Alamdar Hamdani U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas
A grand jury in the Southern District of Texas has indicted 13 men from Houston for their involvement in a criminal crew accused of robbery, drug trafficking, obstruction of justice, and murder. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei, Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Douglas A. Williams Jr.
The indictment charges Derrick Dewayne Butler (28), Travon Maxwel (29), Emmanuel Winnfield (36), Herman Mitchell (37), Tyrone Raymond Bolton (32), Joe Devon Champion (35), Jonta Allen Glover (32), Dewayne Donnell Champion (37), Cedric Lynn Andrews (50), Jermar Ballard Jones (37), Christian Xavier Rucker (30), Samuel Lamonte Draper (25), and Jeremy James Jenkins (21) with one count each of robbery conspiracy and drug distribution conspiracy.
Convictions could lead to a maximum sentence of 20 years for robbery conspiracy and a mandatory minimum of 10 years to life for drug distribution conspiracy. Additional charges include attempts to possess controlled substances with intent to distribute, while Jones also faces obstruction charges.
Butler, Rucker, and Jones are further charged with two counts of murder related to the deaths on July 19, 2023. They face life imprisonment or possibly the death penalty if convicted of murder in aid of racketeering.
Other members face additional penalties for possessing firearms during drug trafficking crimes. "There is no place in our community for groups that terrorize their fellow citizens," stated Ganjei.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including the FBI, Houston Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Texas Department of Public Safety. It forms part of both the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative in Houston and an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Byron H. Black and Kelly Zenón-Matos are leading the prosecution alongside Trial Attorneys Justin G. Bish, Ralph Paradiso, Ben Tonkin, and Jodi Anton from the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section.
The Houston VCI partners with local law enforcement under federal laws to address violent crime by prosecuting gang members in Houston while assisting intervention efforts against violent crime's root causes.
OCDETF focuses on dismantling high-level criminal organizations using a coordinated approach involving various law enforcement agencies.
It is important to note that an indictment is only an allegation; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
