Federal grand jury in Tulsa indicts 13 alleged gang members

TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- Thirteen members of a Tulsa street gang have been indicted for racketeering.<br/><br/>Federal prosecutors say its the first use of the 1970 federal racketeering act in the 11-county

Wednesday, June 22nd 2005, 5:45 pm

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- Thirteen members of a Tulsa street gang have been indicted for racketeering.

Federal prosecutors say its the first use of the 1970 federal racketeering act in the 11-county Northern District of Oklahoma.

The 75-page indictment, listing 147 counts, was returned earlier this month by a federal grand jury. Defendants are members of the street gang Hoover Crips, described by the indictment as a criminal organization.

US Attorney David E. O'Meilia says the indictment was the result of a two-year investigation that followed a record number of homicides. Most killings were attributed to gang violence, he said.

Tulsa reported 61 murders to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation in 2003, up from 26 in 2002.