12 face racketeering charges after 2-year investigation of Riviera Beach gang

Angie DiMichele, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
·3 min read

A two-year investigation of a gang that has operated in Riviera Beach for more than two decades culminated in 12 of its members facing racketeering charges, law enforcement officials said, several who are already in state or federal custody on other charges.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office announced at a news conference Tuesday the charges against members of the Broadmoor Gang that came of the investigation dubbed “Operation U.” The gang was named after a U-shaped apartment complex by the same name in Riviera Beach, giving investigators the name of the operation, Violent Crimes Division Capt. Laurence Poston said.

Members of the gang have been committing “a laundry list of crimes” in the county and surrounding areas, Poston said, ranging from murder and conspiracy to commit murder to aggravated assaults on law enforcement to burglaries, firearm violations and others.

One of the 12 people facing charges is Kemarcio Mitchell, 29, of Riviera Beach, who is currently facing a separate federal charge in connection with the February shooting at the Gardens Mall in Palm Beach Gardens.

“These guys were very violent, very prolific and would stop at nothing to further their gang’s initiatives,” Poston said.

Among the others accused of racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering are:

  • Xavier Baa, 25, of Mangonia Park.

  • Zaquan Baa, 22, of West Palm Beach.

  • Cynthia Bristol, 34, of West Palm Beach.

  • Devonte Durden, 30, of Riviera Beach.

  • Jerome Fields, 30, of Riviera Beach.

  • Jaylon Griffin, 29, of West Palm Beach.

  • Lawrence Hardwick, 34, of Riviera Beach.

  • Deshawn Houston, 34, of Lake Park.

  • Kevin Monroe, 33, of West Palm Beach.

  • Anthony Thurston, 37, of Riviera Beach.

One person who will face the same charges has yet to be arrested, and Sheriff’s Office officials did not publicly identify the person Tuesday.

The investigation began in 2022 after a string of shootings and murders tied to the gang throughout the county after the leader of the gang, Monroe, told members to “go out and eradicate and take out their rivals,” Poston said.

The gang has continually operated in Palm Beach County since at least 2012, but members have been meeting up in various parts of Riviera Beach since 2004, according to a probable cause affidavit. People rose in the ranks as their criminal records and arrests increased, and the group has associated itself with national gangs, the affidavit said.

The gang mostly operates in Riviera Beach, West Palm Beach and unincorporated areas of the county. Its members and associates also created a company called “UUE,” or Up Under ‘Em, which sells pure-bred pitbulls, according to the affidavit.

The men and women accused of the racketeering charges have been arrested in recent years for a range of offenses, including drug- and weapon-related charges, fleeing and attempting to elude law enforcement, resisting officers without violence, robbery and burglary with a firearm, aggravated assault with a firearm and others. The affidavit alleges their previous offenses were “a pattern of racketeering activity” done in “furtherance” of the gang.

Xavier Baa, Zaquan Baa, Fields and Hardwick were arrested on Monday and booked into the jail.

Bristol, Houston, Monroe, and Thurston are currently in state prisons, Florida Department of Corrections records show. It was not clear Wednesday afternoon who the three currently in federal custody are.