16 Members of a Violent Gang from Detroit’s Westside Have Been Convicted for Their Roles in a Racketeering Conspiracy

Sixteen members of the Playboy Gangster Crips, a violent street gang on Detroit’s Westside, have pleaded guilty or were found guilty by a jury, to Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization (RICO) conspiracy and other federal offenses in regards to their role in the gang, United States Attorney Matthew Schneider announced today.

Schneider was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge James Dier, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Chief James Craig, Detroit Police Department.

Fourteen members of the gang were charged in the fall of 2017 with racketeering conspiracy after an ATF investigation prompted by the murder of two young children in 2016. Two additional defendants were added in a superseding indictment in January 2019.  Ultimately, thirteen defendants pleaded guilty, and three elected to go to trial.  The three-week trial was conducted in March before United States District Judge Stephen J. Murphy, III. The jury convicted three members of the Playboy Gangster Crips with RICO conspiracy, assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, discharging a firearm during and in relation to the assault, and failure to appear.  

According to court records and the evidence at trial, the gang operated in northwest Detroit, specifically the area in and around Seven Mile Road between Lahser and Evergreen.  Initially, the gang earned money through armed robberies and carjackings, but it focused on drug trafficking and burglaries after several gang members were arrested in 2012 to avoid attention from police. Playboy Gangster Crip members took over a gas station within their territory on Seven Mile Road, which they called the “gang station,” to sell narcotics. Gang members worked in shifts to sell their drugs, but they abandoned the location after police officers from the Eighth Precinct arrested seven different members of the gang fourteen times in 2014 and 2015. Instead, gang members moved to various vacant houses in their territory, including two on the 19000 block of Trinity Street, to conduct many of their illegal narcotics sales. The gang stored handguns and assault rifles in the abandoned houses and in nearby fields to protect their drug sales and their illegal proceeds. Gang members also promoted their drug sales and their firepower on social media, but disputes with rivals still lead to multiple shootings and the arson of one of their drug houses.

In addition to drug trafficking, Playboy Gangster Crips committed several hundred burglaries throughout the westside of Detroit and neighboring communities to earn money for the gang. Gang members would either throw a brick through the window or knock on the door of the targeted house and if no one responded, they would break into the house and steal money, jewelry, and expensive electronics to pawn.

The days surrounding Christmas 2016 illustrate the gang’s violent methods. After a drug customer invited two members of the gang to his house to obtain money to pay for his drugs, the gang members pistol-whipped him and ransacked his home. Later that night, four members of the gang tried to break into a convenience store in Redford, but when they were unsuccessful, they rammed a stolen van through the front of a Boost Mobile Store in an attempt to steal its contents.

Pleaded guilty were:

• Jvon Clements, a/k/a “Toon,” 25, of Detroit, to RICO conspiracy; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense; and felon in possession of ammunition.  Sentenced to 222 months in federal prison;
• Dawon Taylor, a/k/a “J-9,” 21, of Detroit, to RICO conspiracy;
• Ron Benson Jr., a/k/a “Duke,” 23, of Detroit, to RICO conspiracy. Sentenced to 144 months in federal prison;
• Devante Crockett, a/k/a “TBK,” 22, of Detroit, to RICO conspiracy;
• Davon Moultrie, a/k/a “Blue,” 21, of Detroit to RICO conspiracy.  Sentenced to 60 months in federal prison;
• Deondre Casey, a/k/a “Trouble,” of Detroit, to RICO conspiracy.  Sentenced to 63 months in federal prison.
• Andre Tinsley, a/k/a “Danger,” 23, of Detroit, to RICO conspiracy.  Sentenced to 114 months in federal prison.
• Recharl Boynton, a/k/a “Bear,” “Cee,” 26, of Detroit, to RICO conspiracy.  Sentenced to 84 months in federal prison.
• Anthony Marshall, a/k/a “Hitman,” 20, of Detroit, to RICO conspiracy.  Sentenced to 70 months in federal prison.
• Nathaniel Brown, a/k/a “Nino,” 23, of Detroit, to RICO conspiracy.  Sentenced to 54 months in federal prison;
• Darryl Grizzard, a/k/a “Deezy,” 27, of Detroit, to RICO conspiracy and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.  Sentenced to 63 months in federal prison;
• Leslie Winters, a/k/a “Menace”, 21, of Detroit, to RICO conspiracy; and
• Daevon Lowe, a/k/a “Lil’ Dre,” ”Low,” 21, of Detroit to RICO conspiracy

The remaining four defendants face guidelines sentencing ranges between 97 and 262 months in prison.

Found guilty at trial were:     

• Winston Hill, a/k/a “Shady Blue,” 23, of Sterling Heights, to RICO conspiracy and failure to appear.  Awaiting sentencing.
• Deshaun Tisdale, a/k/a “Havoc,” 23, of Detroit, to RICO conspiracy; assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering; and using, carrying, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.  Sentenced to 252 months in federal prison; and
• Dangelo Davis, a/k/a “Black,” 27, of Detroit, to RICO conspiracy.  Sentenced to 144 months in federal prison.

            The defendants convicted at trial face guidelines sentencing ranges between 168 and 413 months in prison.

In addition to the 16 gang members convicted in this case, an associate of the gang, Larry Taylor, 24, of Detroit, has been charged with false declarations before a grand jury or court and obstruction of justice. According to court records, Taylor was convicted of carjacking in March 2016 and told federal agents and a grand jury that Playboy Gangster Crip member Deshaun Tisdale committed the carjacking with him while brandishing a gun. Taylor testified at trial against Tisdale but claimed his accomplice was someone other than Tisdale. If convicted of the offenses, Taylor faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

“Violent street gangs such as the Playboy Gangster Crips threaten the safety of everyone,” said U.S. Attorney Schneider.  “Today’s sentences are an example of how our office is aggressively prosecuting gang members who have wreaked havoc in Detroit.”

“The Playboy Gangster Crips reign of terror on Detroit’s Westside is over,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge James Deir.  “We will not tolerate senseless violence in our neighborhoods and with help from our law enforcement partners, ATF will continue to disrupt and dismantle dangerous street gangs and remove them from the community.”

“Ensuring the safety and security of our residents in the city of Detroit is our number one priority. With the collaborative efforts of our federal law enforcement partners, we will continue our efforts to target and dismantle gangs, as well as, other violent offenders that pose a threat to the safety and wellbeing of our City,” said Chief James Craig.

This case was investigated by special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as well as officers of the Detroit Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jeanine Brunson, Shane Cralle and Michael Heesters.