Federal jury in Davenport convicts 5 for racketeering
A federal jury in Davenport has convicted five men for conspiracy to engage in racketeering activity, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, and possession of firearms and ammunition as a felon, according to a news release.
According to public court documents and evidence presented during the two-week jury trial, Don Christopher White, Jr., 37; Raheem Jacques Houston, 30; Deaguise Ramont Hall, 34; Devell Carl Lewis, 35; and Simmeon Terrell Hall, 34; among others, were members and associates of a criminal organization or enterprise known as the “Arsenal Courts Posse a/k/a Zone Fifth a/k/a Fifth Street Mafia a/k/a Rock Town Money Getters (RTMG) a/k/a Money Team,” whose members and associates engaged in acts of violence, the release says.
The Enterprise’s origins began in Rock Island in the late 1990s and early 2000s. At that time, members and associates of the Enterprise referred to themselves as the Arsenal Courts Posse. Arsenal Courts was the former name of Century Woods, a housing complex where members or associates of the Enterprise lived in or frequented on a regular basis, according to the release.
The housing complex is in the 1400 block of Fifth Street. Between 2009 and 2011, the younger members and associates of the Enterprise began referring to themselves as “Zone Fifth” or “Fifth Street Mafia” continuing to represent the location of the Enterprise’s territory, the release says. “As alleged in the indictment, 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 Quad Cities,” the release says.
White, Houston, Lewis, Deaguise Hall, and Simmeon Hall were all found guilty of conspiracy to engage in racketeering activity. As part of this racketeering activity, the jury further found that this group committed multiple acts involving murder and trafficking in controlled substances.
Additionally, Houston and White were found guilty of felon in possession of firearms and ammunition; Deaguise Hall and Simmeon Hall were found guilty of possession of cocaine base with an intent to distribute.
Sentencing hearings have have not been scheduled. White faces a maximum of 40 years in prison. Houston faces a maximum of 30 years in prison. Lewis, Deaguise Hall and Simmeon Hall each face a maximum of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the United States sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. There is no parole in the federal court system.
Co-defendants, Devante Atwell French, Michael Linn Cross, Lashawn D. James Hensley, Ricky Lee Childs, Jr., Timothy Justin Beaver, Rasheem Damonte Bogan, Kylea Dapri Cartwright, Jr., and Cortez Deangelo Cooper, Jr. were also charged as part of the investigation. A jury trial for co-defendants French, Cross, and Hensley is scheduled for Aug. 5. A jury trial for co-defendants Beaver, Bogan, Cartwright, Childs and Cooper is scheduled for Nov. 4.
“The Quad Cities community deserves to go about their days free from the threat of violence used by these defendants,” said U. S. Attorney Richard Westphal. “Whether individually or as part of a gang, people that choose to use violence as part of their criminal enterprise will be held accountable. Our gratitude to the multiple local, state and federal law enforcement officers who spent countless hours working on this investigation. Showing, as police officers do every day, that the protection of the community is their highest priority.”
Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Davenport Police Department, the Rock Island Police Department, the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation, the Iowa State Patrol, the Moline Police Department, the Scott County Sheriff’s Office, the Bettendorf Police Department, the Des Moines Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit here.
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