Columbus Gang Member Pleads Guilty to Rico Charges

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A former fugitive pleaded guilty in connection to a racketeering case involving the organized criminal enterprise known as the Short North Posse.

Andre M. Brown, 33, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of marijuana possession and one count of use of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

Brown was arrested by FBI agents in Charlotte, N.C. in June 2015. Brown had been a fugitive since October 2014 when he was charged in a superseding indictment related to his role in the gang.

Benjamin C. Glassman, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), David A. Grant, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Donald J. Sorrano, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien and Columbus Police Chief Kim Jacobs announced the plea entered into today before U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley.

Twenty individuals total were indicted in the racketeering case with charges that included murders, attempted murders, drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, extortion and robbery.

Racketeering conspiracy is a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Marijuana possession carries a potential maximum sentence of five years in prison. Using a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking is a crime punishable by seven years up to life in prison to be served consecutively to other sentences.

Acting U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the two-year long investigation by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, DEA, ATF, Columbus Police, Franklin County Sheriff Zach Scott’s Office, Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien’s Office, Fairfield County Prosecutor Gregg Marx, Licking County Prosecutor Kenneth Oswalt, Muskingum County Prosecutor D. Michael Haddox, Ross County Prosecutor Matthew S. Schmidt, law enforcement leaders from those counties, officials of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorneys David DeVillers, Kevin Kelley and Brian Martinez, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jimmy Lowe with Franklin County Prosecutor O’Brien’s Office, who are prosecuting the case.

Trial is scheduled to begin on April 4 for five of the individuals in this case. A second trial is currently scheduled for July 11 and a third trial is currently scheduled to begin on September 26.