OXFORD, Miss. – Allen Posey, 49, of Hazlehurst, Mississippi, will spend the next two decades behind bars after being sentenced Thursday for leading a violent racketeering conspiracy connected to the Simon City Royals gang. U.S. District Judge Michael P. Mills delivered the 240-month sentence, calling the Royals a “diabolical organization,” and ordered five years of supervised release following Posey’s imprisonment.
Federal prosecutors detailed a criminal enterprise stretching from 2016 to 2022, where Posey oversaw all activities of the Simon City Royals, a national prison gang with a strong foothold in the Mississippi Department of Corrections and extending into Louisiana and beyond. The Royals, in alliance with the Gangster Disciples, weren’t just about prison power; they engaged in a broad spectrum of violent crimes, including murder, attempted murder, assault, kidnapping, robbery, extortion, witness tampering, money laundering, and interstate travel in aid of racketeering. The indictment revealed Posey directly ordered the killings of rival gang leaders.
The gang’s operation was fueled by a massive drug pipeline funnelling methamphetamine, marijuana, synthetic marijuana, heroin, and benzodiazepines into dozens of Mississippi prisons. Investigators found the Royals were distributing nearly 100% pure crystal methamphetamine to inmates throughout the system. Beyond the prisons, the Royals were running a sophisticated financial network, collecting dues, pooling criminal proceeds, and secretly funding incarcerated members. A system of “investment” loans allowed members to borrow money for narcotics purchases, further cementing the gang’s grip.
Posey and his associates weren’t relying on cash alone. They utilized contraband cell phones and encrypted applications – Telegram and Protonmail – to conduct money laundering and fraud activities. This tech-savvy approach allowed them to conceal the flow of illegal funds and coordinate criminal operations with a degree of sophistication that evaded detection for years. The full extent of the financial network remains under investigation, officials say.
“This defendant was responsible for countless crimes, and now he will spend functionally the rest of his life in prison,” stated U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. The case was a joint effort between the ATF, DEA, and U.S. Marshals Service, highlighting the need for interagency cooperation to dismantle these dangerous organizations. ATF New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson emphasized the sentence sends a message: “Our neighborhoods deserve to exist without fear and intimidation inflicted by violent gangs like the Simon City Royals.”
Assistant Special Agent in Charge Anessa Daniels-McCaw of the DEA added that the conviction underscores the agency’s commitment to dismantling drug trafficking rings. “This repeat offender’s conviction exemplifies DEA’s tireless partnership with local, state and federal law enforcement to dismantle drug trafficking rings that endanger Mississippians and citizens across the country,” she stated. Posey pled guilty to Count One of the indictment on October 3, 2023, bringing an end to a lengthy investigation and a dangerous chapter in Mississippi’s criminal landscape.
Related Federal Cases
- Willie Richard Short, Conspiracy to Transport Stolen Goods, Loxley … · Florida
- Laquentin Brown, Sex Trafficking Conspiracy, New Orleans LA, 2023 · Illinois
- Ambrose Williams, Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin, New Orleans LA, … · Louisiana
- Tommy Thompson, Cocaine Hydrochloride Conspiracy, LA, 2023 · Louisiana
- Jeremy James Wimberly, Methamphetamine Conspiracy, TX, 2014 · Texas
Key Facts
- Agency: ATF
- Category: Organized Crime|Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Press Release
Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free
Browse More
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
US NewsUS NewsUS NewsUS News