Twenty alleged members and associates of Houston’s violent Free Money gang were arrested on federal racketeering, murder, drug trafficking, and firearms charges.
The 18-count superseding indictment unsealed in the Southern District of Texas on Wednesday details how the gang allegedly terrorized Houston through drive-by shootings, robberies, and drug sales.
The charges represent a major crackdown on organized crime in Texas’ largest city. Federal prosecutors say the gang’s campaign of violence put countless innocent lives at risk.
“This twenty-defendant indictment alleges that the Free Money gang terrorized the streets of Houston with drive-by and calculated shootings, often in public places like grocery store parking lots, putting countless lives in danger,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva.
The Criminal Division chief emphasized the government’s commitment to “prioritize investigations and prosecutions of violent gang members so that innocent Americans get what they deserve – their communities restored and their lives unencumbered by the fear and carnage that these gangs perpetuate.”
Court documents paint a disturbing picture of brazen daylight violence. On June 24, 2022, surveillance video allegedly captured defendants Terry Ardoin, 24, and Travonte Ardoin, 28, following a Chevrolet Equinox into a shopping center.
The masked gunmen opened fire when the driver returned from a store. Multiple rounds struck the passenger compartment, killing the passenger who had remained in the vehicle.
The gang’s violence often missed intended targets, endangering innocent bystanders.
On August 3, 2022, defendant Shakeil Anderson, 23, and other members allegedly shot repeatedly into the home of a perceived rival’s grandmother.
U.S. Attorney Nicholas Ganjei for the Southern District of Texas didn’t mince words about the prosecution’s goals.
“The indictment unsealed yesterday alleges that the Free Money gang engaged in a campaign of robbery, drug trafficking, and armed violence to intimidate their rivals and terrorize the people of Houston,” he said. “That ends now.”
The gang allegedly funded operations through armed robberies and drug sales.
On June 3, 2024, defendant Walter Tolbert, 21, and others robbed a pawn shop at gunpoint, stealing jewelry, PlayStations, and cash.
Perhaps most chilling was an August 14, 2022, plot to rob a rival’s drug stash house. Twelve defendants allegedly met to plan the robbery, vowing to “kill and do everything they needed to do” to steal drugs and money.
Police intercepted the robbers en route to the house. During the chase, Travonte Ardoin allegedly threw a gun from his car window.
The gang trafficked crack cocaine, powder cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana. Defendant Orlando Calloway, 52, allegedly cooked cocaine into crack for distribution.
“The sheer number of murders and shootings these individuals are suspected of freely carrying out for years, and the level of indiscriminate violence they’re accused of executing is alarming,” said Acting Special Agent Jason Hudson of the FBI Houston Field Office. He noted the arrests resulted from years of investigation.
The case represents part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative targeting Houston gangs. Federal prosecutors are working with local, state, and federal agencies to combat gang violence through federal resources and laws.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The FBI and Houston Police Department led the investigation with assistance from ATF and Texas DPS.
