Seven people were arrested in Houston on Wednesday in a federal case targeting suspected Scoot Up/Early Boys gang members and associates, according to the FBI. The allegations span drug and weapons offenses, bank fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft.
Lucky 7. That's the number of arrests FBI Houston, @houstonpolice, and USMS made this morning of suspected Scoot Up/Early Boys gang members and associates. The seven face federal charges ranging from drug and weapons charges to bank fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft.… pic.twitter.com/PkMUlLRhGp
— FBI Houston (@FBIHouston) July 29, 2026
In a post announcing the operation, FBI Houston said agents worked with the Houston Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service to make the arrests. The agency credited the Texas Department of Public Safety's Southeast Texas region and the Brazoria County District Attorney's Office. The post identified Chantee Thornton, 35; Daisia Kelly, 31; Mya Taylor, 22; Presley Aguilar, 22; and Justin Smith, 26, among those arrested, but did not provide a charge-by-charge breakdown or describe each person's alleged role.
Federal allegations are still taking shape
The announcement places the case at the accusation stage, not the conviction stage. Arrests and federal charges are allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless prosecutors prove the case in court.
The specific federal filings, including any indictments or criminal complaints, should clarify which defendants face drug, weapons, bank fraud conspiracy or aggravated identity theft counts. For now, the FBI's public announcement offers a broad outline rather than a full accounting of the alleged scheme.
Houston has seen sustained gang-focused enforcement
The arrests come months after the U.S. Department of Justice announced a separate Houston case involving 20 alleged Free Money gang members and associates. That February operation involved an 18-count indictment alleging racketeering, murder, robbery, drug trafficking and firearms offenses, according to the Justice Department.
Officials have not said whether Wednesday's arrests are connected to that earlier case. The new charges instead point to a broader investigation involving both street-level allegations and financial crimes, with additional details expected to emerge through federal court records.
