Press Release
Three Lincoln Gang Members Sentenced for RICO Conspiracy
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Nebraska
United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Edward Dean Williams, Antonio Corell Shannon, and Emmanuel Charles Kuot were all sentenced this morning in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska, following their guilty pleas to a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) conspiracy. Williams was sentenced to a term of 180 months’ imprisonment, Shannon was sentenced to 150 months’ imprisonment, and Kuot was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment. All three defendants were sentenced to serve a three-year term of supervised release after they complete their prison sentences. There is no parole in the federal system. Senior United States District Court Judge John M. Gerrard presided over the case. Williams, 21, of Lincoln, pleaded guilty to the offense on December 16, 2022. Shannon, 21, of Lincoln, pleaded guilty on December 15, 2022, and Kuot, 21, of Lincoln, pleaded guilty on January 11, 2023.
The charge to which they pleaded guilty alleges that the three defendants conspired to violate the racketeering laws of the United States. Each defendant was either a member or an associate of the Day One Brothers (or “D1B”) gang in Lincoln. The D1B gang was an enterprise which engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity, including acts involving murder or attempted murder, robbery, and the distribution of controlled substances, including marijuana. The gang became the focus of an intensive investigation following an incident on March 26, 2018, when a group of D1B members and associates feuded with a rival gang. The confrontation ended with a D1B member shooting and killing a rival. As the investigation continued, the Lincoln Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation uncovered the extent of the gang’s criminal activities.
The defendants in this case were each charged with committing acts in furtherance of the conspiracy. Among those acts, all three defendants were alleged to have participated in a shooting on October 26, 2019, which targeted a rival gang member. On that day, the three defendants were at a residence in the 3400 block of Portia Street in Lincoln, a location which the D1B gang viewed as being under their control. They learned that a rival gang member, who was referred to in the indictment as “Victim 7,” was in a nearby apartment building. Using social media contacts, they attempted to lure him out of the apartment. Williams and Shannon were carrying firearms. As they approached on foot, the three defendants spotted a person near the apartment. Williams and Shannon each fired several shots in the direction of the apartment unit where they suspected Victim 7 was located. Some of the shots penetrated the apartment. People were inside the apartment, but thankfully nobody was hit.
As part of his guilty plea, Williams further admitted to having assaulted people on a couple of occasions who Williams suspected had cooperated with law enforcement and who Williams believed had provided information about D1B members and associates. The gang would use such threats, intimidation, and violence to keep others in fear of the gang. Shannon admitted to having used Snapchat and Facebook to advertise the sale of illegal drugs, mainly marijuana. The sales would often take place within a neighborhood which D1B viewed as under their control. And as part of Kuot’s guilty plea, he admitted to having also participated in an attempted robbery of a UNL fraternity member who was collecting an entry fee to a party in Lincoln.
FBI Omaha Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel said, “The three gang members sentenced today used violence to terrorize and exert control over Lincoln neighborhoods. The FBI is dedicated to disrupting and dismantling the most violent gangs in our community. The FBI’s Safe Streets Gang Task Force in Lincoln will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to investigate, arrest, and apprehend gang members to make our neighborhoods safer.”
This case was primarily investigated by the Lincoln Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The United States Marshals also assisted during the investigation of this case.
This case was part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see https://www.justice.gov/projectguardian.
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Updated May 17, 2023