Federal prosecutors have charged 20 alleged members of a Houston-based gang in a sweeping case involving racketeering, murder, robbery, and drug trafficking.
HOUSTON — Federal authorities have arrested 20 alleged members and associates of the Free Money gang in Houston following the unsealing of an 18-count superseding indictment in the Southern District of Texas.
According to the indictment, the defendants are charged with federal crimes including racketeering (RICO) conspiracy, murder and attempted murder in aid of racketeering, Hobbs Act robbery, and related firearms and drug offenses.
Court documents allege that Free Money is a violent, Houston-based street gang that used intimidation and violence to control territory and retaliate against rival gangs. Prosecutors say members carried out numerous drive-by shootings, often in public places, and raised money through drug trafficking and robberies.
“This twenty-defendant indictment alleges that the Free Money gang terrorized the streets of Houston with drive-by and calculated shootings, often in public places like grocery store parking lots, putting countless lives in danger,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
Federal prosecutors detailed several incidents tied to the investigation. According to court documents, on June 24, 2022, surveillance video captured defendants Terry Ardoin, 24, and Travonte Ardoin, 28, following a Chevrolet Equinox into a shopping center parking lot. After the driver exited the vehicle and returned, the video allegedly showed the two defendants exiting their vehicle wearing masks and opening fire. Multiple rounds hit the passenger compartment, killing the passenger inside the Equinox.
Investigators allege the gang’s violence extended beyond rival gang members. On Aug. 3, 2022, defendant Shakeil Anderson, 23, and others allegedly shot repeatedly into the home of the grandmother of a perceived rival gang member.
Prosecutors also allege the gang financed weapons purchases and provided money to incarcerated members through robberies and drug sales. On June 3, 2024, defendant Walter Tolbert, 21, and others allegedly robbed a pawn store at gunpoint, stealing jewelry, Sony PlayStations, and cash.
Another alleged plot unfolded on Aug. 14, 2022, when Free Money members and associates reportedly attempted to rob a rival gang member’s drug stash house. According to court records, multiple defendants planned the robbery during a gang meeting, allegedly vowing to “kill and do everything they needed to do” to take drugs and money believed to be inside the home. Law enforcement stopped the alleged home invasion while the suspects were driving to the location. During a police chase, Travonte Ardoin allegedly threw a gun from his vehicle.
The indictment also alleges the gang trafficked crack cocaine, cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana. Prosecutors say Orlando Calloway, 52, supplied crack cocaine to the gang by cooking cocaine the group ordered.
“The indictment unsealed yesterday alleges that the Free Money gang engaged in a campaign of robbery, drug trafficking, and armed violence to intimidate their rivals and terrorize the people of Houston,” said Nicholas Ganjei, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Texas. “That ends now.”
“The sheer number of murders and shootings these individuals are suspected of freely carrying out for years, and the level of indiscriminate violence they’re accused of executing is alarming,” said Jason Hudson, acting special agent in charge of the FBI Houston Field Office.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Houston Police Department, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The case is being prosecuted by the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas as part of a broader violent crime initiative in Houston.
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