Thirty-seven gang members plead guilty to racketeering conspiracy

The 37th and final defendant charged as part of the case against members and associates of the Simon City Royals gang – a gang aligned with the Gangster Disciples – pleaded guilty Thursday, Oct. 19, to racketeering (RICO) conspiracy.

“The Simon City Royals terrorized Mississippi prisons and communities for far too long,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These convictions underscore the Justice Department’s dedication to disrupting and dismantling violent criminal enterprises, regardless of where they operate.”

“Our communities have every right to expect that violent criminal gangs will be held to account and incarcerated for their crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner for the Northern District of Mississippi. “Thanks to the extraordinary work of our law enforcement partners and career federal prosecutors led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Stringfellow, 37 members of the Simon City Royals, a violent gang acting outside as well as inside our prisons as a criminal enterprise, have been arrested, incarcerated, or are currently awaiting sentencing. There will be no compromise in protecting our citizens, and every criminal gang operating in the Northern District of Mississippi can consider itself to be on notice.”

According to court documents, the Simon City Royals were a violent prison gang operating primarily in the Mississippi Department of Corrections, but with members and associates acting on their behalf outside of prison throughout Mississippi, Louisiana, and elsewhere. Through an alliance with the violent Gangster Disciples gang and with a sophisticated structure, the Simon City Royals engaged in a host of criminal activities, including murder, attempted murder, assault, kidnapping, robbery, extortion, witness tampering, money laundering, interstate travel in aid of racketeering, large-scale drug trafficking, and fraud.

Among those defendants and the charges to which they pleaded are the following from northwest Mississippi:  

• Justin Shaw, 36, of Holly Springs, Mississippi, racketeering conspiracy;
• Bruce Floyd, 42, of Senatobia, Mississippi, drug conspiracy;
• Jacquelyn Harmon, 33, of Senatobia, drug conspiracy;
• Alana Dickey, 21, of Holly Springs, interstate transportation in aid of racketeering;
• Austin Ruby, 35, of Holly Springs, drug conspiracy. 

The complete news release and information is found in the U.S. Department of Justice website.