New murder charges in Native Mob case

A federal superseding indictment filed in the Native Mob case charges a previously named defendant with murder.

According to a news release from U.S. Attorney B. Todd Jones, Shawn Michael Martinez, also known as Tinez, is now charged with one count of murder resulting from the use and carrying of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, one count of murder in aid of racketeering, one count of retaliation against a witness by murder, and one count of witness tampering by murder. He was earlier charged with conspiracy to participate in racketeering, several drug and gun charges, and witness tampering.

The superseding indictment alleges that on February 26, 2011, Martinez, aided by others, shot and killed fellow Native Mob member Jeremee Kraskey. The premeditated murder was purportedly committed to keep Kraskey from offering law enforcement information and in retaliation for a mistaken belief that he had already provided information to law enforcement about the gang’s activities.

Following the murder, previously named defendants Wakinyon Wakan McArthur, Shawn Michael Martinez, and Christopher Lee Wuori purportedly held an “emergency” Native Mob council meeting to discuss, among other things, the death of Kraskey.

The superseding indictment also states that McArthur and Wuori aided and abetted attempted murder on March 4, 2010, when they tried to kill a man by shooting him three times with a .40-caliber handgun while he held his five-year-old daughter. Regarding that offense, the two men now face charges of assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering and use and carrying of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

Two other defendants, Anthony Francis Cree and William Earl Morris, were charged in the original indictment with those same offenses as to the March 4, 2010, shooting.

In addition, the superseding indictment charges McArthur and Wuori with aiding and abetting a gang “mission” on August 24, 2010, when members of the Native Mob shot at the occupied home of a rival drug dealer in an effort to intimidate him and discourage him from selling drugs on Native Mob turf.

And on March 28, 2011, they allegedly ordered members of the Native Mob to conduct a home-invasion robbery at the Leech Lake residence of a rival drug dealer, prompting four gang members, their faces covered, to enter the home, brandishing pistols. For each of those two acts, McArthur and Wuori are now charged with use and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

The superseding indictment also adds a 25th member of the Native Mob gang to the case, Jesus Thomas Ali.

The Native Mob is a regional criminal gang that originated in Minneapolis in the early 1990s. Members routinely engage in drug trafficking, assault, robbery, and murder.

Four Mille Lacs area men — Darrick Williams, Dale Ballinger, Codey Stone and Damien Beaulieu, have pleaded guilty to RICO (Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) conspiracy.