Feds indict 5 in Detroit gangland murders, carjackings

Five members of a Detroit street gang known as "Related Through Money" have been indicted in federal court, accused of running a crime ring that carried out murders, shootings and carjackings in a part of town they referred to as Skudzone.

According to an indictment unsealed today in U.S. District Court, the RTM gang operated primarily in northwest Detroit has been active around and in Cody High School.

Charged are: Deonta Matthews, 20; Brandon Owens, 19; Brandon Sims, 20; Meyer Thedford, 20; and Antwan Foster-Stockton, 21. All are from Detroit. Defense lawyers could not be reached for comment.

According to the indictment, the five defendants are part of a gang that oversaw smaller gangs run by CEOs, and wrote gang-related graffiti on buildings in their territory, including markings such as "RTM da mob" or "RTM world."

And they weren't secret about what they did.

According to the indictment, RTM members regularly took to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube to post pictures, videos and statements about the gang, its members and gang-related accomplishments. The 26-page indictment listed more than 50 crime-related incidents tied to the gang, including assaults at Cody High School, a shooting at a McDonald's and jewelry store robberies.

The indictment is the result of an ongoing investigation by the Detroit One Initiative, a task force that is led by the Detroit Police Department and the FBI Violent Gang Task Force, which includes multiple police agencies.

"The Detroit One partnership has made it a priority to dismantle violent street gangs to restore peace to our neighborhoods," U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade said in announcing the indictment. "By working together with various law enforcement agencies, we are able to detect patterns and repeated crimes by the same individuals to build larger cases out of separate incidents."

This indictment is the latest in a string of gang busts over the last two years in Detroit. Others who have wound up in federal court are the Bounty Hunter Bloods, the Latin Counts, the Phantom Outlaw Motorcycle Club/Vice Lords and the Band Crew street gang.