Kennedy Street Crew Washed Drug Profits at MGM National Harbor

Kennedy Street crew busts drug profits at MGM National Harbor

More than a dozen alleged members of Washington, D.C.'s notorious Kennedy Street Gang (KDY) have been indicted by federal prosecutors on drug and money laundering charges.

Authorities allege KDY smuggled large quantities of marijuana, crack cocaine and fentanyl into the city and sold them at an "open air market" off Kennedy Street.

According to prosecutors, the gang laundered the proceeds from these illegal sales through the MGM National Harbor and several shell companies. The indictment did not detail the methods the gang allegedly used to move cash through the casinos.

"The Kennedy Street Gang (KDY) operates within an 11-block area, traffics large quantities of drugs and firearms, and possesses a large number of firearms to carry out its activities. Criminal organizations like this are a magnet for violence." Ma, the U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C. Matthew Graves said in a statement on Tuesday.

Violence Circle

Prosecutors say KDY's drug trafficking operations and expansion and protection of territory since June 2019 have led to an increase in violent crime and murders in the area. These outbreaks of violence left seven people dead and countless others affected by brutal gang brawls.

In short, KDY officers were enablers of the cycle of drug trafficking and gun-related violence that has plagued the Kennedy Street community for years,” prosecutors said in court documents.

KDY's jurisdiction includes the 100-1200 blocks of Kennedy Street in northwest Washington, D.C., according to prosecutors. and the surrounding streets.

On July 26 and 27, federal agents arrested 12 KDY gang members at 17 locations and seized drugs and numerous weapons, including machine guns.

The 12 men are Kenneth Ademola Olugbenga, 27; Kali Ahmed Brown, 22; Miasiya Jamal Brown, 21; Tristan Miles Ware, 23; Herman Eric Beaming Signu, 23; Cameron Xavier Reed, 26; Aaron DeAndre Mercer, 27; David Payne, 30; Ronald Lynn Dorsey, 29; Antonio Reginald Bailey, 22; Anthony Traejan Bailey, 27; and Angel Henrique Sanca, 29.

Police Headquarters Massacre

The Kennedy Street Gang came to national attention in 1994 when one of its members, Bennie Lee Lawson, then 25, walked into the Washington, D.C., police headquarters and shot and killed an officer and two other suspects. FBI agent working on the cold case team.

Lawson looks for the homicide squad member who interviewed him a month ago, but ends up in the wrong room.

The killer is believed to be motivated by hatred of police and fear that other gang members would think he was cooperating with law enforcement. Lawson then turned the gun on himself.