A member of one of the nation's most violent American Indian gangs admitted Friday in a plea deal to fatally shooting a fellow gang member thought to have been a police informant.
Native Mob member Shaun Michael Martinez pleaded guilty to the murder of Jeremee Jon Kraskey, whose body was found riddled with gunshots in a south Minneapolis back yard last year.
The plea came during a high-profile federal case in which 25 suspected members of the gang face numerous charges, including assault, drug trafficking and attempted murder.
Twenty-one suspects have pleaded guilty, but Martinez, also known as Tinez, was the only one charged with killing someone.
His plea symbolizes a major victory for investigators who worked to uncover the inner workings of the highly organized gang, known for drug dealing, robberies and shootings.
"Members of the Native Mob, like those involved in any street gang, are dangerous to the public at large, but also to their own community," said B. Todd Jones, the U.S. attorney in Minnesota, in a release. "They prey on the vulnerable, often coercing or enticing young people to join their criminal organizations. ... We must break that cycle. It is up to all of us to do our part as a community to put an end to it."
On Friday, Martinez, 34, dressed in an orange jumpsuit, answered questions about his involvement in the Native Mob gang, in which he had been a member since 2000, and the shooting of Kraskey. Members of Kraskey's family wept in the courtroom as Martinez affirmed how Kraskey was killed.
The Native Mob gang, made up of around 200 members, originated in Minneapolis in the 1990s. Its influence stretches from the Twin Cities to reservations across Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota and South Dakota.