11 members of Minneapolis street gang the Lows charged with racketeering
MINNEAPOLIS — Federal and local officials announced more charges against Minneapolis gang members on Wednesday afternoon, part of a larger crackdown on violent crime in the city.
U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara and other members of state and local law enforcement announced that 11 members of the north Minneapolis street gang named the Lows are charged under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
Prior to this crackdown, RICO had not been used in Minneapolis since the 1970s. The use of RICO charges means the alleged crimes were committed for the benefit of the Lows, which operate south of Broadway Avenue in north Minneapolis.
"To the 11 violent offenders that have been indicted, we told you that we were coming for you," O'Hara said. "Not only did you devalue human life in our city by hunting and killing rival gang members, and celebrating those deaths on social media."
Authorities say their investigation uncovered gun and fentanyl trafficking, as well as shootings and murders of rival gang members and innocent bystanders.
"The charges we announced today against the Lows allege a pattern of unthinkable and reprehensible violence by the Lows from 2021 into 2024," Luger said. "Seven shootings, 10 victims, five murders. By charging these 11 Lows members under RICO, we are once again addressing the gang as a whole."
The goal is to help people feel safe where they live, something these law enforcement partners believe is happening.
"While there is much more work to do, and we will do it, community leaders report less gang activity than before and a reduction in gang violence," Luger said.
Since May 2023, 82 gang members from north and south Minneapolis have been federally indicted. Forty-one have been found guilty at trial or in plea agreements.
"There have been fewer shooting victims in north Minneapolis year-to-date than there was at this point in 2019, so that is evidence that this strategy is working," O'Hara said.
Dozens of members of various Minneapolis gangs have previously been charged — and some already convicted — as part of a concerted effort by federal, state, county and city authorities that began two years ago.
Luger says more indictments are coming.
