Source: Office of United States Attorneys
DES MOINES, Iowa – On Wednesday, February 26, 2025, the final defendant in a multi-Indictment, 17-defendant gang investigation involving the Only My Brothers (OMB) street gang was sentenced to federal prison. All 17 defendants had previously pled guilty or been found guilty following a jury trial. The defendants were charged with various crimes in federal court, including RICO conspiracy, fentanyl distribution, possessing machineguns, straw purchasing firearms, firearms trafficking, and illegally possessing firearms.
According to public court documents and evidence presented in court, the charged defendants were members and associates of a criminal organization or Enterprise known as “Only My Brothers” or “OMB.” OMB originated in early- to mid-2021. Prior to that, some members and associates of OMB referred to themselves as various other names, including C-Block, 600, East Side Crips, Crips, and Gangster Disciples. From at least 2021, and continuing until their arrests, OMB’s members and associates engaged in a plethora of criminal activity in an attempt to earn and maintain respect in the neighborhood. This included attempted murders, including at least 30 gang-related shootings, the distribution of over 22 kilograms of fentanyl, as well as a number of convenience store armed robberies in the Des Moines metro.
Some of the shootings OMB has been held responsible for include a November 2021 shooting at a celebration of life party being held at a residence in Des Moines, Iowa; a second November 2021 shooting at a residence on Southeast 9th Street in Des Moines, during which over 20 shots were fired; a February 2022 shooting in and around Good Park in Des Moines; an April 2022 shooting at a rival gang member’s home in Des Moines, during which over 70 shots were fired; a July 2022 shooting at an apartment complex in Sixth Avenue in Des Moines, during which at least 40 shots were fired; an August 2022 shooting at a residence on 23rd Street in Des Moines; and an August 2022 shooting at an apartment complex on Southeast 22nd Street in Des Moines, during which over 36 shots were fired.
In order to obtain the firearms used to commit their criminal activity, OMB utilized a network of firearms straw purchasers, most of whom were drug customers or family members of the OMB members. This included Dawn Ellease Robinson, who purchased guns for her son, OMB member Santiz Langford. Langford then either personally used the guns himself to conduct OMB activity, or he trafficked the guns to other OMB members. One of those guns was later found in the possession of a victim in the January 2023 Starts Right Here double homicide in Des Moines. Deon Cooper, Langford’s sister, also straw purchased firearms for Langford, and Johnetta Strode, OMB member Deadrian Nelson’s mother, straw purchased firearms for Nelson.
The straw purchasers purchased guns for the OMB members, who then used those guns to commit violent acts against rival gang members and other victims. OMB members and associates were also prolific possessors of machinegun conversion devices (also known as automatic selector switches). These devices convert semi-automatic pistols into fully automatic firearms and are considered machineguns under federal law. During the investigation, law enforcement was able to identify over 90 guns involved in the OMB-involved shootings, with over 70 of the involved guns seized.
The defendants involved in this investigation include:
- Awot Tsegaye Baliho, 23, pled guilty to felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment.
- Armani Eugene Gates, 21, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute at least 400 grams of fentanyl, unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm, two counts of conspiracy to traffic firearms, conspiracy to straw purchase firearms, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and was sentenced to 276 months’ imprisonment.
- Bakier Mohamd Esmaeil, 20, pled guilty to one count of being an unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm, and was sentenced to 63 months’ imprisonment.
- Dontavius Rashaun Sharkey, 28, was found guilty by a jury of two counts of straw purchasing conspiracy, two counts of felon in possession of a firearm, illegal possession of a machinegun, possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, and supervised release violations, and was sentenced to 384 months’ imprisonment.
- Deadrian Maurice Nelson, 20, pled guilty to two counts of being a felon and unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm, and was sentenced to 121 months’ imprisonment.
- Johnetta Marie Strode, 37, pled guilty to straw purchasing conspiracy, and two counts of unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm, and was sentenced to 54 months’ imprisonment.
- Christopher Scott Eason, 43, pled guilty to false statement during purchase of a firearm, and was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment.
- Raleigh John Potter, 30, pled guilty to false statement during purchase of a firearm and unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm, and was sentenced to 42 months’ imprisonment.
- Deon Ellease Cooper, 28, pled guilty to racketeering conspiracy, false statement during purchase of a firearm, straw purchasing conspiracy, and straw purchasing of a firearm, and was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment.
- Dawn Ellease Robinson, 45, pled guilty to racketeering conspiracy, straw purchasing conspiracy, straw purchasing of a firearm, and two counts of unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm, and was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment.
- Avontae Lamar Tucker, 21, pled guilty in two federal cases to racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl, two counts of unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm and ammunition, two counts of interference with commerce through robbery, and two counts of brandishing and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. He was sentenced to 444 months’ imprisonment.
- Santiz Cortez Langford, 21, pled guilty to racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl, two counts of straw purchasing conspiracy, two counts of firearms trafficking, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, illegal possession of a machinegun, and two counts of unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm, and was sentenced to 295 months’ imprisonment.
- Semaj Johnson, 20, pled guilty under two separate cases to illegal possession of a machinegun, racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl, firearms trafficking conspiracy, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and was sentenced to 211 months’ imprisonment.
- Majok Majok, 20, pled guilty to racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl, firearms trafficking conspiracy, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and illegal possession of a machinegun, and was sentenced to 195 months’ imprisonment.
- Trent Douglas Brown Jr., 20, pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and was sentenced to 90 months’ imprisonment.
- Dahaba Bahari Lula, 20, pled guilty to racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl, and was sentenced to 144 months’ imprisonment.
- Derrick Dwayne Smith, 41, pled guilty to four counts of false statement during purchase of a firearm, and was sentenced to 21 months’ imprisonment.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. Assistant United States Attorneys Kristin Herrera and Mallory Weiser prosecuted the case.
This case was investigated by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Des Moines Police Department, and the United States Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from the Iowa Department of Public Safety-Division of Narcotics Enforcement (DNE), Iowa State Patrol, and Iowa Division of Intelligence and Fusion Center.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.