CINCINNATI — A federal grand jury has indicted 15 Cincinnati men and one Chicago man on charges related to gun violence in Cincinnati.
U.S. Attorney David Devillers said as part of an effort to curb violence in the region, he's pulled federal agents off of corruption and white collar crime cases, moving them instead to weapons-related cases typically handled by city and county courts.
The announcement comes as the city is on track to have one of its deadliest years in recent history. At least 67 people have been shot and killed in Cincinnati so far this year, according to Cincinnati police data.
"If you get caught with a firearm now and you're a felon in Cincinnati and Hamilton County, you're going away," said Devillers in a Monday afternoon press conference. "You're going to prison. You're going for years not months. You're not getting probation and you're going out of the state. Fair warning."
As part of the new initiative, Cincinnati Police are now partnering with the ATF, along with a city and county prosecutor moved to the project. Authorities will now target repeat violent offenders caught with guns and indict them federally.
The cases for which the grand jury indicted suspects on Monday include multiple instances of shots fired, defendants accused of threatening children with guns at a school and an apartment complex, and a number of people fighting in the street with weapons, authorities said.
The people charged are:
- Daniel Ambrose, 25
- Ricardo Boyd, 32
- Kenneth Davis, 22
- Traevon Edwards, 27
- Willie Goldsmith, 27
- Darryl Johnson, 28
- Greg McIntosh, 27
- Richard Williams-Moore, 23
- Jeff Napier, 34
- Rashan Robinson, 31
- Jerome Rucker, 22
- Recardo Sims, 26
- Andreqio Stevens, 41
- Darren Thomas, 32
- Demetrius Williams, 24
- Terrance White, of Chicago, 26
Authorities said six of the men were arrested last week, and the other 10 were already in custody.
"In the past five weeks, we've seized 70 guns," said Eliot Isaac, Cincinnati Police chief. "That just tells you the amount of illegal guns that are out on the street."
Devillers admitted public corruption cases could suffer while officials are rerouted, but said violent crime is killing people and has become the clear priority.
