south as "Skuddzone" and stake out their "turf" with violence, according to the release about the indictments.
The gang is active around Cody High School and a "number of assault and acts of intimidation at the high school," the release said.
The five people charged with racketeering are:
■Deonta Matthews, 20, of Detroit
■Brandon Owens, 19, of Detroit
■Brandon Sims, 20, of Detroit
■Meyer Thedford, 20, of Detroit
■Antwan Foster-Stockton, 21, of Detroit
The Detroit One Initiative is led by the Detroit Police Department and the FBI Violent Gang Task Force and includes officers from Detroit, Redford Township, Homeland Security Investigations, Michigan Department of Corrections and Michigan State Police.
"As part of the Detroit One Initiative, this collaborative investigation targeted some of the most violent criminal offenders in the Detroit area," said Paul M. Abbate, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. "As alleged in the indictment, RTM gang members have been involved in assaults and acts of intimidation in and around a high school. There is nothing more important than protecting our children and keeping our communities safe from violent offenders.
"Through the Detroit One Initiative, we wage this battle on behalf of law abiding citizens every day. The FBI, in cooperation with the officers, agents and prosecutors engaged in this effort, will continue to fight for the safety of the citizens we serve."
Past actions of the Detroit One Initiative include:
■Nine members of the Bounty Hunter Bloods street gang charged with federal racketeering conspiracy and other violent acts in furtherance of racketeering.
■Thirteen members of the Latin Counts street gang charged with federal racketeering conspiracy and other violent acts in furtherance of racketeering.
■Fourteen members of the Phantom Outlaw Motorcycle Club / Vice Lords street gang charged with federal racketeering conspiracy and other violent acts in furtherance of racketeering.
■A Vice Lord leader charged under the federal street gang statute for his role in an armed robbery
■Three members of the Band Crew street gang charged under the state of Michigan gang felony statute for violent acts in furtherance of their gang activities.
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2015/04/28/related-money-detroit-gang-members-indicted/26496267/
The indictment alleges crimes such as murder, shootings, carjackings, assaults, breaking and entering of homes and businesses, and robberies and attempted robberies of jewelry stores, said U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade in a news release Monday. The indictment was a result of the collaboration of local, state and federal law enforcement under the Detroit One initiative, McQuade said. The initiative targets violent crime.
"The Detroit One partnership has made it a priority to dismantle violent street gangs to restore peace to our neighborhoods," McQuade said. "By working together with various law enforcement agencies, we are able to detect patterns and repeated crimes by the same individuals to build larger cases out of separate incidents."
The gang, known at RTM for short, operates in northwest Detroit, according to the release. RTM members refer to the area between the Southfield Freeway and Greenfield Road to the west and east, and by Plymouth and Joy roads to the north and south as "Skuddzone" and stake out their "turf" with violence, according to the release about the indictments.
The gang is active around Cody High School and a "number of assault and acts of intimidation at the high school," the release said.
The five people charged with racketeering are:
■Deonta Matthews, 20, of Detroit
■Brandon Owens, 19, of Detroit
■Brandon Sims, 20, of Detroit
■Meyer Thedford, 20, of Detroit
■Antwan Foster-Stockton, 21, of Detroit
The Detroit One Initiative is led by the Detroit Police Department and the FBI Violent Gang Task Force and includes officers from Detroit, Redford Township, Homeland Security Investigations, Michigan Department of Corrections and Michigan State Police.
"As part of the Detroit One Initiative, this collaborative investigation targeted some of the most violent criminal offenders in the Detroit area," said Paul M. Abbate, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. "As alleged in the indictment, RTM gang members have been involved in assaults and acts of intimidation in and around a high school. There is nothing more important than protecting our children and keeping our communities safe from violent offenders.
"Through the Detroit One Initiative, we wage this battle on behalf of law abiding citizens every day. The FBI, in cooperation with the officers, agents and prosecutors engaged in this effort, will continue to fight for the safety of the citizens we serve."
Past actions of the Detroit One Initiative include:
■Nine members of the Bounty Hunter Bloods street gang charged with federal racketeering conspiracy and other violent acts in furtherance of racketeering.
■Thirteen members of the Latin Counts street gang charged with federal racketeering conspiracy and other violent acts in furtherance of racketeering.
■Fourteen members of the Phantom Outlaw Motorcycle Club / Vice Lords street gang charged with federal racketeering conspiracy and other violent acts in furtherance of racketeering.
■A Vice Lord leader charged under the federal street gang statute for his role in an armed robbery
■Three members of the Band Crew street gang charged under the state of Michigan gang felony statute for violent acts in furtherance of their gang activities.
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2015/04/28/related-money-detroit-gang-members-indicted/26496267/