Two Meridian men were among 37 members of the Simon City Royals gang to plead guilty to racketeering conspiracy charges the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday.

Jeremy Holcombe, 43, and Justin Leake, 43, both of Meridian, were among those charged in what justice department officials said was a violent criminal enterprise. The Simon City Royals, a violent prison gang, acting through its own members and through an alliance with the Gangster Disciples, another violent gang, were involved in a range of criminal activity from murder and kidnapping to drug trafficking and fraud.

“The Simon City Royals terrorized Mississippi prisons and communities for far too long,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These convictions underscore the Justice Department’s dedication to disrupting and dismantling violent criminal enterprises, regardless of where they operate.”

“Our communities have every right to expect that violent criminal gangs will be held to account and incarcerated for their crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner for the Northern District of Mississippi. “Thanks to the extraordinary work of our law enforcement partners and career federal prosecutors led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Stringfellow, 37 members of the Simon City Royals, a violent gang acting outside as well as inside our prisons as a criminal enterprise, have been arrested, incarcerated, or are currently awaiting sentencing. There will be no compromise in protecting our citizens, and every criminal gang operating in the Northern District of Mississippi can consider itself to be on notice.”

According to court documents, the Simon City Royals were a violent prison gang operating primarily in the Mississippi Department of Corrections, but with members and associates acting on their behalf outside of prison throughout Mississippi, Louisiana, and elsewhere. Through an alliance with the violent Gangster Disciples gang and with a sophisticated structure, the Simon City Royals engaged in a host of criminal activities, including murder, attempted murder, assault, kidnapping, robbery, extortion, witness tampering, money laundering, interstate travel in aid of racketeering, large-scale drug trafficking, and fraud.

“These convictions mean that the Simon City Royals’ time is over,” said Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson of the ATF New Orleans. “Protecting the safety of our communities is one of the cornerstones of what our agency seeks to accomplish every day. To anyone damaging our streets with gun violence and drugs – law enforcement is here. No matter how long it takes, no matter if you are on the streets or in prison, we will bring the full weight of the federal government down on the violent gangs terrorizing our communities, neighborhoods and institutions.”

The Simon City Royals were responsible for the brutal murder of a prison inmate in 2018, when a Simon City Royals leader issued a “kill on sight” order, directing any gang member who encountered the targeted inmate to murder him. In January 2018, Dillon Heffker and Robert Williams acted on the order, stabbing the victim dozens of times with improvised prison knives. Leaders of the Simon City Royals rewarded Heffker and Williams for the murder by arranging for hundreds of dollars to be directed to their prison commissary accounts.

Simon City Royals were also responsible for the savage kidnapping and torture of a former member for perceived violations of the gang’s code of conduct. In 2015, a member of the Simon City Royals kidnapped the victim at knifepoint and forced him into a hotel room. There, Simon City Royals members and associates tied the victim to a chair, interrogated him, tortured him and burned off his Simon City Royals tattoo.

In addition, the Simon City Royals engaged in widespread drug trafficking, including smuggling large quantities of methamphetamine, marijuana and synthetic marijuana, heroin and benzodiazepines into dozens of Mississippi state prison facilities. The gang distributed these dangerous substances, including nearly 100% pure crystal methamphetamine, to inmates throughout the prison system.

“This investigation demonstrates the significant impact multiple agencies can achieve when they work together,” said Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley of the Drug Enforcement Administration New Orleans Division. “We are committed to continuing our collaboration with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute those who threaten our communities through criminal activities. This final conviction should send a clear message to others engaged in organized crime that this type of activity will not be tolerated.”

Below are the defendants and the charges to which they pleaded guilty:

Allen Posey, 48, of Jackson, Mississippi, racketeering conspiracy;

Jonathan Davis, 39, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, racketeering conspiracy;

Jonathan Burnett, 39, of Birmingham, Alabama, racketeering conspiracy;

Hank Chapman, 38, of Ripley, Mississippi, racketeering conspiracy;

Jason Hayden, 42, of Picayune, Mississippi, racketeering conspiracy;

Joshua Miller, 41, of Jackson, racketeering conspiracy;

Gavin Pierson, 33, of San Diego, racketeering conspiracy;

Justin Shaw, 36, of Holly Springs, Mississippi, racketeering conspiracy;

Bobby Brumfield, 44, of New Orleans, racketeering conspiracy;

Jordan Deakles, 31, of Gulfport, Mississippi, racketeering conspiracy;

Bryce Francis, 43, of Columbus, Ohio, racketeering conspiracy;

Anthony Murphy, 30, of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, racketeering conspiracy;

Chancy Bilbo, 31, of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, racketeering conspiracy;

Dillon Heffker, 32, of Bay St. Louis, racketeering conspiracy;

Douglas Jones, 34, of Jackson, racketeering conspiracy;

Cody Woodall, 31, of Gulfport, racketeering conspiracy;

Michael Muscolino, 43, of Phoenix, racketeering conspiracy;

Valerie Madden, 54, of Chicago, drug conspiracy;

Samuel Conwill, 45, of Tupelo, Mississippi, money laundering conspiracy;

Jason Collins, 40, of Loraine, Ohio, money laundering conspiracy;

Michael Dossett, 42, of Carriere, Mississippi, felon in possession of a firearm;

Angel Labauve, 43, of Picayune, Mississippi, drug conspiracy;

Bruce Floyd, 42, of Senatobia, Mississippi, drug conspiracy;

Jacquelyn Harmon, 33, of Senatobia, drug conspiracy;

Cody Myrick, 33, of Grenada, Mississippi, unlawful transport of firearms;

Craig Thomas, 36, of Grenada, unlawful transport of firearms;

Arvis Tolbert, 43, of Hurley, Mississippi, violent crime in support of racketeering activity;

Preston Edwards, 36, of Jackson, drug conspiracy;

Catherine Perry, 41, of Tupelo, interstate transportation in aid of racketeering;

John Brooks, 37, of Greenwood, Mississippi, drug conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy;

Alana Dickey, 21, of Holly Springs, interstate transportation in aid of racketeering;

Austin Ruby, 35, of Holly Springs, drug conspiracy;

Chris Vincent, 20, of Gulfport, drug conspiracy;

Trevor Overby, 45, of Jackson, drug conspiracy;

Anthony Rouse, 33, of Picayune, drug conspiracy.

A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The ATF, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Secret Service, FBI Jackson Field Office, Mississippi Department of Corrections, and dozens of local law enforcement agencies across multiple states investigated the cases. The Tupelo Police Department, Marshall County Sheriff’s Department, Benton County Sheriff’s Department, and Tippah County Sheriff’s Department provided valuable assistance.

Trial Attorney Ben Tonkin of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Stringfellow for the Northern District of Mississippi are prosecuting the cases, with valuable assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Annette Williams for the Southern District of Mississippi.