Last Thursday, following a three-week jury trial, a federal jury convicted all five defendants on trial in the Highs RICO case on a variety of federal charges, including RICO and murder.
The Highs are a prominent Minneapolis street gang, whose primary agenda consists of gang-related murders, shootings, and the distribution of narcotics. This is the second of back-to-back large trials in which members of the Highs gang have been convicted of racketeering (RICO) or related charges. The third Highs RICO trial began on Monday.
“The Highs have long terrorized north Minneapolis, bringing drugs, violence, and murder into our community,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.
Defendants Tyreese Giles, 24, Trevaun Robinson, 29, William Banks, 35, and Gregory Brown, 35, all of Minneapolis, were convicted of federal RICO conspiracy. At trial, the defendants were proven to be members of various “cliques,” or subsets, of the Highs — a criminal enterprise that controlled territory north of West Broadway Avenue in Minneapolis.
Members of the Highs committed murders, narcotics trafficking, weapons violations, burglaries, assaults, and robberies on behalf of the enterprise. As part of their Highs membership, the defendants were expected to retaliate against their rivals, the Lows gang, which operated south of West Broadway Avenue. The two gangs had been in a gang war that spanned years, and alleged members of the Lows gang have been separately charged with federal crimes, including racketeering charges.
Josiah Taylor, 31, was convicted of conspiring to distribute controlled substances and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking.
Giles was also convicted of committing a murder for the benefit of the gang in connection to a September 2021 incident at Pennwood Market in north Minneapolis, where a rival Lows gang member was shot and killed.
Gunshot AUDIO: https://t.co/3pjnZA7kAT
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This was the second of several trials in this case, which charged over 40 defendants with RICO conspiracy, narcotics trafficking, firearms offenses, and other charges related to their activities as members and associates of the Highs gang. Nine defendants are awaiting trial.
“This verdict represents yet another step in our fight against gang violence,” Thompson said. “I want to thank the coalition of federal, state, and local law enforcement partners who joined together to investigate and prosecute this violent criminal street gang. I also want to thank the Justice Department’s Violent Crime & Racketeering Section for lending their expertise and partnering with the U.S. Attorney’s Office on our RICO cases.”
“It’s incredibly rewarding to see violent criminals not only arrested but now convicted,” said Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara. “These guilty verdicts send a powerful and unmistakable message: we are serious about ending violent crime in our cities. This outcome reflects the incredible work of MPD officers along with the tireless efforts of our law enforcement partners and the United States Attorney’s Office. The strategy to target those individuals who cause the greatest harm is paying off. These convictions will surely bring a renewed sense of justice and hope to the individuals and communities that have been harmed by these violent offenders.”
The U.S. Attorney’s press release also noted that the IRS Criminal Investigation unit (IRS-CI) played a major role in the investigation by exposing how criminal organizations move and hide their profits. “By following the money, we developed critical financial evidence on significant fentanyl suppliers,” said Ramsey E. Covington, Special Agent in Charge.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the ATF, FBI, Minneapolis Police Department, IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and Minnesota Department of Corrections with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service, DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, Dakota County Sheriff’s Office, St. Paul Police Department, and numerous other law enforcement agencies contributed to the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Calhoun-Lopez and Carla Baumel and Brian Lynch and Alyssa Levey-Weinstein of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime & Racketeering Section are prosecuting this case.
Last month, a member of the Minneapolis Bloods gang, Desean Solomon, was convicted on RICO and gun charges and was sentenced to life in prison.
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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
Crime Watch MN
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
