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Press Release

Grand Jury Charges FnD Gang Members with Racketeering Conspiracy

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Louisiana

U.S. Attorney Kenneth Allen Polite, Jr., announces the return of a third superseding indictment charging members of the Frenchmen/Derbigny gang, or “FnD,” with violating federal drug and firearm laws.  A federal grand jury returned the indictment on December 11, 2014, against TRAVIS SCOTT, a/k/a “Trap” or “Slim,” age 30, STANLEY SCOTT, a/k/a “Stizzle,” age 22, SHAWN SCOTT, a/k/a “Shizzle,” age 25, AKEIN SCOTT, a/k/a “Keemy,” age 21, JEREMIAH JACKSON, a/k/a “Rocky,” age 24, and BRIAN BENSON, a/k/a “Dub” or “Dubba,” age 30.

The third superseding indictment alleges that all six defendants engaged in a conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).  According to the indictment, the defendants, as members of Frenchmen/Derbigny, or “FnD,” conspired to commit racketeering acts including murder, distribution of controlled substances, robbery, tampering with witnesses, and interstate travel in aid of racketeering.  The indictment alleges that FnD members sold drugs from a convenience store located in the Seventh Ward of New Orleans, and that FnD members benefitted from food stamp fraud that was facilitated by store employees.  The indictment also alleges the attempted murder of twenty individuals in the Mother’s Day second-line parade as an overt act committed in furtherance of the RICO conspiracy.  If convicted of the RICO conspiracy set forth in the indictment, all six defendants face a maximum of life imprisonment.

The indictment also includes six counts of violent crimes in aid of racketeering against TRAVIS SCOTT, STANLEY SCOTT, SHAWN SCOTT, AKEIN SCOTT, and JEREMIAH JACKSON.  Among these charges is a count charging JEREMIAH JACKSON with a shooting that occurred on April 16, 2011, on the 2000 block of North Prieur Street.  Each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

TRAVIS SCOTT is also charged with two counts of witness tampering and two counts of interstate travel in aid of racketeering.  If convicted of witness tampering, TRAVIS SCOTT faces a maximum of 20 years in prison as to each count.  If convicted of interstate travel in aid of racketeering, he faces a maximum 5 years in prison as to each count.

All defendants are presently in custody pending trial.

The indictment is a product of an ongoing investigation into the violent acts in furtherance of the drug trafficking by the FnD gang.  It represents the continued coordinated effort of the federal and state law enforcement authorities within the Multi-Agency Gang (“MAG”), including the United States Attorney’s Office, the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office, Special Agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”), and officers of the New Orleans Police Department.

U. S. Attorney Polite reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendants must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. 

The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Payne and Special Assistant United States Attorney Brian Ebarb, who is assigned from the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office.

Updated December 12, 2014