37 people connected to a deadly prison-based Mississippi gang have been convicted, prosecutors say

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — All 37 people facing charges in connection with a deadly prison-based gang that sold drugs and committed violent crimes inside and outside of Mississippi lockups have been convicted, federal prosecutors said in a statement.

The last of the cases ended with a guilty plea in federal court in Oxford, according to court records and a Thursday statement from the U.S. Justice Department.

Prosecutors said defendants were members or associates of the Simon City Royals, a gang that operated primarily in Mississippi prisons, but also had members and associates on the outside throughout Mississippi and Louisiana.

Most of those convicted faced charges in a racketeering indictment involving murder, kidnapping, robbery, extortion, money laundering and other crimes. Most were indicted in February 2022, although charges for some of the suspects go back farther.

Prosecutors said the crimes committed by gang members included a murder in a Mississippi prison in 2018.