One of nearly 30 defendants in a series of alleged gang-related racketeering arrests in Lake County pleaded guilty to reduced charges Tuesday in a negotiated deal with prosecutors.
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Ryan Hawkins, of Zion, pleaded guilty to a racketeering conspiracy charge and one count of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, both felonies. Several other similar counts were dismissed.
Under the plea deal approved by Judge Victoria Rossetti, Hawkins was sentenced to nine years in prison and can be released after serving 50 percent. He will also be given credit for 666 days spent in Lake County Jail prior to the plea.
Assistant State’s Attorney Reggie Mathews said Hawkins was a member of the Four Corner Hustlers street gang, the primary target of the large-scale investigation dubbed “Operation Shut Down the Hustle.”
Mathews told the court Hawkins had been recorded in wiretaps talking with other alleged gang members about drug deals and was arrested in July 2014 at a Beach Park gas station while in the midst of selling more than 60 grams of cocaine.
Mathews said Hawkins had also been arrested in May 2014 in North Chicago with cocaine and heroin in his possession.
Rossetti noted that other Operation Shut Down the Hustle defendants are mounting constitutional challenges to the arrests. Mathews said some defense attorneys are challenging his authority to order the wiretaps.
Hawkins said he understood and wanted to proceed with the plea. His attorney, Torrie Newsome, said the defense made a “strategic” decision to accept the plea offer and forgo further motions.
The 2014 arrests in Operation Shut Down the Hustle targeted more than 25 defendants, including Hawkins, who were alleged members of the Four Corner Hustlers.
The defendants were charged under the Illinois Street Gang and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. They face various charges under RICO guidelines related to murder and trafficking of guns, heroin, cocaine and prescription drugs.
The months-long investigation, which was conducted by local, state and federal authorities, recovered large quantities of drugs, weapons and cash, authorities said. Lake County State’s Attorney Michael Nerheim, Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran and other officials announced the arrests during a press conference in late 2014.
This month, defense attorney Douglas Roberts is scheduled to argue a motion that claims the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office improperly ordered telephone taps during the investigation. Roberts said the motion claims that telephone “overhears” requested by the State’s Attorney’s Office were not ordered by those authorized to do so under state statute.
Roberts represents Gregory Harris Sr., one of the main targets of the investigation.
Evidence from the RICO operation includes video and audio recordings, phone taps and testimony from undercover agents who infiltrated the gang, officials said.
The arrests were coordinated between the FBI, the DEA, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the Mundelein, Zion and Waukegan police departments.
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