91-count indictment against Touch Money Gang members includes murder, robbery, conspiracy and weapons charges

Following a lengthy investigation involving multiple local, state and federal agencies, 13 members of the Touch Money Gang, or TMG, a violent Wilmington neighborhood youth gang, were indicted by a grand jury last week for a long list of crimes including six murders, five shootings with injuries and a bank robbery.

The indictment charges all 13 individuals with gang participation because of membership in TMG and re-indicts a number of previous crimes that have now been determined to have TMG involvement.

Delaware Department of Justice, Wilmington Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation that led to the 91-count indictment by a grand jury on August 31, which also involved the Delaware State Police, New Castle County Police, Juvenile Probation, New Castle City Police, Department of Corrections, Elsmere Police, Federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and U.S. Marshal Service. It is the largest indictment in memory by DOJ in terms of the number of homicides and shootings involved.

All 13 individuals indicted are now in custody.

“This indictment alleges what the residents of Wilmington unfortunately have experienced for the last several years, that a gang called TMG was bringing violence to their streets, some of which was committed by teens as young as 14 and 15 years old,” Attorney General Matt Denn said in announcing the indictments. “The level of violence and brazenness alleged to have been exhibited by TMG members is shocking. The number of shots being fired and the indiscriminate nature of the shootings are alarming. We believe the murders were committed by TMG members who were between the ages of 14 and 19 years old when they pulled the trigger.”

“These indictments are a step in making city neighborhoods safer, but also are a reminder of the gun violence we unfortunately continue to see daily, often perpetrated by teens and young adults,” Attorney General Denn said.

The murder counts included in the indictment are for six killings, including:

• Ioannis Kostikidis, a security guard at the American Beauty School, was shot and killed during a robbery attempt at 6th and Tatnall Streets on February 6, 2013;

• Dwayne Brown was shot and killed in the area of 10th and Kirkwood Streets in Wilmington on May 8, 2014;

• Devon Lindsey was shot and killed on E. 29th in Wilmington on January 18, 2015;

• William Rollins was shot and killed at the corner of W. 21st and Washington Streets in Wilmington on January 24, 2015;

• Deshon Sellers was shot and killed on E. 24th Street near Carter Street in Wilmington on February 16, 2015;

• Malik Watson was shot and killed on 9th Street in the city of New Castle on November 26, 2014. A previous indictment for the murder of Malik Watson was incorporated into this new indictment based on the involvement of the gang.

The indictments also include charges related to five other shootings with injuries including one last month at the Adams Four Shopping Center, multiple illegal firearm and drug possessions and the January 29, 2015 robbery of the WSFS branch on North Union Street in Wilmington.

“There are many people and agencies that helped make these indictments possible. We greatly appreciate the cooperation and partnership from the other law enforcement agencies that took part in this investigation,” Attorney General Denn said. “From the DOJ, I want to recognize deputy attorneys general Ipek Medford, John Downs and Periann Doko, investigator Cliff Dempsey, paralegal Jaime Prater and analysts Bill Moran and Shennette Moore for the long, dedicated and tireless work over many months stitching together the full picture of this gang’s activities and working to take its members off the streets.”

“Through aggressive policing strategies, and by working closely with our partners in public safety, the various federal agencies, and the community, we continue our collaborative efforts to arrest and prosecute those who commit senseless acts of gun violence in our city,” said Wilmington Police Chief Bobby Cummings.

The FBI’s involvement in the Wilmington TMG investigation was part of that agency’s initiative to target gun violence in cities around the country.

“Recent spikes in violence may have led many in the community to mistakenly think law enforcement has given up on fighting crime, but today’s indictments and arrests prove this isn’t true,” said Kevin Perkins, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Delaware. “We are actively investigating cases, making arrests and stopping criminals. Our law enforcement partnerships have deepened and we are more committed than ever to making Wilmington a safer place.”

