More than 40 associates of the notorious Ghost Face Gangsters criminal street gang have been indicted on federal charges related to drug trafficking and firearms possession throughout eastern Georgia and beyond, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.
A 93-page, 83-count federal grand jury indictment unsealed Nov. 16 in U.S. District Court in Savannah lists the charges against 43 men and women for a multitude of offenses involving trafficking methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin. Federal, state and local agencies cooperated in the investigation dubbed Operation Vanilla Gorilla.
The indictment alleges that the narcotics-trafficking conspiracy began as early as 2015 and continued until the present, operating in Bryan, Chatham, Effingham, Emmanuel, Evans and Tattnall counties, in the Southern District of Georgia and elsewhere. Members of the conspiracy associated with the Ghost Face Gangsters, a violent, white supremacist street gang operated largely from inside prisons, and with other criminal street gangs to aid in the distribution of controlled substances, for protection, and to promote a climate of fear, the release said.
Operation Vanilla Gorilla represents one of the largest takedowns of Ghost Face Gangsters associates to date, and follows the March 2018 arrests of 23 gang members in the Northern District of Georgia on federal charges, and multiple arrests in October 2018 on state charges in Spalding County, Georgia.
Charges against the defendants in Operation Vanilla Gorilla include:
- 25 counts alleging the possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute;
- 18 counts alleging the unlawful distribution of controlled substances;
- 25 counts alleging prohibited persons (drug users and/or felons) in possession of firearms and/or ammunition;
- One count alleging the unlawful possession of a prohibited weapon – a sawed-off rifle;
- One count alleging the possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number;
- 10 counts alleging the possession of controlled substances, including methamphetamine, heroin, crack cocaine, marijuana, and prescription pills; and,
- 2 counts alleging the possession of counterfeit currency.
The indictment also seeks the forfeiture of 23 firearms that were seized during this operation.
The following defendants were indicted, all of them facing potential sentences of up to life in prison:
- David McCloskey, 47, a/k/a “Larchmont,” of Augusta, Ga.;
- Mike Penfield, 54, Pooler, Ga.;
- Nick Penfield, a/k/a/ “Picnic,” 22, Pooler, Ga.;
- Cody Penfield, 28, Savannah, Ga.;
- Adam Cushman, a/k/a “Cush,” 39, Savannah, Ga.;
- Devon Aines, a/k/a “Devon Johnson,” 32, Garden City, Ga.;
- Trevor Aines, a/k/a “Sticks,” 29, Garden City, Ga.;
- Avery Wiggins, 43, Guyton, Ga.;
- Tyler Shuman, 25, Pembroke, Ga.;
- Aaron McCarthy, a/k/a “Mustang Aaron,” 40, Pooler, Ga.;
- Darren J. Driggers, a/k/a “eBay,” a/k/a “DJ,” 26, Bloomingdale, Ga.;
- Crystal Wilson, 36, Bloomingdale, Ga.;
- Cody Eubanks, 26, Pooler, Ga.;
- Robert Fuller, a/k/a “Robbie,” 39, Richmond Hill, Ga.;
- Baby Dwayne Garrison, 55, Bloomingdale, Ga.;
- Jennifer J. Grooms, 36, Ellabell, Ga.;
- Marcus Logan-Greco, 28, Richmond Hill, Ga.;
- Brandon Chapman, 25, Savannah, Ga.;
- Ronald A. Smith, 39, Newington, Ga.;
- Kenneth I. Jenks, a/k/a “Juno,” 40, Savannah, Ga.;
- Daniel Fleming, a/k/a “Baby Boy,” 32, Savannah, Ga.;
- Andrew P. Campos, a/k/a “Chubs,” 28, Richmond Hill, Ga.;
- Rodney Rose, 39, Bloomingdale, Ga.;
- Cody Tracy, a/k/a “Cojack,” 33, Guyton, Ga.;
- Joshua Mcnelly, 25, Savannah, Ga.;
- Cynthia Miracle, 48, Ellabell, Ga.;
- Dillon Myrick, a/k/a “Country Crack,” 31, Savannah, Ga.;
- Amberly Knight, a/k/a “Tina Tinker,” 26, Savannah, Ga.;
- Keri Ann-Marie Lewis, 28, Savannah, Ga.;
- Waylon Jesse Hodges, 41, Pembroke, Ga.;
- Christine Loggins, 43, Rockledge, Ga.;
- William Frank Davis, a/k/a “Nitty,” 31, Guyton, Ga.;
- Joseph Britt Carter, a/k/a “Crack,” 29, Savannah, Ga.;
- Maurice L. Graham, a/k/a “Moe,” 45, Savannah, Ga.;
- Meagan M. James, a/k/a “Meagan M. Cooke,” “Amanda Gail Page,” and “MJ,” 35, Alto, Ga.;
- Shawn Hadden, a/k/a “Shorty,” 42, Bloomingdale, Ga.;
- Christopher Hendrix, a/k/a “Hot Boy,” “Irish,” and “Conor Murphy,” 40, Helena, Ga.;
- Elizabeth Kitchens, a/k/a “Liz,” 38, Tybee Island, Ga.;
- Kerri Neely, 27, Savannah, Ga.;
- David Rahn, 41, Savannah, Ga.;
- Miranda Burnsed, a/k/a “Miranda Harralson,” 32, Pembroke, Ga.;
- Patrick Kennally, a/k/a “Shifty,” 39, Bloomingdale, Ga.; and,
- Kimberlin Johnson, 24, Rincon, Ga.
Of the 43 defendants charged, 41 are now in custody awaiting further court proceedings.