Seth Dickerson

sdickerson@gannett.com

A New Orleans civil-rights activist is accusing former St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office public information officer Clay Higgins and the Louisiana State Police of corruption and malfeasance, saying they fabricated allegations of gang involvement against a group in Vermilion Parish.

Higgins resigned Monday after coming under fire for producing a controversial video for the Louisiana State Police that brought an alleged Vermilion Parish street gang into the national spotlight.

Alleging violations of the U.S. Constitution's Fourteenth and Sixth amendments, Brown said Higgins' callout of a group of people alleged to be members of a Vermilion Parish drug trafficking and racketeering gang destroyed their chances of a fair trial.

"What this former cop has said has tainted and destroyed the reputations of these people," he said. "They can't get a fair trial."

Higgins, who became an online sensation for his over-the-top Crime Stoppers videos, was asked by state police to feature the seven people they were searching for. In the video, he refers to the alleged "Gremlins Gang" members as "heathens" and "animals."

"His words were harsh and ignorant," said John Barnett, a national civil-rights activist from North Carolina. "To hear him say that we take care of the parents of murderers, as if we raise our children to be murderers. We know exactly who he's talking to."

A call to Higgins was not returned Tuesday.

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Brown and Barnett also alleged state police are incorrectly calling the group, who they referred to as the "Abbeville 17," a gang. They said that after speaking to family members of those arrested, they believe the arrests should not be considered gang activity.

"There is no Gremlins Gang," Barnett said. "It’s old activity of some rap group that came along and they are utilizing that, we believe strongly, just to get funding for gang initiatives."

Police agencies can receive money from federal agencies for fighting gang-related activity. In 1970, Congress enacted the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act to dismantle the mafia and other bodies of organized crime.

Since many states do not have laws specifically designed to dismantle gangs, RICO provides a federal avenue for police to target gangs within any jurisdiction of the United States.

"They manufacture street gangs to get money from the Justice Department," Brown said.

Louisiana State Police Troop I Public Information Officer Brooks David said Tuesday that state police won't talk about this investigation given the sensitivity of information in the case. He said the details of the charges on the 17 arrested and seven at large will come out in court.

"We urge those still out there to turn themselves in," he said.

St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz told KLFY he has information proving the group does exist, “Through intelligence working with other agencies in the Acadiana area we are told there is a Gremlins Gang.”

“If one is to go to YouTube and type in ‘gremlins gang’ you will see that these folks are on the internet showing what they show,” Guidroz told TV10.

In December, State Police Troop I joined 15th Judicial District Attorney Keith Stutes and partnering departments for a press conference to announce the indictments and give details about the ongoing investigation.

“When you think about gangs, you think these are some of these national gangs that are exhibiting across the country — California, Chicago, New York,” Louisiana State Police Col. Superintendent Mike Edmonson said at the December news conference. “But these are neighborhood gangs. We see them across the state of Louisiana. They can be the worst because there is no hierarchy. The person in charge today might not be in charge tomorrow. There are people that are reckless in what they do. They don’t mind being arrested because sometimes they can quickly get out.”

Penalties for racketeering could be up to 50 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Stutes said state prosecutors will seek maximum sentences in each case.