The list of individuals indicted:

JOHN BRISCO, aka “Bin Laden”, 18 years old
RAYMIRE BRISCOE, aka “Fats”, 15 years old
ALEXANDER FITZGERALD, aka “Trey”, 19 years old
BRYANT HAWKES, aka “Black Sosa”, 20 years old
AQUANTAY GARNER, aka “Caper Boi”, 19 years old
RYLIER GRAYSON, aka “Lier”, 20 years old
RONALD MADDREY, aka “Doo”, 20 years old
KADIR MCCOY, aka “D-Rose”, 17 years old
TYMERE RIGHTER, aka “Frog”, 19 years old
JACQUEZ ROBINSON, aka “Quez”, 20 years old
RANDY SCOTT, aka “YL”, 23 years old
JAYMERE WHITE, aka “Jay 5”, 17 years old
DAYMERE WISHER, aka “Day-Day”, 16 years old

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Wilmington Police and the Delaware Department of Justice have announced the arrest of Taushia Mitchell, 18, of Wilmington the person believed responsible for the July 23rd homicide of James Rogers, 29, of Wilmington, in a home in the 500 block of West 4th Street in Wilmington.

After an extensive investigation involving the Wilmington Police Department, the Delaware Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Taushia Mitchell was arrested in New York City. Mitchell is being held on charges relating to the theft of the homicide victim’s vehicle.

Further investigation by the Wilmington Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division led to the State of Delaware Department of Justice authorizing arrest warrants for Mitchell for charge of Murder in the First Degree late this afternoon. Mitchell is expected to face extradition next week from New York to Delaware.

WILMINGTON, DE – Attorney General Matt Denn announced today that he and leaders of the Wilmington Police Department will be holding a community meeting next week in the high-crime area where the city’s foot patrol project has been active for the past month. The purpose of the meeting is to give community residents an opportunity to provide feedback to law enforcement on how we can help keep Wilmington safe.

The meeting will occur on Monday, June 29th, from 6:30 – 7:45pm at Central Baptist Church, 839 N. Pine Street. This is the area where foot patrols have been active for the past month because of statistically high violent crime rates in prior months. It is also the home of East Side Rising, which unites community members with public & private stakeholders to form a collaborative for the purpose of revitalizing the Eastside of Wilmington, through housing improvements, workforce development, and economic empowerment.

The foot patrols are the result of a grant that the City of Wilmington and Attorney General Denn received from the state’s Neighborhood Building Blocks Fund. Under the grant, seven officers patrol high-crime areas of Wilmington on foot from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m., seven nights a week. To date, most of the overtime officers have been Wilmington Police Department officers.

WILMINGTON, DE – Attorney General Matt Denn announced today that he and leaders of the Wilmington Police Department will be holding community meetings next week in the two high-crime areas where the city’s new foot patrol project has been active for the past month. The purpose of the meetings is to give community residents an opportunity to provide feedback to law enforcement as to how the foot patrol project and law enforcement overall can be improved.

Both meetings will occur on Wednesday, April 8th. The first meeting will be at the Hicks Anderson Community Center (501 North Madison Street) at 6:00 p.m., and the second meeting will be at 7:30 p.m. at St. Paul Church (3114 Market Street). These locations are in the areas of Wilmington — West Center City and Northeast — where the foot patrols have been active for the past month because of statistically high violent crime rates in prior months.

The new foot patrols are the result of a grant that the City of Wilmington and Attorney General Denn received from the state’s Neighborhood Building Blocks Fund. Under the grant, six officers patrol high-crime areas of Wilmington on foot from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m., seven nights a week. To date, most of the overtime officers have been Wilmington Police Department officers, with New Castle County police officers stepping in on Sunday nights.

“The initial response I have received from residents of Northeast and West Center City on those nights when I have joined the foot patrols has been incredibly positive,” Attorney General Denn said. “But an important part of this process is for us to stay in close touch with the communities that we are trying to protect, and these meetings are designed to help us do that.”