37 gang members sentenced as result of large-scale racketeering, drug trafficking case
BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) - On Thursday, the final defendant of 37 gang members was sentenced in a Northern District of Mississippi case targeting the violent activities, drug trafficking and money laundering of the Simon City Royals prison gang.
Joshua Miller, 33, of Jackson, was sentenced to 16 years and eight months in prison for Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) conspiracy, including conspiracy to murder related to his role in the Simon City Royals.
According to court documents, the Simon City Royals are a violent prison gang operating primarily in the Mississippi Department of Corrections, but with members and associates acting on their behalf outside of prison throughout Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee and elsewhere.
ALSO READ: 21 Simon City Royals gang members arrested, charged with multiple racketeering charges (Mar. 4, 2022)
Those sentenced engaged in a host of criminal activities such as murder, attempted murder, assault, kidnapping, robbery, extortion, witness tampering, money laundering, interstate travel in aid of racketeering, large-scale drug trafficking and fraud.
In January 2018, the Simon City Royals were responsible for the brutal murder of a prison inmate after a “kill on sight” order was issued directing any gang member who encountered the targeted inmate to murder him. 31-year-old Dillon Hefker of Bay St. Louis and Robert Williams acted on the order, stabbing a victim dozens of times with improvised prison knives. Leaders of the gang rewarded the two for the murder by arranging for hundreds of dollars to be directed to their prison commissary accounts.
The group is also responsible for the kidnapping of a former gang member for violating the gang’s code of conduct. In 2015, a member kidnapped a victim at knifepoint and forced him into a hotel room, where multiple people tied him to a chair, interrogated him, tortured him and burned off his Simon City Royals tattoo.
“The Simon City Royals gang engaged in murder and torture and smuggled drugs and other contraband into prisons,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s sentencing of 37 gang members ends the gang’s reign of terror in the communities and prisons of Mississippi. This prosecution demonstrates the Justice Department’s resolve, along with our law enforcement partners, in holding violent criminal gang members to account.”
ALSO READ: 37 people connected to a deadly prison-based Mississippi gang have been convicted, prosecutors say (Oct. 21, 2023)
“Society simply cannot function if criminals and gangs are allowed to inflict violence on individuals and communities without consequences, and this years-long investigation and prosecution demonstrated that such criminality will not go unchecked,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner.
Prior to the sentencing of Joshua Miller, a number of members residing on the Gulf Coast were also sentenced:
- Jason Hayden, 42, Picayune — 5 years
- Jordan Deakles, 31, Gulfport — 2 years and 6 months
- Chancy Bilbo, 31, Bay St. Louis — 20 years
- Dillon Hefker, 32, Bay St. Louis — 35 years
- Cody Woodall, 31, Gulfport — 5 years
- Michael Dossett, 42, Carriere — 6 years and 6 months
- Angel Labauve, 43, Picayune — 9 months
- Arvis Tolbert, 43, Hurley — 3 years
- Chris Vincent, 20, Gulfport — 5 years and 2 months
- Anthony Rouse, 33, Picayune — 10 years
“In over 40 years of working with law enforcement and the State and federal courts in Mississippi, this case took as many serious offenders off the street as any I can remember,” stated U.S. Marshal Daniel R. McKittrick. “Thanks to all the agencies that work together to try and keep our communities safe.”
ALSO READ: Sheriff: Woman kidnapped, beaten by 6 people with ties to Simon City Royals (Jul. 25, 2015)
The ATF, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Secret Service, FBI Jackson Field Office, MDOC and dozens of local law enforcement agencies across multiple states investigated the cases.
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