U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown Announces the Indictment of 24 Individuals Associated with Shreveport Street Gang on Charges Related to CARES Act Fraud Scheme

SHREVEPORT, La. - United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown, along with Supervisory Senior Resident Agent in Charge Lynn Higgins of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Special Agent in Charge Gary Smith of the Department of Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and Acting United States Marshal Chris Felix held a press conference today to announce the indictment of 24 defendants on fraud charges related to the CARES Act.  The defendants in this indictment are all members or associates of a Shreveport street gang that refer to themselves as Step or Die or SOD.

In March 2020 Congress enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act which was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who were suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the CARES Act, the Small Business Administration (SBA) provided Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), which were low-interest financing to small businesses, renters and homeowners in regions affected by declared disasters. The CARES Act also provided authorization of up to $349 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses, through a program referred to as the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”).

“This is why the United States Attorney’s Office is here,” said U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown. “This is what we do and is why we become federal prosecutors and investigators with the Department of Justice. Prosecuting violent street gangs with white collar statutes is rare, but we use all the tools we have and try to hold those accountable that break the law and terrorize our communities with acts of violence. We hope to continue to collaborate with our state partners to do our part to eradicate violence while simultaneously focusing on one of the priorities of the department, which is CARES Act fraud.”

“The FBI works with its partners to disrupt and dismantle criminal enterprises like this one,” said Douglas A. Williams, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of FBI New Orleans. “Individuals or groups who seek to steal from programs meant to aid Americans in their time of need, will be investigated and prosecuted accordingly.”

“This indictment demonstrates the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration’s commitment to investigate and bring to justice those that victimize the American taxpayer,” stated Inspector General J. Russell George. “Abusing a Federal program designed to assist Americans in need, by fraudulently applying for loans, has and will continue to be aggressively investigated.  I want to thank our law enforcement partners and the United States Attorney’s office for their commitment to this goal.” 

Defendant Roderguiz Henry is a fugitive.  If you have information concerning his whereabouts, please contact the U.S. Marshal’s Service at 318-934-4300.

An indictment is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

If convicted, the defendants face a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, 1 to 3 years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. 

The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Treasury-Inspector General for Tax Administration, and United States Marshal’s Service and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Aaron Crawford.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department of Justice’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. 

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

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