Operation Cripsland lands Rock, Lil Walt, Ken Dog and more on weapons, drug charges

ELEVEN METRO DENVER MEN INDICTED FOR GUN CRIMES AS PART OF "CRIPSLAND" INVESTIGATION

DENVER, June 24 -- The ATF led Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) Task Force arrested eight people on charges of gun and drug trafficking crimes in early morning raids yesterday, United States Attorney David Gaouette and ATF Special Agent in Charge Marvin Richardson announced. The arrests are the second phase of a one and one half year investigation named "Operation Cripsland." Nine additional defendants were arrested in October of 2009 in phase one of this investigation. Some of the eight defendants appeared yesterday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Denver, where they were advised of the charges pending against them. Those who didn't appear in court yesterday will appear in court today.

Those involved include:

• Reginald Cotton, aka "Rock", of Aurora, arrested yesterday. He was indicted on June 7, 2010, and faces one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm (punishable by not more than 10 years in federal prison, and a fine of up to $250,000).

• Clarence Antoine, aka "PK", of Denver, arrested on June 21, 2010. He was indicted on June 7, 2010, and faces two counts of knowingly possessing with intent to distribute more than five grams of cocaine base (punishable by not less than 5 years, and not more than 40 years in federal prison, and a fine of up to $2,000,000).

• Brandon Hamilton, aka "Knight", of Denver, arrested yesterday. He was indicted on June 22, 2010, and faces three counts of knowingly possessing with intent to distribute more than five grams of cocaine base (punishable by not less than 5 years, and not more than 40 years in federal prison, and a fine of up to $2,000,000 per count), as well as three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm (punishable by not more than 10 years in federal prison, and a fine of up to $250,000) and one count of possessing a sawed-off shotgun (punishable by not more than 10 years in federal prison, and a fine of up to $250,000).

• Jerome Bennet, aka "Cross", of Aurora, who is a fugitive. He was indicted on June 7, 2010, and faces one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm (punishable by not more than 10 years in federal prison, and a fine of up to $250,000).

• Torrence Triplett, aka "Blue", of Denver, who was in custody prior to today's arrests. He was indicted on June 7, 2010, and faces one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm (punishable by not more than 10 years in federal prison, and a fine of up to $250,000), one count of possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number (punishable by not more than 10 years in federal prison, and a fine of up to $250,000), and one count of knowingly possessing with intent to distribute more than five grams of cocaine base (punishable by not less than 5 years, and not more than 40 years in federal prison, and a fine of up to $2,000,000 per count).

• Lane Smith, of Denver, who was arrested yesterday. He was indicted on June 7, 2010, and faces one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm (punishable by not more than 10 years in federal prison, and a fine of up to $250,000).

• Michael Richardson, of Denver, who is a fugitive. He was indicted on June 7, 2010, and faces one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm (punishable by not more than 10 years in federal prison, and a fine of up to $250,000), and two counts of knowingly possessing with intent to distribute powder cocaine (punishable by not more than 20 years in federal prison, and a fine of up to $250,000).

• Walter Johnson, aka "Lil Walt" or "Colfax", of Denver, was arrested yesterday. He was indicted on June 22, 2010, and faces one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm (punishable by not more than 10 years in federal prison, and a fine of up to $250,000), and one count of knowingly possessing with intent to distribute more than five grams of cocaine base (punishable by not less than 5 years, and not more than 40 years in federal prison, and a fine of up to $2,000,000 per count).

• Kenneth Riggs, aka "Ken Dog", of Aurora, was arrested yesterday. He was indicted on June 7, 2010, and faces one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm (punishable by not more than 10 years in federal prison, and a fine of up to $250,000).

• Isaac Alexander, of Aurora, who was in custody prior to today's arrests. He was indicted on June 7, 2010, and faces one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm (punishable by not more than 10 years in federal prison, and a fine of up to $250,000).

• Anthony Hobbs, aka "KC", of Denver, who was arrested yesterday. He was indicted on June 22, 2010, and faces six counts of knowingly possessing with intent to distribute more than five grams of cocaine base (punishable by not less than 5 years, and not more than 40 years in federal prison, and a fine of up to $2,000,000 per count), and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm (punishable by not more than 10 years in federal prison, and a fine of up to $250,000).

"Thanks to the hard work of the members of the Project Safe Neighborhood Task Force, felons who are in our community possessing firearms will be brought to justice," said U.S. Attorney David Gaouette.

"Today's arrests send a unified message that law enforcement will continue to target those criminals who plaque our streets with their illegal firearms and narcotics," said ATF Special Agent in Charge Marvin Richardson. "ATF, along with our partners, remain steadfast in protecting the public and will continue to target violent gangs to make our streets safer."

"Collaborative investigations of this nature strengthen law enforcement's ability to make our streets safe from these dangerous individuals," said Denver Police Chief Gerry Whitman.

"I am grateful for the work of the members of the PSN Task Force and congratulate them on a successful operation, which resulted in the arrest of nearly a dozen violent offenders from Aurora and Denver," said Aurora Police Chief Daniel Oates. "The PSN Task Force continues to have a positive impact on the safety of our communities. They do an outstanding job."

This case was investigated by the ATF led Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) Task Force. The Task Force includes: the ATF, Denver Police Department, Aurora Police Department, and the Lakewood Police Department.

The defendants are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Conner.

The charges contained in the indictments are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.