Feds tie car theft ring to gang here

Rental vehicles stolen in 5 states, sold on internet

With a $13,000 price tag, the 2016 Dodge Charger seemed like quite the steal. It was. The $40,000 car was stolen Jan. 2 from Alamo Rental Car in Texas and sold over the internet to an unsuspecting buyer — one of 33 vehicles totaling more than $1 million taken by what crime experts say was a sophisticated theft ring run across five states by a Houston-area street gang.

The men — all from Houston or Missouri City

and believed to be members of a Bloods gang offshoot — sold the cars for cash on Craigslist or OfferUp, then bragged about their exploits on Instagram and Twitter, according to federal prosecutors.

A federal indictment unsealed this week in Nevada accuses the men of conspiracy, fraud and selling stolen goods across state lines. Of the 11 men in custody, seven were arrested in Houston, two in Atlanta and two were already in the Harris County Jail on unrelated charges. Five remain at large.

The scope of the operation reflects a “high level of sophistication” for a typical Houston street gang, said Maryanne Denner, a gang expert who formerly worked for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

“I’d love to sit down with these guys and say, ‘Who schooled you?’ ” Denner said, surprised at the young defendants, who range in age from 18 to 28.

Prosecutors say the men operated from July 2015 to April this year, using fake IDs to rent the vehicles, driving some to other states for sale and then pocketing the cash. The vehicles — including a $57,000 GMC Yukon XL, a $50,000 Chevrolet Tahoe and a $40,000 Ford F-150 pickup — were stolen in Texas, Nevada, California, Tennessee and Florida. Fraudulent car titles, bills of sale and vehicle inspection reports were delivered with the vehicles, according to the indictment.

Seven of the vehicles were stolen in Texas from car rental agencies, including Hertz, Budget, Alamo and Avis, and one was stolen from an individual. The Dodge Charger was sold over the internet to a customer identified only as “T.N.” in court records.

The indictment accuses the men of being members or associates of the Yung Money/Yung Gunz Bloods street gang. The gang is not included among a list of well-known Houston gangs at stophoustongangs.org but appears to be an offshoot of the notorious Bloods.

Six of the defendants have served time in Texas prisons for crimes ranging from felony possession of a weapon to aggravated robbery, according to the TDCJ. Eight others have been charged or convicted of other crimes in Harris County, court records show.

The federal indictment accuses all 16 with conspiracy to possess and transport stolen motor vehicles across state lines under fraudulent pretenses. Individual charges are also filed over two out-of-state vehicles sold in Nevada and for fraudulent online advertising of all the stolen vehicles sold in Nevada.

The indictment also seeks forfeiture of assets valued at nearly $1.05 million.

Mike Knox, a Houston City Council member and gang expert who served as a Houston Police Department Officer for 15 years, said the geographical expanse of the scheme demonstrates the strength of connections that the Bloods gang has across the country.

“If you’re a Bloods gang member, you can travel to any state, and after you prove your bonafides, you have access to the resources, means and capabilities of the group in that area,” Knox said.

Named in the indictment are nine men from Missouri City: Channing Williams, 27; Keenan St. Hillaire, 26; Maurice Lewis, 22; Kaleb Louis, 23; Cody WilliamsJackson, 18; Keith Bell, 24; Dominique Washington, 24; Trevaughn James, 21; and Daniel Wilson, 24.

Those charged from Houston include: Everly James, 27; Korregan Washington, 28; Torren James, 25; Demani Dancy, 21; Trevionne Williams, 21; Casey Walters Jr., 25; and Denzel Campbell, 26.