Details on Nine Alleged Members of Hobos Street Gang Indicted in RICO Conspiracy for Murders and Other Violent, Drug-Related Crimes

Nine defendants who allegedly directed or participated in a violent, drug trafficking street gang known as the Hobos were charged in a federal racketeering conspiracy (RICO) indictment with engaging in murders, attempted murders, robberies, and narcotics distribution. The five-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury alleges five murders, solicitation of a sixth murder, four attempted murders, three robberies, and the operation of “drug spots” and “drug lines” on the city’s south side among a pattern of criminal activity between 2004 and 2009.

Four of the defendants are charged with personally shooting to death five victims between 2006 and 2009, including one victim who was allegedly killed because he was cooperating with law enforcement.

The indictment charges that the Hobos Enterprise allegedly used violence to enrich its members and their associates; to promote and enhance the criminal enterprise; to preserve and protect its power, territory, operations, and proceeds; to keep victims and witnesses in fear; and to prevent law enforcement from detecting its crimes.

“The indictment portrays a gang with virtually no restraint on its ruthless use of violence to further its goals,” said Gary S. Shapiro, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. “The gang’s alleged murders, robberies, and drug dealing invited our employing the federal racketeering laws to prosecute the full scope of their crimes, some extending beyond the normal statute of limitations; and, if convicted, to bring the most severe federal sentences to bear for the terror that plagued the blocks and street corners they allegedly controlled.” The investigation is continuing, Mr. Shapiro added.

“This RICO indictment is the result of a long-term commitment we share with our law enforcement partners to address the dangerous threats facing our communities today. This investigation targeted an exceptionally violent group that used murder, threats, and intimidation to further their agenda. The charges demonstrate our focus and determination to strike at gang-related criminal enterprises and to eliminate the terror these groups inflict on our neighborhoods,” said Robert J. Shields, Jr., Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

“Through the work of Chicago Police officers and our gang investigators, in close partnership with the FBI, IRS, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, we are able to announce federal RICO charges against nine dangerous members of the Hobos gang,” said Chicago Police Superintendent Garry F. McCarthy. “Today’s announcement should serve as a warning―we do not and we will not accept violence in our communities or in our neighborhoods. And we will do everything in our power to hold dangerous criminals accountable for the crimes they commit,” he added.

“Today’s indictment sends a loud message that we are committed to our law enforcement partners and the communities in which we live,” said James C. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago. “Gang activity and criminal enterprises thrive on financial gain and perpetuate criminal violence on our streets. IRS-Criminal Investigation brings its financial expertise to an investigation, and we are privileged to be working with the Chicago Police Department and other federal law enforcement partners to keep our communities safe.”

The Illinois Department of Corrections also participated in the investigation. The Chicago Police Department initiated the investigation, which the federal agencies joined later under the umbrella of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and the Chicago High Intensity Drug Task Force (HIDTA). The case is part of a sustained, coordinated effort by federal law enforcement agencies, working together with the Chicago Police and other state and local departments, to disrupt Chicago’s sophisticated, often violent, drug trafficking organizations.

Law enforcement has identified the Hobos as a tight-knit, violent crew that originated in the former Robert Taylor Homes and banded together from factions of the much larger Gangster Disciples and Black Disciples street gangs. They allegedly targeted drug dealers and high-value targets to rob and relied upon each other to protect their drug territory, retaliate against rival gangs, and prevent witnesses from cooperating with law enforcement.

