A federal grand jury in Chicago has indicted six alleged members of the Faceworld street gang on racketeering conspiracy charges after a yearslong probe into shootings, carjackings and narcotics trafficking on the South Side. The unsealed filing ties the defendants to 13 homicides and a string of violent attacks that prosecutors say included a shooting aboard a CTA bus and gunfire aimed at mourners at a rival’s funeral. All six defendants are currently in custody.
What prosecutors allege
The indictment, returned by a special grand jury on Dec. 15, names Dontae Harper, Tyrone Foy, Tyjuan Tapplar, Robert Lee Thomas, Davion Harris and Deavean McClure and charges them with racketeering conspiracy. Three of the defendants are also charged with murder in aid of racketeering. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, the alleged enterprise operated from about 2019 through March 2025 and relied on violence, intimidation and social media posts to protect territory and silence witnesses.
Deadly incidents named in the indictment
The filing lays out dozens of overt acts, including an April 1, 2019 ambush that prosecutors say killed Brittani Rice, 18, and Senobia Brantley, 19, while they sat in a parked car at 77th Street and Eggleston Avenue. It also details a June 17, 2019 attack in which an alleged member opened fire on passengers aboard a Chicago Transit Authority bus, and a July 26, 2019 drive‑by in Englewood that prosecutors say killed anti‑violence volunteers Chantell Grant and Andrea Stoudemire and wounded Donald Weathersby. CBS Chicago reviewed the indictment and past reporting in its summary of the alleged slayings and other attacks.
Violence, cars, and drugs
Prosecutors say Faceworld members habitually stole vehicles, then used them to drive through rival neighborhoods, opening fire on people they believed to be opposing gang members. According to the indictment, members bragged about killings online and marked themselves with "079" in reference to 79th Street. The filing also alleges that the enterprise transported and sold cocaine and heroin from Chicago into Iowa and sold narcotics in both states. The Chicago Sun‑Times and ABC7 Chicago have summarized the filing’s descriptions of the crew’s tactics and interstate drug sales.
Local history: prosecutions and sentences
Federal prosecutors have already pursued Faceworld‑linked suspects in recent years. Diontae Harper, a name that appears in the current filing, pleaded guilty in an earlier federal case and was sentenced in May 2025 to 34 years for a 2020 killing that prosecutors say was committed to boost his standing in the crew. Hoodline covered Harper's 34‑year sentence at the time, noting the case’s links to Faceworld’s South Side activity. That earlier prosecution underscores the long‑running federal effort to dismantle the faction.
Legal implications
Racketeering conspiracy typically carries a maximum sentence of 20 years, though the indictment notes that life imprisonment is possible for certain underlying acts and that three defendants face potential capital exposure on some murder counts. As outlined by the U.S. Attorney's Office, federal prosecutors reminded the public that an indictment contains only charges and that the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
What’s next
Three of the defendants were arraigned after the indictment was unsealed, and the remaining three are scheduled for later proceedings as the government prepares its case. CBS Chicago reports that the government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julia Schwartz, Sushma Raju and John "L.J." Pavletic, and that investigators say work to identify other associates is ongoing.
