Date: Sept. 30, 2024 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov ST. LOUIS — Fifteen members or associates of a south St. Louis gang that sold fentanyl have been convicted and sentenced for drug, gun and other crimes. Rapper Davante “Jizzlebuckz” Lindsey was sentenced September 9 to 12 years in prison. Andre “Luh Half” Pearson was sentenced to 11 years in prison on September 20. Lindsey and Pearson were leaders of the 55 Boyz, a gang and drug trafficking organization that at one time was responsible for a significant amount of the fentanyl being sold in south St. Louis. Lindsey and Pearson helped form the 55 Boyz out of other gangs, including YPG (Young Project Goons), TKO (Team Knockout), The Strip, Pressure Gang, and CAVE. Lindsey was the face of the gang, rapping about the gang, fentanyl distribution and other illegal activity, according to court documents. The final two defendants in the initial phase of the case were sentenced Monday. Five others were indicted individually, and all five have pleaded guilty. Four have been sentenced. "Working together, the United States Attorney’s Office, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, ATF and IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) targeted and prosecuted a drug gang that was the main source of supply of fentanyl in the south St. Louis area," said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming. "And as is often the case for drug trafficking organizations and gangs, they were both the targets of drug-linked shootings as well as the perpetrators of such violence. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department began investigating the fentanyl dealing in September of 2021. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had independently been investigating another matter and arrested someone with drugs and guns. Both agencies began working in concert, and IRS – Criminal Investigations later joined to target money laundering and trace the illegal proceeds of drug sales. The co-conspirators used phones to arrange drug sales, even sending out text messages advertising their illegal product. Investigators made a series of court-approved searches of various locations in the St. Louis area, eventually seizing about two dozen guns, more than $120,000 in cash, thousands of capsules containing fentanyl and two vehicles. Two homes purchased with rug proceeds were forfeited, as well as the cash value of a third home. Diamond jewelry was also seized, including a 55 Boyz chain necklace with roughly 2,500 tiny diamonds. The others who have been convicted and sentenced along with Lindsey and Pearson are Edward “Edot” Hopkins, Tony Evans, Araven Johnson, Douglas Simpson, Jeffrey Moore, Shawn Liggins, Omar Lewis, Willie Lindsey, Jamond “Huncho” Dismukes, Travon Weatherspoon, Birtha Lindsey, Erik Simmons, and Armani Tatum. Separately, Martez Lindsey, Jaheim “DaeDae” Young, Jaron Tate, and Jhonetta Phillips have pleaded guilty and have been sentenced on drug or gun charges. Ja’Vonne Lindsey awaits sentencing. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. IRS-CI is the criminal investigative arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money-laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. IRS-CI special agents are the only federal law enforcement agents with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code, obtaining a more than a 90 percent federal conviction rate. The agency has 20 field offices located across the U.S. and 12 attaché posts abroad.
