United States of America V. Isaiah Hicks Et Al, Affidavit
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COUNTY OF COOK ) ) SS UNDER SEAL STATE OF ILLINOIS ) AFFIDAVIT I, Jeffrey Shoenburger, Special Agent, United States Department of Justice Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (AATF@), being duly sworn, state as follows: I. INTRODUCTION A. AGENT BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCE 1. I, Jeffrey Shoenburger, am a Special Agent for the United States Department of Justice Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives ("ATF"), and have been so employed since August of 1992. I have attended classes, seminars, and discussions sponsored by ATF, including classes relating to illegal firearms trafficking and/or unlawful possession of firearms. As part of my job responsibilities, I primarily investigate crimes involving firearms, narcotics, and street gangs. In connection with my official ATF duties, I have investigated weapons violations, including violations of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922 and 924, as well as violations of other laws used to combat criminal street gangs, including but not limited to, Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841, 843 and 846. I am authorized to make arrests for these violations. I have worked in several investigations involving various types of electronic surveillance, including court-authorized interception of wire communications. I also have experience in the debriefing of defendants, witnesses, informants, as well as others with knowledge of the distribution and transportation of controlled substances and the street gangs who participate in these illegal activities. 2. As a result of my personal participation in this investigation, and my review of: (a) consensually-monitored telephone conversations; (b) reports prepared by, and information 1 obtained from, other federal, state, and local law enforcement agents and officers; (c) criminal history records; (d) records and data from telephone companies; (e) information obtained from witnesses, including confidential sources, and (f) the content of intercepted wire communications authorized by order of this Court, I am familiar with all aspects of this investigation. B. PURPOSE OF THE AFFIDAVIT 3. This affidavit sets forth probable cause in support of a Criminal Complaint alleging that the following individuals violated Title 21, United States Code, Section 846 (conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, namely, in excess of 5 kilograms of cocaine and in excess of 50 grams cocaine base in the form of crack cocaine), and Title 18, United States Code, Section 2: a. ISAIAH HICKS a/k/a ―CUZ‖, ―BIG CUZ‖, ―ROCK‖, and ―CHILL ROCK‖ b. KEVIN MASUCA a/k/a ―NOOK‖ c. IVORY WATSON a/k/a ―BIRD‖ d. AHMAD WILLIAMS a/k/a ―AG‖ and ―G-BALL‖ e. DANIEL COPRICH a/k/a ―D-BLOCK‖ f. UBEX LOPEZ a/k/a ―LITTLE MAN‖ g. SANFORD TOWNSEND, JR. a/k/a ―NOOK‖ and ―4-5‖ h. VINCENT STRAUGHTER a/k/a ―VINO‖ and ―DSKI‖ i. COREY WILLIAMS a/k/a ―FOUR‖ j. JAMAL WASHINGTON a/k/a ―LITTLE CUZ‖ and ―MAL‖ k. GLENN ISLAND a/k/a ―BABY DOUGH‖ l. TAMEKA GRANT a/k/a ―LATONY CLAYTON‖, ―SHEMIKA MASON‖, LATOYA YOUNG‖, ―BRANDY JONES‖, ―SHERRY DAVIS‖, ―KINISHA MASON‖, ―MIKA‖, and ―MEKA‖ 2 m. JOHNNIE LAVELL YOUNG a/k/a ―VILLE‖ and ―VELL‖ n. JOSHUA MCELROY a/k/a ―BOSS HOG‖ o. CLIFTON HARALSON p. DWAYNE GARRETT a/k/a ―WAYNE‖ q. PATRICK JONES a/k/a ―HOG‖ r. SCOTT O‘NEAL s. ANDREA THOMAS a/k/a DAPHNE t. MICHAEL A. GONZALEZ u. ROMELL HOLLINGSWORTH a/k/a ―GROSSO‖ v. DESHAUN GERMANY a/k/a ―DEONTE‖, ―4-5'S COUSIN‖, ―BIG SIN‖ and ―SIN‖ w. JOE LONG a/k/a ―BABY JOE‖ and ―BJ‖ x. CHRISTOPHER GAVIN a/k/a ―LITTLE CHRIS‖ y. KEVIN GORDON a/k/a ―BIG BIRD‖ z. LATASHA WILLIAMS a/k/a ―TASHA B‖ aa. ETHEL J. HAROLD a/k/a ―JEANNETTE‖ bb. MAXINE RUFFETTI 4. This Affidavit is also made for the purpose of establishing probable cause in support of warrants to search the premises listed below (ASearch Sites #A-G‖), which are further described below, and to seize evidence relating to the commission of offenses, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 846: (A) 5358 S. Hoyne Ave., Chicago, Illinois (B) 5437 S. Hoyne Ave., Chicago, Illinois (C) 15231 Lincoln Ave., Harvey, Illinois 3 (D) 8024 S. Honore St., 1st Floor, Chicago, Illinois (E) 6419 S. May St., Apt 2, Chicago, Illinois (F) 8145 S. Lorel Ave., Burbank, Illinois (G) 6152 S. Albany Ave., Chicago, Illinois 5. This Affidavit is also made for the purpose of establishing probable cause in support of warrants to seize the vehicles listed below (ASubject Vehicles #A-C‖), which are described below: (A) 1998 Jaguar XK 8, VIN: SAJGX2247WC027422, registered to ISAIAH HICKS, 5358 S. Hoyne Ave., Chicago, Illinois; (B) 2000 Cadillac Deville, VIN: 1G6KD54YXYU312523, registered to DANIEL COPRICH, 4206 Applewood Lane, Chicago, Illinois; (C) 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe, VIN: 1GNEK13Z22R204336, registered to Individual A and Individual B, 3512 W. Columbus Ave., Chicago, Illinois; 6. This Affidavit is submitted for the limited purpose of: (1) establishing probable cause to believe that the defendants committed the above-listed violations; (2) establishing probable cause to believe that evidence of the aforementioned violations will be found in certain residences involved in the conduct alleged herein; and (3) establishing probable cause to believe that the vehicles identified above represent property was used to facilitate the violations herein alleged and that there is probable cause to believe that these vehicles will be subject to forfeiture, should the defendants be convicted for these offenses. Therefore, this affidavit contains only a summary of relevant facts. I have not included each and every fact known to me concerning the entities, individuals, and events described herein. 