Charges filed against 10 members of 'violent' south Minneapolis gang

Ten members of the south Minneapolis street gang "10z" have been charged in federal court for various crimes, including illegal possession of firearms, possession of a machine gun and drug trafficking as a result of an ongoing federal crackdown on gang violence in the city.

The Minneapolis Police Department and the FBI carried out investigations. U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger made the announcement this week.

The street gang has been involved in narcotics and firearms trafficking in south Minneapolis, as well as violent crime throughout the Twin Cities metro area.

The hub for their activity is around Peavey Park at the intersection of Franklin and Chicago avenues, feds said. The 10z are affiliated with another gang, the 20z, which operates in the same south Minneapolis territory.

"Violent criminals who carry guns pose a deadly threat to communities and, as recent tragedies show, to the law enforcement officers and first responders who are sworn to protect us all," said U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger. "Our federal resources are focused on holding accountable those who threaten the safety of our communities."

The following members of the 10z/20z gang are charged as follows:

• 32-year-old Don Buddie Austin is charged with possessing a firearm as a felon.
• 28-year-old Albert William Bratton is charged with possession of a firearm as a felon.
• 32-year-old Paul Antonio Early is charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
• 44-year-old Toraus Marquis Eason is charged with possession of a firearm as a felon, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and MDMA, and possessing a firearm during and to a drug trafficking crime.
• 34-year-old Billy Ismael Hawkins is charged with possession of a firearm as a felon.
• 29-year-old Jaquan Lavelle Jackson is charged with possession of a firearm as a felon, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and possessing a firearm during and with a drug trafficking crime.
• 29-year-old Bernard Augusta Mack is charged with possession of a firearm as a felon, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and possessing a firearm during and about a drug trafficking crime.
• 37-year-old Joshua Benjamin Scott is charged with possession of a firearm.
• 22-year-old Austin Joevon Toy is charged with possession of a machine gun.
• 33-year-old Armond Quinton Wright is charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine and possessing a firearm during and with a drug trafficking crime.

"My message to the community: We are working for you, your families, and your children to ensure violent crime continues to drop and we can all enjoy our beautiful cities this summer," says Luger.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristian C.S. Weir is prosecuting these cases.