‘Strikers’ Gang Members Indicted for RICO Conspiracy, Car Thefts

ST. LOUIS – Ten individuals have been accused of racketeering conspiracy, car thefts, and violent crimes in a superseding indictment unsealed in the Eastern District of Missouri, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Drake. The group, dubbed ‘the Strikers,’ targeted high-end car dealerships in Missouri and Illinois, stealing approximately 50 vehicles worth about $3 million.

The Strikers, who used social media to sell the stolen cars for a fraction of their value, also committed violent crimes, including shooting at a hotel employee and robbing a lottery game technician at gunpoint. The indictment alleges that at least two Strikers shot at a hotel employee in downtown St. Louis in November 2023, and that two Strikers, Montez Moore, 20, of Florissant, and Duane Benson, 20, of St. Louis, robbed and carjacked a lottery game technician outside a Cool Valley, Missouri gas station in January 2024.

Between roughly the summer of 2023 and the spring of 2024, the Strikers targeted dealerships as far afield as Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and Springfield, Illinois, burglarizing about 20 dealerships and stealing license plates and key fobs. The group used one of the stolen cars to break into vehicles in St. Louis, Florissant, Webster Groves, and Des Peres in early January 2024.

“Thanks to the Justice Department’s Violent Crime Initiative, we were able to expand an existing indictment to hold more members of the Strikers responsible for a litany of violent crimes,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Drake. “As we said when we announced St. Louis’ inclusion in the VCI last year, we are targeting and dismantling the criminal organizations that are disproportionately driving violent crime in St. Louis.”

The superseding indictment adds seven new defendants to the original indictment: Brandon Irons, 19, Allen Brown, 23, Markaveon Jackson, 19, Raynell Moore, 22, Lavatrice McCully-Collins, 24, Peontay Roddy, 21, and Noah Hornburg, 23. They now face crimes including racketeering (RICO) conspiracy, carjacking, robbery, and various firearm charges.

Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty. The FBI and police departments throughout the area investigated the case, including the St. Louis County Police Department and the Springfield Police Department.