7. Since approximately April 2007, agents of the Department of Justice Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (AATF@) have been investigating ISAIAH HICKS and others involved in drug trafficking in the Chicago area. I have participated in this investigation. The 4 statements contained in this Affidavit are based in part on: (a) my personal participation in this investigation; (b) consensually-monitored conversations; (c) reports prepared by, and information obtained from, other federal, state, and local law enforcement agents and officers; (d) criminal history records; (e) records and data from telephone companies; (f) information obtained from witnesses, including confidential sources; (g) the content of intercepted wire communications authorized by order of this Court; and (h) the training and experience of myself and other law enforcement agents. I have also reviewed the following, among other reports: laboratory analysis reports; intelligence reports of telephone record, pen register, and trap and trace analyses; and audiotapes of consensually-recorded conversations. To the extent that intercepted and recorded communications are summarized below, those summaries do not include references to all of the topics covered during the course of the conversation that was intercepted.1 In addition, summaries do not include references to all statements made by the speakers on the topics that are described. As a result of my personal participation in this investigation, I am familiar with this investigation. On the basis of this familiarity, as well as my training and experience, the experience of other law enforcement officers, and on the basis of other information that I have reviewed and determined to be reliable, I allege the following: C. OVERVIEW OF THE INVESTIGATION 8. Since in or around April 2007, ATF and other law enforcement agencies have gathered information from various sources concerning the crack cocaine, heroin and firearms trafficking of the Gangster Disciple Street Gang (GD‘s) in the Chicago Metropolitan area and elsewhere in 1 While the investigative team has listened to the recordings made pursuant to this investigation and attempted to transcribe them accurately, to the extent quotations from these conversations are included herein, these are preliminary, and not final transcriptions. Based on my training and experience, the context and content of the recorded conversations, and in the context of this investigation, I have included parentheticals, where appropriate, to explain coded language and terms used by narcotics traffickers. 5 the United States. In particular, ATF in Chicago, Illinois, has been involved in ongoing investigations of Gangsters Disciples drug traffickers who operate their organization in the Chicago area. The investigation identified ISAIAH HICKS as a major cocaine distributor in the Chicago area. 9. Many of the individuals described below are members of the Damenville Gangster Disciples, a subset of the Gangster Disciple Nation. The Damenville GD‘s are made up of GD gang members who live and sell narcotics in the area surrounding Damen, with the boundaries roughly identified as Western on the west, Ashland on the East, and 48th street on the North and 59th on the south. This set is dominated by the "5-4 Crew" which is made up of GD gang members that base their operations in and around W. 54th Street near S. Hoyne Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. Information From Confidential Informants Concerning HICKS And Certain Members Of His Narcotics Trafficking Operation 10. On December 14, 2007, a confidential informant (CI-2)2 provided information to Special Agents of the ATF and DEA. CI-2 has been charged federally with criminal drug conspiracy and CI-2 is currently cooperating with local and federal law enforcement in the hope of receiving a recommendation for a reduced sentence. CI-2 has twenty-five arrests, including fourteen for narcotics charges, and five convictions, of which three are for narcotics charges. The information provided by CI-2 has been independently corroborated through information provided by other CIs, pen register information, law enforcement records, and surveillance. CI-2 has agreed to testify in this and other matters. Based on the foregoing facts, CI-2 is believed to be credible and reliable.