MEMPHIS, TN – Shelby County District Attorney Bill Gibbons announced Tuesday that the state grand jury had returned 33 indictments against 17 known gang members for violent felony charges following an investigation conducted by the Safe Streets Task Force and the Memphis Police Department’s Robbery Bureau. The investigation focused on a violent street gang known as “The Taliban.”

The indictments were returned on September 27 and include 72 felony charges, including 1 count of attempted second degree murder (class B felony), 49 counts of aggravated robbery (class B felony), 9 counts of attempted aggravated robbery (class C felony), 10 counts of aggravated assault (class C felony), 1 count of theft of property over $1,000 (class D felony), 1 count of intentionally evading arrest (class D felony), and 1 count of reckless endangerment (class E felony). These cases were prepared for the grand jury and will be handled in criminal court by the D.A.’s Gang and Narcotics Prosecution Unit.

The defendants are charged with primarily targeting Hispanic victims, but many of the indictments include charges related to business robberies.

“The Taliban” gang is a branch of the Vice Lords gang. The gang named itself in reference to the way its members attempted to conceal their identities by wrapping shirts or towels around their heads while committing crimes.

Only two defendants are not yet in custody. The names of the 15 defendants in custody are attached to this release.

“We are not going to let up on the ‘street terrorists’ who are wreaking havoc in our neighborhoods. We will continue to work with the Memphis police and others in law enforcement to reduce the number of violent crimes in Memphis by going after the violent combination of gangs, guns and drugs in our community,” explained District Attorney Bill Gibbons.

The Safe Streets Task Force is comprised of officers from the Federal Bureau Investigation, the Memphis Police Dept. and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.

The standard sentence for a Class B felony is 8-12 years in prison; the standard sentence for a Class C felony is 3-6 years; the standard sentence for a class D felony 2-4 years; the standard sentence for a class E felony is 1-2 years.

Aggravated robbery is a charge covered by the D.A.’s “No Deals” policy on violent crimes. Exceptions are made to the policy for legal and ethical reasons.

State Indictments against:

1. Johnny Sanford
2. Joshua Street
3. Kelvin Austin
4. Joshua Tubbs
5. Jacob Yelvington
6. Everett Jackson
7. Jacoby Johnson
8. Brent Peoples
9. Christopher Travis
10. Antonio Williams
11. Perry Loverson
12. Corey Heaston
13. Craig Austin
14. LaDarrius Williams
15. Jude Ford

Two defendants remain out of custody.

—End of Release—

Contact: Jennifer Donnals
Communications Director
901-545-5988
901-601-1460
Jennifer.donnals@scdag.com