Six gang members barred from having guns found a way to get them, and the weapons were used in an “ongoing gang war” in St. Paul, authorities said Thursday as they announced federal charges.

The rivalry between HAM Crazy and other gangs has led to several gang members on both sides being shot or killed, according to the indictment, which was unsealed in full Thursday.

The indictment alleges that six members of HAM Crazy, which stands for Hoes and Money, conspired to illegally possess at least nine firearms between January 2014 and April.

The announcement of charges comes during a year of significant concerns about gun violence in St. Paul.

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Roseville: Man arrested after ex-wife suffers potential exposure to toxic chemical Reports of “shots fired” in St. Paul were up 75 percent during the first four months of the year compared with the same period in 2016. But, as police said they focused resources on the problem, the rate began trending down. As of mid-December, reports of “shots fired” were up 31 percent compared with the same time last year.

“There are plenty of ways to settle disagreements between groups, but gun violence is not a method we will allow,” said Kirk Howard, acting special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ St. Paul field division. “The communities of St. Paul deserve better … and (we) hope this indictment provides a word of warning to others who are inclined to be involved in this dangerous behavior.”

The federal charges were filed against Marvell Voshon Jefferson, 23, of St. Paul; Carmelo Manuel Marrero, 23, of Maplewood; Casey Jemar Davis, 23, of St. Paul; Shelby Delane Ashford Jr., 23, of Columbia Heights; Phillip Dwayne Jackson, 23, of Lino Lakes; and Nakia Marquire Martin, 24, of Moose Lake. They are each charged with conspiracy – felon in possession of a firearm, and some have additional charges.

INDICTMENT: GUNS OBTAINED FOR VIOLENCE AND THREATS

Members of HAM Crazy “claim” parts of St. Paul’s East Side as their “gang turf” and their “main purpose … is to maintain their territory, power, status, and reputation through the use of violence and intimidation against rival gangs, such as the Hit Squad,” according to the indictment from a grand jury. “To that end, HAM Crazy members, including the defendants, obtained, jointly possessed, and used firearms.”

They obtained the guns through thefts, trades and cash exchanges, and HAM Crazy members share the guns “to commit acts of violence, to intimidate rival gang members, and to avoid arrest and prosecution,” the indictment continued.

Information wasn’t available late Thursday about how many cases HAM Crazy members were suspected in, but instances of them shooting at rival gang members — and sometimes hitting their target — has been in the double digits, said Cmdr. John Bandemer, who oversees the St. Paul police gang and gun unit. In addition to the six charged in federal court, he said other HAM Crazy members have been charged in firearms cases in state court.

“Too many families are impacted by gun violence in St. Paul,” Police Chief Todd Axtell said in a statement Thursday. “We welcome these indictments as they hold gun violence suspects responsible.”

Gang members also use social media, such as Facebook, YouTube, and Snapchat, “to disrespect, antagonize, threaten, and intimidate rivals by, for example, brandishing firearms and making explicit and implicit threats against rivals,” including by posting photos and videos, according to the indictment.

ONE GUN FOUND IN AREA OF SHOTS-FIRED CALL

The indictment lays out various instances of the men being in the vicinity of guns, possessing them or brandishing them in videos.

In March 2015, Jefferson, Jackson, Martin and other HAM Crazy members “were filmed in a rap video in part at the El Rio Vista Rec Center” on St. Paul’s Robie Street, “an area … claimed as part of the territory of rival gang Hit Squad,” the indictment said.

The video was posted on YouTube and shows Martin pointing a gun at the camera, and Jefferson and Jackson “making threats against rival gang members, including references to at least three rival gang members or associates who had been murdered by a HAM Crazy member and East Side affiliates,” the indictment said.

In January 2014, police found a semiautomatic pistol with an altered serial number in a vehicle that Ashford was driving in the “immediate vicinity of a shots-fired call,” according to the indictment. There were three other HAM Crazy members in the vehicle.

Ashford was charged with a firearms offense in that case in Ramsey County District Court in 2014, and he served prison time, said Aaron Morrison, Ashford’s attorney.

“I think it’s a shame that he’s facing additional prison time for something he’s already taken responsibility for,” Morrison said Thursday.

Ashford, Marrero and Davis are also charged federally with aiding and abetting a felon in possession of two guns, one of which had an extended magazine, in April of this year.

Ashford was already charged in Ramsey County in connection to that incident and the case is working its way through the court system, Morrison said. He said he believes it’s “not a great use of (prosecutors’) discretionary charging authority to basically punish someone twice.”

Matthew Mankey, an attorney representing Davis, said it’s early in the process and he hasn’t seen police reports or other evidence yet, but he noted that people are “innocent until proven guilty.”

Attorneys for the other men couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

Five of the men have made initial appearances in federal court. One man, Marrero, remained at large on Thursday afternoon.