Full Notification

Indictments Announced:"Acorn" Gang Members Tied to Shooting of 9, including death of Child, Hiram Lawrence Jr.

In November of 2011, Oakland residents Dionte Houff and Houston Nathaniel III, members of a criminal street gang known as “Acorn,” conspired to shoot those they felt were rival gang members. In total, they shot nine victims. One of their victims was an innocent toddler, who ultimately died from his injuries.

These tragic events and needless loss of life were a main catalyst in securing regional and federal enforcement and prosecutorial collaboration. On July 20, 2012, Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan, City Administrator Deana Santana and Mayor Jean Quan held a press conference in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), to announce the results of their focus.

A federal grand jury in Oakland indicted Dionte Houff (a/k/a Birdman), 30, of Oakland, and Houston Nathaniel III (a/k/a Lil No), 23, of Oakland, on July 19 with participation in a racketeering conspiracy; racketeering murder, attempted murder, maiming and assault with a dangerous weapon; use and possession of a firearm in furtherance of crimes of violence; and use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence resulting in death. Sharing in the announcement was United States Attorney Melinda Haag; Acting Director B. Todd Jones of the ATF; U.S. Marshal Donald M. O’Keefe. The indictment is the result of an investigation conducted as part of Operation Gideon III, which ran from February through May 2012, an ATF-led multi-pronged initiative designed to target and remove violent offenders and to dismantle criminal organizations.

Full Press Release From USDOJ:
WWW.USDOJ.GOV/USAO/CAN

Electronic court filings and further procedural and docket information are available at:
https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.

Address/Location
Oakland Police Department - Office Of The Chief
455 7th St
Oakland, CA 94607

Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 510-777-3333