Two Gang Members Added to Federal Racketeering Conspiracy
DAVENPORT, Iowa – A federal grand jury returned a second superseding indictment on Feb. 6, adding two Rock Island gang members to a racketeering conspiracy, which engaged in a years-long pattern of violence including acts of murder, shootings, robbery and drug trafficking. As stated in a May 2023 press release, the original indictment charged twelve Quad City gang members.
The following defendants were added to the second superseding indictment:
- Kylea Dapri Cartwright, Jr., 27, of Rock Island, Illinois, is charged with racketeering conspiracy and felon in possession of ammunition. Cartwright is facing a maximum sentence of 30 years of imprisonment.
- Cortez Deangelo Cooper, Jr., aka “Tez”, 30, of Rock Island, Illinois, is charged with racketeering conspiracy and felon in possession of ammunition. Cooper is facing a maximum sentence of 30 years of imprisonment.
As alleged in this second superseding indictment, those charged were members and associates of a criminal organization or enterprise known under multiple titles, including the Arsenal Courts Posse, Zone Fifth, Fifth Street Mafia, Rock Town Money Getters (RTMG) and Money Team, whose members and associates engaged in acts of violence between April 2006 to the present. Further, the second superseding indictment alleges that:
- On Sept. 5, 2012, Cartwright Jr. and another co-defendant shot a firearm at a rival gang member;
- On June 1, 2020, while the City of Davenport was experiencing civil unrest, Cooper Jr., shot several rounds at a person who they believed to be a rival gang member; and
- On July 5, 2020, Cartwright Jr. shot at a rival gang member. The rival gang member died as a result of being shot.
The second superseding indictment may be viewed at the link below.
On Feb. 20, 2024, Cartwright Jr. was arrested after a federal search warrant was executed in the 1300 block of 44th Street in Rock Island, Illinois. During the search, officers seized over 30 pounds of marijuana and gang paraphernalia. Cartwright, Jr., made his initial appearance in federal court on Feb. 23 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen B. Jackson, Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.
Cooper Jr. is already incarcerated with the Bureau of Prisons on a federal drug trafficking sentence and will make his initial court appearance on a later date.
U.S. Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Davenport Police Department and the Rock Island Police Department are investigating the case, with assistance from the Scott County Sheriff’s Office; the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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