A fake online profile purporting to be a 17-year-old girl lured a man to a LongHorn Steakhouse parking lot in Bala Cynwyd on June 27, where three masked men in body armor confronted him, falsely accused him of pedophilia, forced him into a vehicle and made him withdraw cash from an in-store ATM. That single violent encounter on City Avenue has since unraveled what investigators describe as a sprawling Philadelphia-area criminal enterprise accused of kidnapping, extortion, robbery and illegal gun trafficking.
The incident, detailed in court documents reviewed by Narberth Patch, kicked off a months-long investigation involving the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office, Lower Merion Police, the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office and the FBI. Investigators say the perpetrator posed online as a teenage girl, and court documents said the victim was then confronted by people impersonating law enforcement before being forced into a vehicle, robbed, and threatened with exposure if he reported the crime, according to PHL17.
Prosecutors say the group, which called itself Always Running Plays, or ARP, used social media and messaging apps to lure victims before carrying out robberies, extortion schemes and other crimes. The enterprise allegedly stole money directly from victims' bank accounts and moved funds through Zelle and Venmo, per PHL17's reporting.
A Pattern Stretching Back to 2024
This was reportedly not the group's first such scheme. Prosecutors revealed that ARP members had previously targeted another victim through a similar online bait scheme in 2024, extorting more than $100,000 from that individual over an extended period, according to Daily Voice.
Investigators also uncovered a separate incident in which members lured a victim under the pretense of discussing a debt, only for one perpetrator to wrap a rope around the victim's neck while others threatened the person at gunpoint, the outlet reported. The pattern of violence, investigators say, extended well beyond digital manipulation and into direct physical intimidation.
Six Defendants, Ages 23 to 46
Six people are accused of operating the criminal organization: 29-year-old Daquine Owens, 31-year-old Ajahnae Owens, 23-year-old Aysir Bond, 46-year-old Najwa Owens, 25-year-old Gregory Johnson and 29-year-old Keith Cirwithen-Howell, according to court documents cited by PHL17. The first five are from Philadelphia, while Cirwithen-Howell is from Dover, Delaware.
Daquine Owens is charged as the alleged ringleader of the organization. He was extradited from Delaware this week and arraigned, with Magisterial District Judge Richard H. Welsh setting his bail at $2 million cash; reported cash-bail amounts for defendants ranged from $99,000 to $2 million, and Najwa Owens’s $25,000 bail required a $2,500 deposit, the same outlet reported. Ajahnae Owens is still awaiting extradition from Delaware, and an arrest warrant remains outstanding for Aysir Bond, whose whereabouts are unknown. The remaining defendants are in custody in Montgomery County.
Guns, Felons and the Brad Fox Law
Court documents allege the group obtained and transferred firearms to Daquine Owens, who is legally prohibited from possessing guns under both Pennsylvania and federal law because of prior felony convictions. An affidavit said Ajahnae Owens purchased guns under her own name and then gave them to Daquine Owens, a classic straw-purchase arrangement.
In Pennsylvania, straw purchases fall under the so-called Brad Fox Law, codified at 18 Pa.C.S. § 6111, which was enacted in 2012 following the murder of a Plymouth Township police officer, according to CBS News. The statute mandates a five-year minimum prison sentence for repeat straw purchasers or for defendants facing multiple illegal gun transfer counts, adding significant exposure for those charged in the case.
Flaunting the Proceeds
Detectives intercepted digital communications in which enterprise members boasted that their luxury vacations to Cancun and Florida, chartered yachts, expensive watches and designer clothing were paid for directly with money extorted from victims, per the Daily Voice account. The organization is also accused of using crime proceeds for jewelry and high-end car rentals, according to court documents referenced by PHL17.
Prosecutors have brought the full weight of Pennsylvania's Corrupt Organizations Act, 18 Pa.C.S. § 911, against the defendants — a statute that allows individuals associated with an enterprise to be charged for conducting its affairs through a pattern of racketeering, rather than being prosecuted for isolated, disconnected crimes, per Justia Law. The group faces charges including corrupt organizations, kidnapping, robbery, extortion, conspiracy and firearms offenses, according to court documents.
A conviction on kidnapping or theft-by-extortion charges does not automatically require state prison time.
What Comes Next
Preliminary hearings for the defendants currently in custody are scheduled for October 19 before Magisterial District Judge Patrick O. Krouse, with Major Crimes Unit Captain Blair Rohlfing prosecuting the case for Montgomery County, according to the Daily Voice report. The hearing will mark the next major checkpoint in a case that has already tied together crimes across Montgomery, Philadelphia and Delaware counties under a single racketeering structure.
