Twenty-one alleged Arlington, TX street gang members charged with RICO conspiracy, murder, drug and gun crimes

Twenty-one alleged violent members of a criminal street gang in Arlington, Texas have been federally charged with racketeering, murder and assault in aid of racketeering, drug trafficking, and gun crimes, announced Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Nancy E. Larson.

The defendants were charged by complaint on Tuesday, November 4.  As of Friday, November 7, all were in custody, and 17 began initial appearances that day before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the Northern District of Texas.  The rest had their initial appearances today.

Court documents reflect that the FBI and Arlington Police Department began investigating the Arlington-based criminal street gang known as “Kiccdoe” in April 2024 after a Kiccdoe gang member was shot and killed on the campus of an Arlington high school.  The murder resulted in multiple alleged retaliation shootings between Kiccdoe and other Arlington gangs.  According to court records, Kiccdoe members committed a lengthy pattern of murder, drive-by shootings, robberies, assaults, firearm offenses, and trafficking of fentanyl, marijuana, and other narcotics in Arlington and other North Texas cities.  Over a three-year period from approximately early 2022 through this year, Kiccdoe members terrorized many parts of Arlington’s communities with these violent offenses and threats of violence.  

The Kiccdoe gang originated from the 600 block of East Arkansas Lane on the eastside of Arlington.  To demonstrate their association with the gang, members used words such as “kiccdoe,” “KDN” (for “Kiccdoe Nation”), “6,” or “600” on public social media accounts.  They also wore clothing bearing the same inscriptions and produced and distributed online songs and videos about their gang activities and crimes.  

Social media post of alleged Kiccdoe member Blake Scott with “600” gang clothing.

As alleged in Tuesday’s complaint, violent acts that Kiccdoe members called “stripes” were required to join the gang, remain in good standing as a gang member, and maintain the gang’s violent reputation in the community.  Specific crimes identified in the complaint in furtherance of racketeering include a murder, six attempted murders, nine robberies, numerous assaults with dangerous weapons, ongoing sales of fentanyl and marijuana, and continuing threats of violence, all undertaken to obtain and preserve the profits, power, and territory of Kiccdoe members while keeping victims in fear of the gang and its members.

Marijuana advertised for sale on social media by alleged gang member Kyron Oates. Photos of alleged gang member LaMarion Austin posted on social media with a gun, large quantities of marijuana, and cash.

Those charged in the complaint include:

•    Michael Mensah, 18, of Grand Prairie, Texas, charged with conspiracy to conduct the affairs of an enterprise through a pattern of racketeering (RICO conspiracy), assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

•    Raphael Opare, 19, of Arlington, Texas, charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

•    Dillen Opare, 20, of Arlington, Texas, charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

•    Isaiah Wiley, 21, of Dallas, Texas, charged with RICO conspiracy, conspiracy to commit murder and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

•    Kyron Oates, 22, of Grand Prairie, Texas, charged with RICO conspiracy, assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

•    Vernell Woods, 19, of Arlington, Texas, charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

•    DeMarco Westmoreland, 19, of Mansfield, Texas, charged with RICO conspiracy, conspiracy to commit murder and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

•    Cortez Atkinson, 18, of Fort Worth, Texas, charged with RICO conspiracy, conspiracy to commit murder and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

•    Bradley McArthur, Jr., 21, of Fort Worth, Texas charged with RICO conspiracy, assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

•    DaTraven Warren, 18, of Mansfield, Texas, charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering.

•    Sadedrick Wilson, 22, of Fort Worth, Texas, charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

•    Joseph Hill, 18, of Fort Worth, Texas, charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

•    Chauncey Ross, 22, of Arlington, Texas, charged with RICO conspiracy, murder and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, and possession of a machine gun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

•    Marcus Shaw, 20, of Arlington, Texas, charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

•    KeyShawn Burton, 20, of Arlington, Texas, charged with RICO conspiracy, conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

•    LaMarion Austin, 21, of Dallas, Texas, charged with RICO conspiracy, conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

•    Blake Aaron Scott, 22, of Arlington, Texas, charged with RICO conspiracy, assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

•    Sir James Mack Williams, 21, of Arlington, Texas, charged with conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering.

•    Jaylen Jeshawn Franklin, of Arlington, Texas, 22, charged with conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering.

•    JaMarion Manogin, 20, of Forney, Texas, charged with assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering and discharge of a firearm in relation to a crime of violence in aid of racketeering.

•    Jakayla Totten, 21, of DeSoto, Texas, charged with assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering.

“The outstanding, collaborative work of our law enforcement partners has made Arlington residents safer today, because 21 alleged violent gang members and associates have been arrested and taken off the streets,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy Larson.  “The U.S. Attorney’s Office, along with federal and local law enforcement agencies, will continue to pursue justice against brazen offenders, who organize and terrorize our communities with relentless acts of violence.”

“The FBI is committed to working with our state and local law enforcement partners on the Tarrant County Safe Streets Task Force to protect our communities.  Alongside the Arlington Police Department, we made a significant impact on violent crime through the arrest of violent gang members and the seizure of firearms and drugs.  These arrests demonstrate the importance of partnerships in combatting the violence that plagues our communities,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock. 

“The members of this gang have been involved in numerous violent offenses in our community, including shootings, aggravated assaults, robberies, and more,” said Chief Al Jones of the Arlington Police Department.  “By getting these individuals off our streets, we are making Arlington safer.  I’m extremely proud of the outstanding investigative work that got us to this point.  I’m also incredibly grateful to our federal partners for helping us combat violent crime in our city.”

A complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence.  All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
If convicted, the defendants face statutory maximum sentences ranging from ten years in federal prison up to life imprisonment.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office and Arlington Police Department, with assistance in apprehending and arrests by the U.S. Marshals Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Fort Worth Police Department, the Garland Police Department, the North Richland Hills Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, NORTEX Metro SWAT (comprised of Carrollton, Farmers Branch, and Coppell Police Departments), and the North Tarrant Regionals SWAT (comprised of Hurst, Euless, Bedford, and Grapevine Police Departments). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Justin Beck.

This investigation is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's OCDETFs and Project Safe Neighborhoods.