Executive Summary
- Federal authorities charged 20 alleged "Free Money" gang members in a RICO indictment.
- Charges include murder, attempted murder, robbery, and drug trafficking.
- Alleged incidents involve a fatal 2022 shooting and a 2024 pawn shop robbery.
- The investigation was a joint operation involving the FBI and the Department of Justice.
Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of Texas have charged 20 alleged members of the Houston-based "Free Money" gang with a litany of violent crimes under a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) indictment. The charges, announced by the Department of Justice, include racketeering conspiracy, murder, attempted murder, firearm offenses, and drug trafficking.
According to the 18-count indictment, the group executed a years-long campaign of violence across Houston to control territory and retaliate against rivals. Authorities allege the defendants utilized intimidation tactics, including drive-by shootings in public spaces such as grocery store parking lots. Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva stated that the objective of the operation is to ensure residents can live without fear of gang warfare affecting their neighborhoods.
Court filings detail several specific incidents attributed to the gang members. Prosecutors allege that on June 24, 2022, brothers Terry and Travonte Ardoin followed an SUV into a shopping center and opened fire, killing a passenger. In another incident on August 3, 2022, defendant Shakeil Anderson is accused of firing multiple shots into the home of a rival gang member’s grandmother. Additionally, filings state that on June 3, 2024, Walter Tolbert participated in an armed robbery of a pawn shop.
The indictment also levels drug trafficking charges against the group. Orlando Calloway is accused of supplying crack cocaine to the organization by processing cocaine ordered by the gang. Acting Special Agent in Charge Jason Hudson of the FBI Houston Field Office described the alleged violence as "indiscriminate" and "alarming," noting that the investigation spanned several years.
It is important to note that all individuals named in the indictment are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Investigative Impact
This case represents a significant application of the federal RICO statute to dismantle local street gangs rather than pursuing isolated state-level prosecutions for individual crimes. By bundling various violent acts—including murder and robbery—into a single racketeering conspiracy, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas aims to incapacitate the leadership and operational structure of the organization simultaneously. This strategy underscores a continued federal initiative to combat violent crime in major metropolitan hubs through high-level judicial intervention.
