Three More Lows Gang Members Charged with RICO Conspiracy and Murder

MINNEAPOLIS – A federal grand jury in Minneapolis charged three more alleged members or associates of the violent street gang known as the Lows, bringing the total number of defendants in this indictment to fourteen.

The newest defendants—Marques Armstrong Jr., 30, Davant Moore, 23, and Jahon Lynch, 20, each of Minneapolis—began making their initial appearances today in the District of Minnesota. The indictment charges the Lows, a violent Minneapolis street gang, for crimes including Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) conspiracy involving murder, using a firearm to kill during racketeering murder, attempted murder, and other gun and drug trafficking, including fentanyl.  Ten murders are alleged as part of the gang’s pattern of racketeering activity.

“These fourteen defendants are allegedly all part of a gang that is responsible for at least 10 murders on the streets of Minneapolis,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These murders, which allegedly took place at a gas station, a barbershop, a food truck, and other public places, terrorized neighborhoods.  As this superseding indictment to net additional gang members shows, the Criminal Division will not relent in addressing violent crime.”     

“The Lows are killing our neighbors, and we’re taking them down,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.  “RICO charges give us the power to dismantle the violent street gangs that fuel the violence and trap families in fear.  Every time we bring one of these cases, shootings drop, neighborhoods calm, and law-abiding families reclaim their streets.  This progress is only possible because of the relentless work of our law enforcement partners and the Department of Justice’s Violent Crime & Racketeering Section.  To every family that has lost someone to gang violence:  we will not stop until your streets are safe.”   

“This violent street gang, the Lows, will not continue to wreak havoc in Minneapolis neighborhoods,” said Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “Violent groups don’t belong in our communities. These charges demonstrate our overall strategy and relentless determination to eradicate the drug-fueled gang violence plaguing our community. The FBI and our partners will continue to aggressively pursue gangs wherever they surface and are steadfast in making sure our communities are a safe place for our citizens.”

“For nearly two decades, the Lows have menaced the north Minneapolis community through gun violence and murders,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “Together with our law enforcement partners, the FBI has fought tirelessly to end that reign of terror. This new indictment shows that the FBI will never stop working to crush violent gangs like the Lows, save lives, and protect our communities.”

“Through the relentless efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Minneapolis Police Department, and our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, this outcome represents another significant step in dismantling the gangs that have victimized our city—especially in the neighborhoods most impacted,” said Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara.  “For the individuals and families who have endured this violence, today’s result brings us closer to justice and accountability. We remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting every family and every community. The people of Minneapolis deserve a city that is safe and free from fear.”

“This criminal street gang treated gun violence and murder as business tools to maintain power and control,” said Jason Bushey, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Chicago Field Office. “IRS-CI special agents followed the money to expose how this enterprise was financed, uncovering the cash flow that allowed them to buy weapons, traffic drugs, and sow fear in Minneapolis neighborhoods. By tracing their illicit proceeds, we gave our law enforcement partners the evidence to not only disrupt this conspiracy but to hold its leaders accountable for the violence they inflicted. This case shows how IRS-CI’s financial expertise is critical to dismantling organized crime and protecting communities from violent threats.”

“Street gangs have been a persistent source of violence in Minneapolis, and the allegations in this indictment show the toll they continue to take on our communities,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Travis Riddle of the St. Paul Field Division. “ATF has been committed to this city for decades, and we will continue working to keep firearms out of the hands of those who are prohibited and to hold accountable those who use violence to threaten the safety of our neighborhoods.”

“The line between drug trafficking and violence is non-existent and today’s announcement is another reminder of this fact,” said Drug Enforcement Administration Omaha Division Acting Special Agent in Charge Rafael Mattei. “Agents with the DEA remain committed to our partners in law enforcement to ensure our communities are safe places to live.”

“Criminal organizations like the Lows pose a significant threat to public safety, endangering our communities through murder, narcotics trafficking to include fentanyl, gang violence, and other criminal activities,” said ICE HSI St. Paul Acting Special Agent in Charge Samuel Westbay. “Our agents remain steadfast in their commitment to working alongside our law enforcement partners to dismantle these dangerous criminal enterprises and restore safety and security to our neighborhoods.”

“The expansion of this RICO case to include three more defendants suspected of the most heinous crimes underscores the strength of our ongoing partnership at the local, state, and federal level,” said Hennepin County Sheriff DeWanna Witt.  “We are dismantling this violent organization responsible for terrorizing our communities and taking important steps towards justice for victims and the safety of our neighborhoods. Gang violence has no place in Hennepin County and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office will continue to work to put these criminal organizations out of business.”

“Minnesotans deserve to live without the fear of gang violence at their doorstep—of rivalry escalating to bloodshed,” said Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans.  “It has to stop, and our resolve to make that happen has never been stronger.”

“Stopping violent criminals that misuse the U.S. Postal Service and pose a risk to the general public remains the top priority of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service,” said Postal Inspector in Charge Bryan Musgrove. “Today’s superseding indictment sends a clear message: If you do harm to our communities, we will find you and bring you to justice.”

According to the allegations in the superseding indictment, the defendants were members of the Lows criminal street gang, which has been in existence in Minneapolis since approximately 2004. The Lows are primarily active in the north side of Minneapolis. They allegedly traffic in firearms and narcotics, including fentanyl, and use threats, intimidation, and violence to protect their territory, reputation, crime proceeds, and power.

The murders alleged in the indictment include that these new defendants along with defendants previously indicted are listed below.

• On May 6, 2021, Albert Lucas V, 21, shot and killed a victim at a Minneapolis gas station while the victim was pumping gas.
• On Sept. 9, 2021, Kaprice Richards, 24, and Marques Armstrong Jr. stood on a sidewalk and fired at least 26 rounds through the window of a crowded Minneapolis barbershop. The barrage of bullets killed one victim and injured another victim who was inside with a young child.
• On May 14, 2022, Glenn Carter III, 25, shot and killed two victims near a food truck in Minneapolis.
• Just days later, on May 19, 2022, Lows members and associates murdered two victims in a drive-by shooting in Minneapolis, after days of threats and taunting. Lows members and associates located the victim’s vehicle and pulled alongside when it was stopped at a traffic light. Lows members and associates then fired multiple shots from their vehicle at the victim’s vehicle, killing both the driver and passenger.   
• On April 27, 2023, Shannon Jackson, 33, and Kaprice Richards, and others opened fire on a group in Minneapolis, killing one victim.
• On Nov. 6, 2023, Jahon Lynch, using a vehicle he carjacked about a week before, drove Albert Lucas V, Davant Moore, and other Lows members and associates to North Minneapolis, where they shot into a group of people, killing one victim.
• On Dec. 3, 2023, Damari Douglas, 20, Davant Moore, and other Lows members and associates attended a party in Minneapolis. After leaving the party, the group was walking down a street when they began firing at a passing vehicle. A stray bullet struck and killed a victim standing on the sidewalk. Law enforcement recovered discharged cartridge casings at the scene from multiple firearms.
• On Feb. 27, 2024, Albert Lucas V, Victor Collins, 23, and other Lows members and associates drove to the area of the Minneapolis Market, and shot into a group of people, injuring several victims and killing one victim.

If convicted, the defendants face a range of penalties, including up to life in prison for racketeering conspiracy involving acts of murder, using a firearm to commit murder, and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after the consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

ATF, FBI, DEA, IRS-CI, HSI, USPIS, Minneapolis Police Department, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and Minnesota Department of Corrections are investigating the case, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Garrett S. Fields and David M. Classen for the District of Minnesota and Trial Attorney Jared Engelking of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.