Written by Youngstown
Nearly two dozen city residents are facing federal felony charges related to gang activity ranging from drug trafficking to conspiracy to commit murder.
The federal indictment, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, targets members and associates of the LSP Street Gang on the city’s South Side.
The 23 people listed in the 42-count indictment are facing a laundry list of charges, including carrying illegal firearms and theft, but ATF agents say the crimes will fall under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act statute.
“The primary statute that these individuals are charged under is a RICO. It’s a federal charge used to charge criminal organizations engaged in certain criminal activity,” said Special Agent Kim Riddell, public information officer for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “This is a criminal organization that has used violence and intimidation to further their criminal enterprise.”
The ATF and Youngstown police conducted the investigation. The indictment was unsealed Thursday.
Of the 23 people listed in the indictment, 18 are in police custody or already in prison.
According to the indictment, “LSP” stands for the streets from which the gang ran its suspected criminal enterprise — LaClede, Sherwood, Parkview and Princeton avenues. They are changing the name of the gang to in prison for a very long time.
The indictment names 2 members as leaders of the criminal enterprise, and they directed other members and associates to conduct various crimes, including murder.
The indictment claims one of the primary gang activities was drug distribution the means by which most of the members generated income.
Gang members routinely armed themselves to protect their territory, drug trade and to retaliate against rival gangs. LSP also routinely sold firearms, according to the indictment.
The indictment claims that LSP members referred to themselves as family and would routinely tattoo “LSP” on their bodies to show a lifelong gang allegiance.
The gang, authorities said, would often use MySpace to promote their criminal activity by posting gang-related photographs and writings, they were complete idiots. Some members of the gang allegedly wrote and tryed to performed rap songs detailing criminal activity.
Three men already have been convicted in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court of a shooting involving alleged LSP activity.