All nine defendants were charged with racketeering conspiracy and are currently in state or federal custody. They, all of Chicago, are

•     Gregory Chester, also known as “Bowlegs,” “Big Homie,” “Pops,” and “Desjuar Anderson,” 36, of Richton Park, identified as the leader of the Hobos
•     Arnold Council, aka “Armstrong” and “Hobo,” 37
•     Paris Poe, aka “Poleroski,” 33
•     Gabriel Bush, aka “Louie,” 34
•     Stanley Vaughn, aka “Smiley,” 36
•     William Ford, aka “Joe Buck,” 33
•     Gary Chester, aka “Chee,” 35 (Gregory Chester’s cousin)
•     Byron Brown, aka “B-Rupt,” 28. Byron Brown’s deceased twin brother, Brandon Brown, is named as an unindicted co-conspirator.
•     Rodney Jones, aka “Milk,” 26

Poe, Council, Bush, and Byron Brown were each charged with one count of murder in aid of racketeering, and council was charged with brandishing a firearm during a clothing store robbery. The indictment also seeks forfeiture of an unspecified amount of illegal proceeds.

All nine defendants will be arraigned on later dates in U.S. District Court.

According to the indictment, the murders committed by members and associates of the Hobos Enterprise included

•     Wilbert Moore, who was killed because he was cooperating with law enforcement, by Council and Poe on January 19, 2006
•     Terrance Anderson by Bush and others on September 1, 2007
•     Eddie Moss by Byron Brown and others on December 14, 2007
•     Larry Tucker by Bush, the Brown brothers, and others on January 20, 2008
•     Kenneth Mosby by Byron Brown and others on May 12, 2008.

Gregory Chester allegedly solicited the murder of Antonio Bluitt, which occurred on September 2, 2007.

The attempted murders included

•     Victim 1 by Council and Poe on June 11, 2006
•     Victims 2 and 3 by Bush and Ford on June 5, 2007
•     Victim 4 by Bush and Vaughn on June 27, 2007
•     Victim 5 by Jones on November 5, 2007

The robberies included

•     Victim 1 by Council and Poe on June 11, 2006
•     the Collections Clothing Store by Council and others on November 8, 2008
•     Victims 6 and 7 by Poe, Gary Chester, and others on March 25, 2009

The RICO conspiracy count further alleges that the Hobos and their associates operated drug spots and drug lines where they distributed user quantities of narcotics, at times using nicknames to identify their products. These locations included

•     the building and area located at 4429 South Federal, within the former Robert Taylor Homes, which was controlled and managed by Gregory Chester and Council and drugs were sold under the nicknames “Green Monster” and “Pink Panther"
•     the area around 47th Street and Vincennes Avenue, which was controlled by Bush and Vaughn and operated by Ford
•     the area around 51st Street and Calumet Avenue, which was managed by the Brown brothers and Jones
•     the area around 51st Street and Martin Luther King Drive, which was controlled by Bush

As part of the racketeering conspiracy, the defendants allegedly

•     used gang-related terminology, symbols, and gestures, including the slogan “Hobo or Nothing” and a hand sign known as the “Hobo Horns”
•     shared the proceeds of robberies and the trafficking of narcotics
•     obtained, used, brandished, and discharged firearms in connection with the enterprise’s illegal activities
•     managed the procurement, transfer, use, concealment, and disposal of firearms and dangerous weapons within the enterprise to protect their interests and further their goals
•     monitored law enforcement radio frequencies and acquired radio equipment to detect and avoid law enforcement inquiry into their illegal activities
•     had nominees obtain rental vehicles to conceal their use while committing illegal activities
•     identified victims from whom they could obtain distribution quantities of controlled substances or large sums of money by robbing them
•     conducted surveillance of intended murder and robbery victims, a practice referred to as “lamping” and “doing homework"
•     restrained and murdered victims and witnesses to prevent their escapes and to prevent identification of themselves and their associates.

The RICO conspiracy count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, or life for the four defendants charged with committing murders. Those four defendants―Poe, Council, Bush, and Byron Brown―also face a mandatory life sentence, or death, if convicted of murder in aid of racketeering. Only the Attorney General of the United States may decide later whether to seek the death penalty. The charge of brandishing a firearm against Council carries a mandatory consecutive sentence of seven years and a maximum of life in prison. If convicted, the court must determine a reasonable sentence to impose under federal statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.

