Source: United States Department of Justice News
DES MOINES, IA – On Friday, August 19, 2022, the final three defendants in a 15-count, 6-defendant gang case involving the Only the Brothers (OTB) street gang were sentenced to federal prison. All three were found guilty following a ten-day jury trial in April 2022. Raekwon Malik Patton, a/k/a Kwon a/k/a Nutt, age 24 of Des Moines, was sentenced to 300 months in federal prison after being found guilty of Attempted Murder in Aid of Racketeering and Discharge of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence. Patton had previously pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Austin James Mallory, age 21 of Des Moines, was sentenced to 156 months in federal prison after also being found guilty of Attempted Murder in Aid of Racketeering and Discharge of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence. Yuri Perren Green Jr. a/k/a YG, age 22 of Des Moines, was sentenced to 408 months in federal prison after being found guilty of two counts of Attempted Murder in Aid of Racketeering, two counts of Discharge of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence, Felon in Possession of Ammunition, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, and Witness Tampering.
Previously, three other defendant pled guilty and were sentenced. On January 20, 2022, Braden Craig Shafer, a/k/a Stickup, age 20 of Des Moines, was sentenced to 375 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to two counts of Attempted Murder in Aid of Racketeering and two counts of Discharge of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence. On May 20, 2022, Jordan Marie Wilkerson, age 30 of Knoxville, was sentenced to 83 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to Attempted Murder in Aid of Racketeering and Discharge of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence. On June 16, 2022, Fabrece Jamar Bower Turner a/k/a Fab a/k/a Vell, age 24 of Des Moines, was sentenced to 165 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to two counts of Attempted Murder in Aid of Racketeering and two counts of Discharge of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence.
According to evidence presented at the trial and found by the Court at sentencings, during 2020, there was a series of gang-related shootings in Des Moines carried out by members and associates of OTB. These shootings were predicated, in part, to social media interactions between members and associates of rival gangs. Additionally, evidence demonstrated OTB engaged in drug trafficking, firearms acquisitions and sales, and witness intimidation. The gang members and associates collectively operated under a code of conduct that included not cooperating with law enforcement, violence towards opposition gang members, and earning respect through acts of violence and intimidation.
On May 6, 2020, there were two gang-related shootings in Des Moines. During the first, OTB members and associates were shot at, while standing on a front porch on Eighth Street, by rival gang members. OTB members and associates then committed a retaliatory shooting later that day. Specifically, OTB members Shafer and Bower Turner fired guns from a vehicle at rival gang members walking down the sidewalk near 13th and Harrison Streets. One of those rival gang members returned fire. Des Moines Police Officers recovered over 17 shell casings from that shooting scene. Both of the shootings occurred during daylight in residential neighborhoods. Unintended vehicles and residences were hit by the gunfire.
On May 10, 2020, which was Mother’s Day, just before 5:00 p.m., OTB members and associates Shafer, Patton, and Mallory were at the Merle Hay Mall in Des Moines when they encountered a rival gang member. The rival gang member fled the area in a vehicle, and Mallory, at the direction of Patton and Shafer, pursed the rival gang member through the streets of Des Moines. Once the vehicles reached Clark Street, gunshots were exchanged between the two groups, with Patton and Shafer firing guns from Mallory’s vehicle. Shafer was struck in the head by a bullet but survived. Mallory then drove Patton and Shafer away from the scene until they were apprehended by Des Moines Police Officers near Evelyn Davis Park. Officers recovered over 27 shell casings from this shooting, and several residences and vehicles were hit by the gunfire.
Later that same day, May 10, 2020, OTB members and associates who had learned about Shafer’s shooting began driving around looking for rival gang members to shoot in retaliation. Wilkerson drove Green and Bower-Turner to an area near East 17th Court and University in Des Moines. Once there, Green and Bower-Turner saw who they believed to be a rival gang member and began shooting. Wilkerson then drove them away from the scene. The victim of this shooting was not a gang member and was, instead, an innocent person driving home from work. Officers recovered ten shell casings from this shooting, and vehicles and residences were also hit by the gunfire.
On December 16, 2020, Green was driving near 19th and Carpenter Streets in Des Moines when he observed rival gang members driving in another vehicle. Green pursued the vehicle containing rival gang members and fired at least eight shots from the window of his vehicle. One of the rival gang members was grazed in the head by a bullet, and the vehicle was struck multiple times.
Four days later, on December 20, 2020, Green was encountered by Warren County Deputies in Des Moines, after he was in a residential neighborhood waving a gun and threatening a resident. When deputies arrived, Green ran from them. Officers used canines to apprehend him. Green possessed two firearms that day. One of the firearms, a Glock .40 caliber pistol, was ballistically matched to the December 16th shooting. The second was a folding Kel-Tec rifle. Green was arrested and detained on state charges.
While in custody, Green placed a series of phone calls to a witness who had been issued a subpoena to testify before a federal grand jury investigating Green and his gang-related activity. In those calls, Green repeatedly told the witness not to show up to testify and also encouraged her to lie for him.
Eight other members or associates of Heavy Hittas or its subsidiary the OTB Street Gang were previously sentenced for federal drug and firearms violations. In December 2020, Logan James Elmquist, age 21 of Ankeny, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. In February 2021, Marcus De Shawn Ford, age 23 of Des Moines, was sentenced to 96 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. In April 2021, Javontay Dequan Johnson, age 20 of Des Moines, was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and MDMA and drug user in possession of a firearm. In July 2021, Robert John Manuel Jr., age 24 of Des Moines, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a drug user in possession of a firearm. In September 2021, Montreel Marques Robinson, age 20 of Des Moines, was sentenced to 42 months in prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. In November 2021, Dejon Gene Watley, age 22 of Des Moines, was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. In February 2022, Catrell Ronald Green, age 25 of Des Moines, was sentenced to 108 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. In April 2022, Emmitt Kenneth Fraley, age 25 of Des Moines, pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. His sentencing in federal court is set for September 22, 2022.
There is no parole in the federal system. In addition to terms of imprisonment, all defendants were ordered to serve a term of federal supervised release after their prison sentence.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal said “Prosecuting violent crime remains one of our highest priorities. These multiple instances of aggravated gang related shootings in residential areas created a grave risk to the public. Through the hard work of the Des Moines Police Department and our U.S. Attorney’s Office trial team, we were able to hold these individuals accountable, and these significant sentences reflect the seriousness of these crimes and our common interest in community safety.”
The investigation was conducted by the Des Moines Police Department. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa, with assistance from the Polk County Attorney’s Office.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In May 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.