United States of America v. Awot Tsegaye Baliho, Armani Eugene Gates, Bakier Mohamd Esmaeil, Dontavius Rashaun Sharkey, Deadrian Maurice Nelson, Johnetta Marie Strode, Christopher Scott Eason, Raleigh John Potter, Dawn Ellease Robinson, Avontae Lamar Tucker, Santiz Cortez Langford, Semaj Johnson, Majok Majok, Trent Douglas Brown Jr., Dahaba Bahari Lula, Derrick Dwayne Smith

Des Moines, Iowa criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendants charged with RICO conspiracy, fentanyl distribution, possessing machineguns, straw purchasing firearms, firearms trafficking, and illegally possessing firearms.

Seventeen OMB Gang Defendants Sentenced to a Total of 2,538 Months in Federal Prison

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.



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