United States Drug Enforcement Administration

MINNEAPOLIS – United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen announced that Damari “Mari” Douglas, 21, of Elk River, has pleaded guilty for his role in a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) conspiracy. Douglas was one of 14 members of the violent street gang known as the Lows charged with violating the RICO statutes. Douglas is the second defendant in this case to plead guilty. 

The Lows gang has been in existence in Minneapolis since approximately 2004 and is primarily active in north Minneapolis. The Lows gang is alleged to have engaged in multiple acts involving murder, attempted murder, narcotics distribution, robbery, carjacking, and firearms trafficking, and the gang used intimidation, threats, armed retaliation, social‑media taunting, and shared firearms to maintain its territory and reputation.

According to court documents, Douglas admitted multiple acts in furtherance of the RICO conspiracy including voluntary manslaughter. On December 3, 2023, Douglas and several associates left a party in Minneapolis near West Lake Street and Grand Avenue South when an SUV drove by—the SUV slowed down when it approached Douglas and his associates and then accelerated past. Believing the individuals inside the SUV presented a threat, Douglas fired his handgun in the direction of the passing SUV. One of Douglas’s bullets struck and killed a member of his company. 

Douglas also admitted arranging for a straw purchaser to obtain firearms on his behalf while he was prohibited from possessing them due to a prior felony conviction. Between December 2023 and February 2024, he directed the straw purchaser to buy firearms and paid for them, resulting in the purchase of at least nine firearms. 

On April 19, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Douglas’s residence and saw Douglas throw a Glock pistol equipped with an automatic conversion device, commonly known as a “switch” or “auto sear,” out of his bedroom window. Officers recovered the Glock, along with a pistol and ammunition from inside his room.

Douglas pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court before Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz on July 17, 2026. This charge carries a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison. Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.

“It’s an all too familiar cycle in which proceeds from drug trafficking led to the purchase of firearms which in turn result in an increase of violence and intimidation within our communities,” Drug Enforcement Administration Omaha Field Division Special Agent in Charge Dustin Gillespie said. “Today’s sentencing sends a strong message that this type of behavior is unacceptable and will be stopped by the full force of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.”

“Damari Douglas committed serious acts of violence and firearms trafficking as part of the Lows gang’s criminal enterprise,” said United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen. “Douglas contributed directly to the violence that has harmed families and communities in Minneapolis through arranging the illegal selling and purchasing of firearms, possessing a machine gun, and firing the shot that killed a victim. Today’s guilty plea reflects my office’s ongoing commitment to hold every member of this enterprise accountable and to take down the violent network that has operated in our city for years.”

“Every guilty plea in this case represents meaningful progress toward dismantling a violent criminal organization whose members trafficked firearms and committed acts of violence,” said ATF Acting Special Agent in Charge Spence Burnett of the St. Paul Field Division. “Complex gang investigations require close coordination among our law enforcement partners and an unwavering commitment to holding every participant accountable. Today’s plea reflects that commitment.”

“This guilty plea reflects the strength of a coordinated RICO investigation and underscores our commitment to dismantling violent criminal networks,” said FBI Minneapolis Field Office Special Agent in Charge Christopher D. Dotson. “With 2 of 14 defendants now having pleaded guilty, the investigation continues to show real results. The FBI and our partners remain steadfast in driving down violent crime and removing dangerous offenders from our communities.”

“For more than two decades, the Lows spread fear across Minneapolis through murder, drug trafficking, carjackings, and other violence, all to protect and profit from their criminal enterprise,” said Adam Jobes, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Chicago Field Office. “This guilty plea is another step toward ending that reign of violence. IRS Criminal Investigation is proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, and we will not stop until every member of this criminal enterprise is held accountable.”

“Any day we are able to hold a violent member of the Lows gang accountable is a good day,” said Michael McCarthy, Special Agent in Charge of HSI St. Paul. “This guilty plea reflects the dedication of our agents and partners and serves as a reminder that organized crime will not go unchecked in our city.”

This case was the result of an investigation by the ATF, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, IRS Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Minneapolis Police Department, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and Minnesota Department of Corrections are investigating the case, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service.

Assistant United States Attorneys Garrett S. Fields and David M. Classen for the District of Minnesota and Trial Attorney Pegah Vakili of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section are prosecuting the case.

Note: Previous press release detailing Douglas and other Minneapolis gang members’ charges here.