The government is being represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick Otlewski, Erika Csicsila, and Derek Owens.

An indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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4 Arrested by @Chicago_Police in Gang-Related Mass Shooting

Four people have been charged in the gang-related Chicago shooting involving an assault-style rifle that injured 13 people in a city park, including a 3-year old boy, police announced today.

"As of right now we have four offenders charged in this shooting, including the man who fired that military grade weapon and the man who supplied that military grade weapon," police superintendent Garry McCarthy told a press conference.



Tabari Young, 22, Bryon Champ, 21, Brad Jett, 22, and Kewane Gatewood, 20, were all charged with three counts of attempted murder and aggravated battery with a firearm, McCarthy said.

Young, police said, was the main shooter in last Thursday's incident in the Back of the Yards neighborhood on the city's South Side. Champ, who police said also fired a gun, is a documented gang member who was convicted of a felony - unlawful use of a weapon by a felon - last year, but was only sentenced to boot camp, according to police. Gatewood, authorities said, supplied the military grade weapon and Jett participated as a lookout, McCarthy said.

McCarthy said that Champ was the "main player" in the incident, citing that Champ suffered a graze wound to his leg in a shooting earlier in the day that led to the retaliatory shooting at the basketball court in the Back of the Yards.

"If Bryon Champ is not on the street - as he shouldn't have been - this incident likely does not occur," McCarthy said. "If Champ is not on the street, there's no retaliation because there's no incident," he added. "This individual was the victim of gun violence and then became the offender of it."

Among the wounded was 3-year old Deonta Howard, who suffered a gunshot wound to his ear. Howard has undergone plastic surgery and is expected to recover.

Thursday's incident was only the latest in a string of tragic shootings in the city. Earlier this year 15-year old Hadiya Pendleton was shot and killed only days after performing at President Obama's inauguration.

McCarthy today reiterated his calls for stricter gun laws to help crack down on the city's gun violence problems. "Illegal guns and weapons designed for war do not belong on the streets of Chicago," he said.

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Don't Miss it When @TheMobMuseum Hosts "JFK: An Inside Look at the Assassination of a President, 50 Years Later"

On Thursday, November 7, at 7 p.m., The Mob Museum, The National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, will host “JFK: An Inside Look into the Assassination of a President 50 Years Later” in its historic courtroom. Part of the Museum’s ongoing programming series, the evening will provide a look back at this historic event through the differing perspectives of three panelists.

Authors Patrick Nolan (“CIA Rogues and the Killing of the Kennedys,” due to be released on November 6), Gerald Posner (“Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK”) and G. Robert Blakey (“The Plot to Kill the President” and “Fatal Hour: The Assassination of President Kennedy by Organized Crime”) will address questions such as: Was Lee Harvey Oswald a lone shooter? What role, if any, did organized crime play in the assassination? Was government involved? Moderating the panel will be Tom Stone, senior lecturer in English at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, who has taught classes for the last 20 years on JFK’s assassination.




Patrick Nolan is a forensic historian who has dedicated his life to uncovering truths surrounding the JFK, MLK, and RFK assassinations of the 1960s. He’s been a journalist, a television news producer, and a professor at Hofstra University and St. John’s University. His groundbreaking book, “CIA Rogues and the Killing of the Kennedys:  How and Why US Agents Conspired to Assassinate JFK and RFK,” is based on world-famous forensic scientist Dr. Henry C. Lee’s conclusion that both Kennedy murders involved more than one gunman. Were the conspirators who assassinated the President the same perpetrators that killed his brother the Senator? In “CIA Rogues,” Nolan offers a fresh new look at the evidence and pieces together one of the most disturbing puzzles in American History. He claims an alliance involving a high-level CIA rogue element, led by Richard Helms and James Angleton, with mob support, had the motive, means and opportunity to carry out both assassinations and cover them up for nearly a half century.

