Last week, Deontae “Leef” Jackson, 37, of Minneapolis pleaded guilty to Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) conspiracy, U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Daniel Rosen announced.
Jackson was one of 14 members of the violent street gang known as the “Lows” charged with violating the RICO statutes. He is the first defendant in the case to plead guilty.
A press release from the U.S. attorney described allegations in the indictment against Jackson and his co-defendants stating that the Lows, a violent Minneapolis street gang that operates mainly south of West Broadway Avenue in north Minneapolis, conspired to violate the RICO statutes through myriad racketeering acts, including murder, attempted murder, carjacking, firearms trafficking, and drug trafficking. Ten murders are alleged to be part of the gang’s pattern of racketeering activity.
Jackson was also convicted in 2017 in connection to a drive-by shooting in Northeast Minneapolis in a murder-for-hire plot. Jackson was the driver of a vehicle from which about 25 rounds were fired by others at a male and female in another vehicle. The female in the victims’ vehicle was pregnant, and both were shot multiple times, resulting in serious injuries. The plot was hatched by an ex-girlfriend of the male in the victims’ vehicle, according to court documents. Jackson was sentenced to nine years in prison in that case, but only served about six years before being released.
Jackson pled guilty on April 3, 2026, in U.S. District Court before Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz. In his plea, Jackson admitted to trafficking illicit narcotics as part of, and on behalf of, the Lows gang. Specifically, Jackson acknowledged that the charged RICO conspiracy included a conspiracy to distribute at least 1.2 kilograms of fentanyl.
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.
ATF, FBI, DEA, IRS-CI, HSI, USPIS, Minneapolis Police Department, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and Minnesota Department of Corrections are investigating the case, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service.
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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.
