The 37th and final defendant was sentenced Thursday in a Northern Mississippi case that targeted the violent activities, drug trafficking, and money laundering of the Simon City Royals prison gang, according to authorities.
Joshua Miller, 33, of Jackson, Mississippi, was sentenced to 16 years and eight months in prison for Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) conspiracy, including conspiracy to murder, related to his participation in the Simon City Royals.
“The Simon City Royals gang engaged in murder and torture and smuggled drugs and other contraband into prisons,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s sentencing of 37 gang members ends the gang’s reign of terror in the communities and prisons of Mississippi. This prosecution demonstrates the Justice Department’s resolve, along with our law enforcement partners, in holding violent criminal gang members to account.”
“Society simply cannot function if criminals and gangs are allowed to inflict violence on individuals and communities without consequences, and this years-long investigation and prosecution demonstrates that such criminality will not go unchecked,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner for the Northern District of Mississippi. “
Court records reveal that the Simon City Royals, a violent prison gang, operated predominantly within the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
This group also had members and affiliates conducting activities across Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee, and other locations. The gang was structured sophisticatedly and allied with the notorious Gangster Disciples gang.
Together, they perpetrated various criminal acts such as murder, attempted murder, assault, kidnapping, robbery, extortion, witness tampering, money laundering, and interstate racketeering. Additionally, they were involved in extensive drug trafficking and committed fraud.
“This investigation shows the dedication of the ATF and its law enforcement partners to making our neighborhoods safer by disrupting and dismantling these violent gangs wherever they exist,” said Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) New Orleans. “We will continue to be aggressive in stopping their criminal activities, bringing them to justice, and making an impact on reducing violent crime in our communities.”
“This final sentencing shatters the myth of the Simon City Royals’ invincibility,” said Special Agent in Charge Steven L. Hofer of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) New Orleans Field Division. “Keeping our communities safe is the DEA’s unshakeable mission. This message goes out to all who peddle drugs and unleash gun violence: law enforcement is relentless. We will never stop, not on the streets, not behind bars. We will dismantle these violent gangs, bringing the full force of the federal government to bear, and ensure they no longer terrorize our communities.”
The Simon City Royals were responsible for the brutal murder of a prison inmate in 2018, when a Simon City Royals leader issued a “kill on sight” order, directing any gang member who encountered the targeted inmate to murder him.
In January 2018, Dillon Heffker and Robert Williams acted on the order, stabbing the victim dozens of times with improvised prison knives.
Leaders of the Simon City Royals rewarded Heffker and Williams for the murder by arranging for hundreds of dollars to be directed to their prison commissary accounts.
“In over 40 years of working with law enforcement and the State and federal courts in Mississippi, this case took as many serious offenders off the street as any I can remember,” said U.S. Marshal Daniel R. McKittrick. “Thanks to all the agencies that work together to try and keep our communities safe.”
The Simon City Royals were also responsible for the savage kidnapping and torture of a former gang member for perceived violations of the gang’s code of conduct.
In 2015, a member of the Simon City Royals kidnapped the victim at knifepoint and forced him into a hotel room. There, Simon City Royals members and associates tied the victim to a chair, interrogated him, tortured him, and burned off his Simon City Royals tattoo.
In addition, the Simon City Royals engaged in widespread drug trafficking, including smuggling large quantities of methamphetamine, marijuana and synthetic marijuana, heroin, and benzodiazepines into dozens of Mississippi state prison facilities.
The gang distributed these dangerous substances, including nearly 100% pure crystal methamphetamine, to inmates throughout the prison system.
Before Miller’s sentencing, his co-conspirators were sentenced to the following terms of imprisonment:
Allen Posey, 48, of Jackson, 20 years;
Jonathan Davis, 39, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, 30 years and five months;
Jeremy Holcombe, 43, of Meridian, Mississippi, 20 years;
Jonathan Burnett, 39, of Birmingham, Alabama, 22 years and six months;
Hank Chapman, 38, of Riply, Mississippi, three years;
Jason Hayden, 42, of Picayune, Mississippi, five years;
Gavin Pierson, 33, of San Diego, 21 years and 10 months;
Justin Shaw, 36, of Holly Springs, Mississippi, 25 years;
Bobby Brumfield, 44, of New Orleans, 15 years and eight months;
Jordan Deakles, 31, of Gulfport, Mississippi, two years and six months;
Bryce Francis, 43, of Columbus, Ohio, 15 years;
Anthony Murphy, 30, of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, 10 years;
Chancy Bilbo, 31, of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, 20 years;
Dillon Heffker, 32, of Bay St. Louis, 35 years;
Douglas Jones, 34, of Jackson, 19 years and seven months;
Cody Woodall, 31, of Gulfport, five years;
Michael Muscolino, 43, of Phoenix, five years;
Valerie Madden, 54, of Chicago, two years;
Samuel Conwill, 45, of Tupelo, Mississippi, time served of 20 months;
Jason Collins, 40, of Loraine, Ohio, five years;
Justin Leake, 43, of Meridian, 25 years;
Michael Dossett, 42, of Carriere, Mississippi, six years and six months;
Angel Labauve, 43, of Picayune, Mississippi, nine months;
Bruce Floyd, 42, of Senatobia, Mississippi, 10 years and five months;
Jacquelyn Harmon, 33, of Senatobia, one year and months;
Cody Myrick, 33, of Grenada, Mississippi, one year and eight months;
Craig Thomas, 36, of Grenada, two years and three months;
Arvis Tolbert, 43, of Hurley, Mississippi, three years;
Preston Edwards, 36, of Jackson, 21 years and 10 months;
Catherine Perry, 41, of Tupelo, five years;
John Brooks, 37, of Greenwood, Mississippi, 10 years;
Alana Dickey, 21, of Holly Springs, five years of probation;
Austin Ruby, 35, of Holly Springs, 10 years;
Chris Vincent, 20, of Gulfport, five years and two months;
Trevor Overby, 45, of Jackson, time served of 18 months; and
Anthony Rouse, 33, of Picayune, 10 years.
The ATF, DEA, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Secret Service, the FBI Jackson Field Office, the Mississippi Department of Corrections, and dozens of local law enforcement agencies across multiple states investigated the cases.
Trial Attorney Ben Tonkin of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel Stringfellow for the Northern District of Mississippi prosecuted the cases.