17 alleged gang members and associates charged with RICO conspiracy, murder and other violent crimes

HOUSTON - A federal grand jury has returned a superseding indictment involving the Homietos outlaw motorcycle gang, a criminal enterprise that allegedly controlled territory throughout the Houston area.

All 17 alleged gang members and associates are charged with racketeering conspiracy. Several also face allegations of racketeering murder, attempted murder and assault; and/or firearms offenses.

Ralph Eugene Kellum aka REK, 42, Vidor, is set to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christina A. Bryan at 10 a.m. March 19, while Romeo Jose Ferrer aka Primo, 36, Kingsville, is expected to appear in Corpus Christi at 9:45 a.m. Mark Anthony Magallan aka Loco, 51, Houston, will have a detention hearing at 2 p.m. before Judge Bryan March 19. The remaining individuals have already made appearances in federal court in Houston or are expected to in the near future.

"The indictment alleges a pattern of violence, intimidation and murder to expand the reach of a criminal enterprise and settle scores on our streets and highways," said Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck. "That kind of lawlessness has no place in the Southern District of Texas. Anyone who attempts to turn our roadways into battlegrounds should expect an aggressive federal response, and today we delivered on that commitment."

"It's not every day you get to disrupt and dismantle a criminal motorcycle gang driven by violence and intimidation, but with this morning's arrests of four more Homietos alleged members and associates and their superseding indictment, today is that day," announced Special Agent in Charge Jason Hudson, of the FBI Houston Field Office. "The charges are significant and are the long-awaited result of an extensive investigation fueled by the relentless pursuit for justice by our FBI Houston team and numerous federal, state, and local law enforcement partners. The Homietos outlaw motorcycle gang is no more."

According to the charges, Homietos OMG was an organization engaged in crimes such as murder, robbery, narcotics distribution and witness intimidation. The gang allegedly formed in 2015 in the Houston area as an extension of the Tango Blast prison gang, then expanded beyond Houston and Texas. The group recruited members and associates, enforced rules, rewarded violence and used intimidation, threats and assaults to protect and enhance its power, territory, reputation and profits, according to the indictment. They also allegedly created a "Mexican Terror" patch to reward violence on behalf of the enterprise.

The superseding indictment, returned under seal March 11, also alleges overt acts in furtherance of the conspiracy including directives to engage in violence against rivals. Some of the allegations include a February 2020 shooting of a rival outlaw motorcycle gang member in Harris County, a September 2020 assault and robbery involving members of another motorcycle club at a Homietos anniversary party in Houston, an April 2022 shooting at suspected rivals along Interstate 45 near Madisonville and multiple April 14, 2023, shootings that allegedly resulted in the deaths of three rival gang members.

Ferrer, Magallan and Kellum along with Joe Frank Barrera aka LJ, 37, Houston, and Bryce Clay Hazleton Cook aka Cowboy, 28, Angleton, are all charged with engaging in a pattern of racketeering activity that included violent retaliation against members of rival gangs.

Ferrer, Magallan and Kellum also allegedly committed racketeering murder. In that instance on April 14, 2023, Homietos members traveling in a convoy on an interstate highway encountered members of the rival Bandidos motorcycle gang, according to the charges. Magallan allegedly shot and killed a Bandido member. The charges further allege that shortly thereafter, Ferrer and Kellum shot and killed two other Bandidos and wounded a third.

Others also charged in relation to the overall conspiracy with various offenses to include racketeering attempted murder, racketeering assault and/or using a firearm during violent crimes are Raymond William Burnett aka Ray Ray, 38, Alvin; Morgan Shane Cooper aka Coop, 51, William Espinoza, 49, Mario Humberto Gomez aka Gator, 52, Edgar Mauricio Hinojosa aka Charro Bean, 40, Ricardo Quinones aka Scooter, 40, and Moises Soriano aka Oso, 42, all of Houston; Rudolph Christopher Lopez aka Yao, 40, Fort Worth; Jesse James Mulrein aka Fort Worth G, 38, Dallas; Joe Rios aka Jo Daddy, 50, Baytown; Mahir Alihodzic aka Geno, 40, Kansas City, Kansas; and Christopher Daniel Holt aka Butt Head, 32, Harrah, Oklahoma.

If convicted of the racketeering conspiracy, each faces up to life imprisonment. The murder in aid of racketeering charges are punishable by a mandatory sentence of life in prison with the possibility of death. Those charged with assault in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to assault in aid of racketeering and attempted murder in aid of racketeering could receive up to 20, three and 10 years, respectively, upon conviction. The other related firearms and other offenses carry penalties ranging from 10 years to life in federal prison. Each count also carries a potential fine of up to $250,000.

FBI - Houston led the investigation along with Texas Department of Public Safety - Criminal Investigative Division, Texas Rangers and Highway Patrol, and Texas Board of Criminal Justice - Office of Inspector General with assistance of Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; sheriff's offices in Montgomery, Harris and Leon counties; police departments in Huntsville, Madisonville, Fort Worth, Houston and Shenandoah, as well as Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; U.S. Marshals Service; and district attorney's offices in Walker, Madison and Montgomery counties. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Keri L. Fuller and Byron H. Black are prosecuting the case along with Trial Attorney Ben Tonkin of the Justice Department's Violent Crime and Racketeering Section.

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.