DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
Western District of New York

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, March 24, 2015
William J. Hochul, Jr.
, United States Attorney
Contact: Barbara Burns

Seven Additional Schuele Boys Gang Members and Associates Charged with Drug Trafficking

BUFFALO, N.Y. — U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that a federal grand jury has returned three separate indictments charging seven additional members and associates of the Schuele Boys Gang, a group which operated in the Schuele Street area of the East Side of Buffalo. The charges, which include conspiracy to distribute and distribute crack cocaine, cocaine and marijuana, carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and a fine of $1,000,000.

“As I have stated many times before, this Office and our law enforcement partners stand ready to remove any organized group of individuals that threatens to harm our community through narcotics trafficking and acts of violence,” said U.S. Attorney Hochul. “Our dismantling of the 10th Street Gang on Buffalo’s West Side and other multiple successful gang prosecutions should serve as a warning that will be aggressive in removing these threats from our neighborhoods.” 

Charged in the indictments are:

  • Eric Sears, 47, Buffalo
  • Andre Jackson, 28, Buffalo
  • Tyrell Skipper, 25, Buffalo
  • Willie Griffin, 25, Buffalo
  • Robert Brown, 52, Buffalo
  • Samuel Walker, 50, Buffalo
  • Tywone Smothers, 36, Buffalo

Assistant U.S. Attorney George C. Burgasser, who is handling the case, stated that according to the indictments, between June 2013 and July 2014, the defendants sold controlled substances, including crack cocaine, cocaine and marijuana, primarily on the East Side of Buffalo.  

The investigation utilized wire and electronic communications, confidential sources, and physical and video surveillance, to identify conspirators associated with the Schuele Boys Gang distribution network.

In July, 2014, 17 Schuele Boys members and associates were arrested and charged with narcotics trafficking including:

  • Antwan Garner, 29, Buffalo
  • Aaron Glenn, 41, North Tonawanda
  • Jerome Grant, 33, Buffalo
  • James Hicks, 44, Buffalo
  • Xavier Hill, 42, Buffalo
  • Demetrius Holmes, 23, Buffalo
  • Damario James, 32, Buffalo
  • Fred Johnson, 21, Buffalo
  • Ikeem Lyons, 21, Buffalo
  • Benjamin Peoples, 25, Buffalo
  • Demario Robbins, 23, Buffalo
  • Michael Robertson, 24, Buffalo
  • Spencer Rogers, 50, Buffalo
  • Antwon Steward, 31, Buffalo
  • Shawntorrian Travis, 34, Buffalo
  • Andre Wise, 36, Buffalo
  • Marcel Worthy, 30, Buffalo

The indictments are the culmination of an investigation on the part of the FBI's Safe Streets Task Force which includes representatives of the Amherst Police Department; the Buffalo Police Department; U.S. Border Patrol, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Cheektowaga Police Department; the Erie County Sheriff’s Department; the Hamburg Police Department; the Lancaster Police Department; the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Police; the New York State Department of Correctional Services; the New York State Police; and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations. Additional assistance was provided by the Drug Enforcement Administration; U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the United States Marshal Service, the Lackawanna Police Department, and the Niagara County Sheriff’s Department.   

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
 

New York Field Division