Two Louisville Gang Members Charged with Federal Firearms Offenses

Louisville, KY – Two Louisville gang members were charged with federal firearms offenses.

U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge R. Shawn Morrow of the ATF Louisville Field Division, and Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel of the Louisville Metro Police Department made the announcement.

Virgil Jackson, age 20, of Louisville, Kentucky, is charged with possessing a firearm after having been convicted of a felony. Jackson was charged by federal complaint, is in state custody, and will be brought to federal custody at a later date. Jackson is prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had previously been convicted of the following felony offenses. On May 19, 2023, in Jefferson County Circuit Court, Jackson was convicted of receiving stolen property – vehicle – over $300 and unlawful transaction with a minor in the second degree in case number 22-CR-001243. On May 19, 2023, in Jefferson County Circuit Court, Jackson was convicted of complicity to engaging in organized crime – criminal syndicate, complicity to receiving stolen property $10,000 or more, and complicity to criminal mischief in the first degree in case number 21-CR-001433-005. On May 5, 2023, in Oldham County Circuit Court, Jackson was placed on diversion for complicity to receiving stolen property $1,000 < $10,000, fleeing or evading police in the first degree (on foot), two counts of complicity to wanton endangerment in the first degree, and unlawful transaction with minor in the second degree in case number 21-CR-00124.

Dacorey Hodges, age 19, also of Louisville, formerly of California, is charged with possessing a firearm while being a fugitive from justice. Hodges is prohibited from possessing a firearm because he has an active felony arrest warrant for burglary in Orange County, California, that was issued on August 1, 2023, in case number 19DL0480. 

Hodges was charged by a federal complaint and was arrested this week. He made his initial appearance yesterday before a U.S. Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. A detention hearing is currently scheduled for September 18, 2023, at 2:30 p.m.

According to the complaint, Jackson is a member of the Jack Gang and Hodges is a member of Cali to Victory, a subset of the Victory Park Crips gang. Both gangs have been identified by law enforcement as violent street gangs operating in Louisville, Kentucky. The complaint alleges that on September 4, 2023, at approximately 2:23 a.m., a drive-by shooting occurred at the Waffle House located at 2805 Fern Valley Road in Louisville, Kentucky. A female victim received a gunshot wound to the foot during the shooting. Investigators were able to review video recordings from the Waffle House surveillance cameras and identified Jackson and Hodges as two of the individuals who fired weapons. On September 12, 2023, ATF agents, with the assistance of LMPD, executed federal search warrants at Hodges’ and Jackson’s residences. At Jackson’s residence, law enforcement recovered one firearm with an extended magazine. At Hodges’ residence, law enforcement recovered three firearms along with assorted types of ammunition.

If convicted, both defendants face a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. There is no parole in the federal system.   

This case is being investigated by the ATF and LMPD. 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank Dahl and Alicia Gomez are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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

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