MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The U.S. Department of Justice said the final defendant in a long-running gang prosecution in Mississippi has pleaded guilty to racketeering (RICO) conspiracy.
The DOJ said 37 people were indicted, prosecuted, and pleaded guilty as part of the case against members and associates of the prison gang ‘Simon City Royals,’ which is aligned with the Gangster Disciples. Many of those prosecuted were in north Mississippi, including Holly Springs, Grenada, Senatobia, Tupelo, Ripley, and Greenwood. The defendants are now awaiting sentencing.
According to court documents, the DOJ said the gang operated primarily out of prisons in the Mississippi Department of Corrections, but outside associates and members also engaged in crime outside of prisons in Mississippi, Louisiana, and more. The crimes the DOJ said the gang took part in include murder, attempted murder, assault, kidnapping, robbery, extortion, money laundering, racketeering, drug trafficking and more.
The DOJ said the gang was responsible for the murder of a prison inmate in January 2018, when Dillon Heffker and Robert Williams stabbed the victim dozens of times with improvised prison knives under orders from gang leaders. The DOJ said the leaders then arranged for hundreds of dollars to be directed to the duo’s prison commissary accounts.
The DOJ also said in 2015, the gang kidnapped and tortured a former member for “violations of the gang’s code of conduct.” Prosecutors said the gang also had a large-scale drug operation smuggling meth, marijuana, heroin, and more into Mississippi prisons.
“The Simon City Royals terrorized Mississippi prisons and communities for far too long,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These convictions underscore the Justice Department’s dedication to disrupting and dismantling violent criminal enterprises, regardless of where they operate.”
“Our communities have every right to expect that violent criminal gangs will be held to account and incarcerated for their crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner for the Northern District of Mississippi. “There will be no compromise in protecting our citizens, and every criminal gang operating in the Northern District of Mississippi can consider itself to be on notice.”
In addition, the Simon City Royals engaged in widespread drug trafficking, including smuggling large quantities of methamphetamine, marijuana and synthetic marijuana, heroin, and benzodiazepines into dozens of Mississippi state prison facilities. The gang distributed these dangerous substances, including nearly 100% pure crystal methamphetamine, to inmates throughout the prison system.
Below is the list of defendants and the charges to which they pleaded guilty:
- Allen Posey, 48, of Jackson, Mississippi, racketeering conspiracy;
- Jonathan Davis, 39, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, racketeering conspiracy;
- Jeremy Holcombe, 43, of Meridian, Mississippi, racketeering conspiracy;
- Jonathan Burnett, 39, of Birmingham, Alabama, racketeering conspiracy;
- Hank Chapman, 38, of Riply, Mississippi, racketeering conspiracy;
- Jason Hayden, 42, of Picayune, Mississippi, racketeering conspiracy;
- Joshua Miller, 41, of Jackson, racketeering conspiracy;
- Gavin Pierson, 33, of San Diego, racketeering conspiracy;
- Justin Shaw, 36, of Holly Springs, Mississippi, racketeering conspiracy;
- Bobby Brumfield, 44, of New Orleans, racketeering conspiracy;
- Jordan Deakles, 31, of Gulfport, Mississippi, racketeering conspiracy;
- Bryce Francis, 43, of Columbus, Ohio, racketeering conspiracy;
- Anthony Murphy, 30, of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, racketeering conspiracy;
- Chancy Bilbo, 31, of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, racketeering conspiracy;
- Dillon Heffker, 32, of Bay St. Louis, racketeering conspiracy;
- Douglas Jones, 34, of Jackson, racketeering conspiracy;
- Cody Woodall, 31, of Gulfport, racketeering conspiracy;
- Michael Muscolino, 43, of Phoenix, racketeering conspiracy;
- Valerie Madden, 54, of Chicago, drug conspiracy;
- Samuel Conwill, 45, of Tupelo, Mississippi, money laundering conspiracy;
- Jason Collins, 40, of Loraine, Ohio, money laundering conspiracy;
- Justin Leake, 43, of Meridian, racketeering conspiracy;
- Michael Dossett, 42, of Carriere, Mississippi, felon in possession of a firearm;
- Angel Labauve, 43, of Picayune, Mississippi, drug conspiracy;
- Bruce Floyd, 42, of Senatobia, Mississippi, drug conspiracy;
- Jacquelyn Harmon, 33, of Senatobia, drug conspiracy;
- Cody Myrick, 33, of Grenada, Mississippi, unlawful transport of firearms;
- Craig Thomas, 36, of Grenada, unlawful transport of firearms;
- Arvis Tolbert, 43, of Hurley, Mississippi, violent crime in support of racketeering activity;
- Preston Edwards, 36, of Jackson, drug conspiracy;
- Catherine Perry, 41, of Tupelo, interstate transportation in aid of racketeering;
- John Brooks, 37, of Greenwood, Mississippi, drug conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy;
- Alana Dickey, 21, of Holly Springs, interstate transportation in aid of racketeering;
- Austin Ruby, 35, of Holly Springs, drug conspiracy;
- Chris Vincent, 20, of Gulfport, drug conspiracy;
- Trevor Overby, 45, of Jackson, drug conspiracy;
- Anthony Rouse, 33, of Picayune, drug conspiracy.