At 23, Posner was one of the youngest attorneys ever hired by Cravath, Swaine & Moore. A Political Science major, Posner was a Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude graduate of the University of California at Berkeley (1975), where he was also a national debating champion, winner of the Meiklejohn Award. At Hastings Law School (1978), he was an Honors Graduate and served as the Associate Executive Editor for the Law Review. Posner has worked as a freelance writer on investigative issues for several news magazines, and a regular contributor to NBC, the History Channel, CNN, FOX News, CBS, and MSNBC. He is the author of 11 books covering everything from Nazi war criminals to heroin trafficking to political assassinations to 9/11 and terrorism.  His 1993 book, “Case Closed,” was a New York Times bestseller and a finalist for the Pulitzer in History.  It received widespread critical acclaim. Typical was historian Robert Dallek in The Boston Globe, “Superb…The most convincing explanation of the assassination” and Jeffrey Toobin in the Chicago Tribune, “Utterly convincing…Fascinating and important…Case closed, indeed.”  In Case Closed, Posner concludes that Oswald alone killed JFK.

Blakey is a recognized expert on organized crime and an authority on the JFK assassination. In the late 1960s he campaigned for and helped write much of the anti-racketeering legislation (RICO Act) that had a major impact on fighting organized crime. As chief counsel to the 1977 House Select Committee on Assassinations, Blakey led the investigation into President Kennedy's assassination, reexamining the evidence with a new forensics panel. Blakey also worked as a Special Attorney at the Department of Justice in the Organized Crime & Racketeering Section from 1960 to 1964. Blakey is the co-author with Richard Billings of “The Plot to Kill the President” (1981). The book was reissued in paperback in 1993 as “Fatal Hour: The Assassination of President Kennedy by Organized Crime.”

Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. with a reception featuring light fare and a cash bar. The program will begin promptly at 7 p.m. in The Mob Museum’s historic courtroom. Following the moderator-led panel discussion, audience members will have a chance to ask questions and have their books signed by the authors. The evening will mark the first public signing of Nolan’s book. The program will conclude by 9 p.m.

Tickets for the November 7 event are $30 for non-members; Museum members will receive a 10 percent discount. To make reservations, please call (702) 229-2734 or visit http://themobmuseum.org/archives/category/events/.

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Top 15 Cities for Murders, #Chicago is #1 #MurderCapitalUSA

1. Chicago | 500
2. New York | 419
3. Detroit | 386
4. Philadelphia | 331
5. Los Angeles | 299
6. Baltimore | 219
7. Houston | 217
8. New Orleans | 193
9. Dallas | 154
10. Memphis | 133
11. Oakland | 126
12. Phoenix | 124
13. St. Louis | 113
14. Kansas City | 105
15. Indianapolis | 101

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List of 13 People Shot by Chicago Gang Members in Mass Shooting #MurderCapitalUSA

A 3-year-old boy, shot in the ear, in critical condition at Mount Sinai;
A 17-year-old girl, shot in the foot, condition stabilized at Holy Cross Hospital;
A 15-year-old boy shot in the arm, stabilized at Holy Cross;
A man, 27, shot in the leg and wrist, serious condition at Mount Sinai;
A man, 24, shot twice in the stomach, serious condition at Mount Sinia;
A man, 21, shot in the leg, serious condition at Mount Sinai;
A man, 41, shot in the buttocks, serious condition at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital;
A woman, 33, shot in the shoulder, condition stabilized at Northwestern Memorial Hospital;
A man, 31, shot in the buttocks, condition stabilized at Northwestern;
A woman, 23, shot in the foot, condition stabilized at St. Anthony Hospital;
A man, 37, shot in the leg, in good condition at Stroger;
A man, 25, shot in the knee, in good condition at Northwestern;
And a man, 33, who drove himself to Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park with a gunshot wound to the leg and who was treated and released.

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