MINNEAPOLIS - All 9,500 inmates in Minnesota's prison system were placed on lockdown for roughly one day while authorities conducted a major sweep targeting Native American gang members.
Authorities say prisoners were confined to their cells from 4 a.m. Tuesday until 5 a.m. Wednesday and weren't allowed any outside contact. Department of Corrections spokesman John Schadl says the lockdown involved all state prisons.
The sweep coincided with the unsealing of a federal indictment charging 24 alleged gang members with conspiracy to participate in racketeering activity and other crimes.
The 47-count indictment was unsealed with the court appearance of six defendants who made their initial federal court appearances late Tuesday afternoon. They were arrested earlier Tuesday during a take-down conducted by between 100 and 150 local, state, federal, and tribal law enforcement officials.
Schadl says the lockdown protected the safety of law enforcement agents making arrests and ensured word about the takedown didn't get out.
The indictment alleges that the primary objective of this "enterprise" is to preserve, protect, promote, and enhance the Native Mob's power, territory, and financial gains. Gang members are accused of distributing illegal drugs, from crack cocaine to ecstasy.
Defendants also reportedly provide money to fellow gang members in prison, obstruct investigations and intimidate witnesses, and obtain andcirculate firearms to commit acts of violence, including murder, against individuals associated with rival gangs.
Arrests were made on the White Earth, Mille Lacs, and Leech Lake Indian reservations as well as in the Twin Cities.
Of the 18 remaining defendants named in the indictment, 12 are presently in jail or prison on other charges, while six are still sought by law enforcement. The six individuals arrested yesterday remain in custody pending their next hearings, scheduled for January 26-27.
"This investigation exemplifies the law enforcement cooperation we are fortunate to experience here in Minnesota," said U.S.Attorney B. Todd Jones."Local, state, federal, and tribal investigators worked side by side to take down some of the most violent criminals in our state and, in the process, disrupt an extremely dangerous gang that diminishes the quality of life for those who live and work in Native American communities."
The Native Mob is a regional criminal gang that formed in Minneapolis in the early 1990s. Federal prosecutors say members routinely engage in drug trafficking, assault, robbery, and murder. Organized crime investigators estimate gang membership at 200 with new members, especially juveniles, regularly recruited from communities with Native American populations.
Gang associates often show their membership in the Native Mob by wearing red and black clothing or sporting gang-related tattoos.
Those named in the indictment include:
- Dale Wesley Ballinger, Jr., age 20, Isle
- Damien Lee Beaulieu, age 20, Onamia
- Aaron James Gilbert, Jr., age 24, Minneapolis
- Cory Gene Oquist, age 22, Bemidji,
- Dale John Pindegayosh, age 29, Cass Lake
- Justen Lee Poitra, age 26, Cass Lake,
If convicted, the defendants face a potential maximum sentence of between 20 years and life in federal prison. Since the federal justice system does not have parole, prison terms would be served virtually in entirety.
