Seven Des Moines Gang Member and Associates Indicted on Federal Charges

DES MOINES, Iowa – A federal grand jury in Des Moines returned a 51-count indictment on November 16, 2023, charging seven individuals with offenses related to a racketeering conspiracy, which involved a conspiracy to engage in a years-long pattern of violence, including attempted murders, robberies, drug trafficking, the straw purchasing of firearms, and the trafficking of firearms.

As alleged in the Indictment, those charged were members and associates of a criminal organization or Enterprise known as “Only My Brother” or “OMB.”  OMB originated in early- to mid-2021.  Prior to that, some members and associates of OMB referred to themselves as various other names, including C-Block, 600, East Side Crips, Crips, and Gangster.  The principal purposes and objectives of the Enterprise were to distribute controlled substances, obtain money and things of value, and earn and maintain respect in the neighborhood.  To achieve those purposes and objectives, members and associates of the Enterprise committed acts involving attempted murder, robbery, and assault; threatened to commit acts of violence; trafficking in controlled substances and firearms; and straw purchased firearms.

The following members and associates of OMB, all of Des Moines, are charged in the Indictment:

• Majok Majok, 19, is charged with racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute at least 400 grams of fentanyl, conspiracy to distribute marijuana, conspiracy to traffic firearms, possession of a machinegun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm, illegal possession of a machinegun, and four counts of distribution of fentanyl.  Majok is facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 40 years of imprisonment and up to life.
• Santiz Cortez Langford, Jr., 20, is charged with racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute at least 400 grams of fentanyl, conspiracy to distribute marijuana, two counts of conspiracy to straw purchase firearms, conspiracy to traffic firearms, two counts of firearms trafficking, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession of a machinegun and firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, three counts of unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm, and illegal possession of a machinegun.  Langford is facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 40 years of imprisonment and up to life.
• Semaj Johnson, 19, is charged with racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute at least 400 grams of fentanyl, conspiracy to traffic firearms, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm.  As part of this investigation, Johnson was previously charged with, and pled guilty to, illegal possession of a machinegun and is awaiting sentencing (Southern District of Iowa, 4:22-cr-106).  Johnson is facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years of imprisonment and up to life.
• Avontae Lamar Tucker, 20, is charged with racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute at least 400 grams of fentanyl, conspiracy to distribute marijuana, unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm and ammunition, interference with commerce through robbery, possessing and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  Tucker is facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 22 years of imprisonment, and up to life.  As part of this investigation, Tucker was previously convicted of interference with commerce through robbery, possessing and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm.  (Southern District of Iowa, 4:22-cr-164).  On July 20, 2023, he was sentenced to 192 months of imprisonment.
• Dahaba Bahari Lula, 18, is charged with racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute at least 400 grams of fentanyl, and five counts of distribution of fentanyl.  Lula is facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years of imprisonment and up to life.
• Dawn Ellease Robinson, 44, is charged with racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to straw purchase firearms, four counts of false statement during purchase of a firearm, straw purchasing of a firearm, and two counts of unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm.  Robinson is facing up to a combined total of 105 years of imprisonment.
• Deon Ellease Cooper, 27, is charged with racketeering conspiracy, six counts of false statement during purchase of a firearm, conspiracy to straw purchase firearms, and straw purchasing a firearm.  Cooper is facing up to a combined total of 95 years of imprisonment.

The Indictment may be viewed at the link below.

Lula made her initial court appearance today before a United States Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.  The remaining defendants will make their initial court appearances on later dates.

As part of this investigation, several other members and associates of the Enterprise were charged with various drug- and firearms-related crimes, as stated in a July 2023 press release.  The following defendants charged in those cases have now entered guilty pleas:

• Armani Eugene Gates, 19, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute at least 400 grams of fentanyl, unlawful user in possession of a firearm, two counts of conspiracy to traffic firearms, conspiracy to straw purchase firearms, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  At sentencing, which is set for March 8, 2024, Gates faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years of imprisonment, and up to life.
• Deadrian Maurice Nelson, 19, pled guilty to two counts of felon and unlawful drug user in possession of firearms.  He faces up to a combined total of 30 years of imprisonment.  Nelson’s sentencing is scheduled for March 7, 2024.
• Bakier Mohamd Esmaeil, 18, pled guilty to one count of being a drug user in possession of a firearm.  At his sentencing on March 6, 2024, Esmaeil faces up to 15 years of imprisonment.
• Johnetta Marie Strode, 36, is scheduled for a change of plea hearing on November 28, 2023.

A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Richard Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement.  Assistant United States Attorneys Kristin Herrera and Mallory Weiser are prosecuting the case.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Des Moines Police Department, and the United States Postal Inspection Service are investigating the case, with assistance from the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement (DNE), Iowa State Patrol, and Iowa Division of Intelligence and Fusion Center.

This investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

 OMB Indictment