Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
OAKLAND – A federal grand jury has indicted Allen Brown, Sebron Russell, Marquise Cooper, Janiero Booth (a/k/a Javon Herrington), Jowaun Jones, Shawn McGee, and Salvador Munguia on charges of conspiring to distribute, possessing with intent to distribute, and attempting to possess with intent to distribute more than 100 marijuana plants. Brown and Russell were additionally charged with discharging and brandishing a firearm, respectively, in connection with a drug trafficking crime. Two other defendants, Jasmine Kumar and Felicia Sanders, were charged with accessory after the fact.
All nine defendants were arrested yesterday or were already in custody. Defendants made their initial appearances in federal district court in San Francisco today.
According to the indictment filed on November 20, 2025, and unsealed today, the charges relate to three armed burglaries of a marijuana grow facility in Oakland, California, between late evening December 28, 2023, and early morning December 29, 2023. Oakland Police Department (OPD) officers responded to the third burglary, and the suspects fled in multiple vehicles. During the pursuit, an unnamed co-conspirator fired more than 20 shots at one of the OPD vehicles, killing Officer Tuan Le.
Following Officer Le’s death, Jasmine Kumar, the shooter’s girlfriend, and Felicia Sanders, the shooter’s mother, knowing that the shooter had stolen marijuana and murdered Officer Le, allegedly assisted the shooter in order to hinder and prevent his apprehension by law enforcement, including by furnishing him with a one-way plane ticket.
As alleged, Brown, Russell, Cooper, and the unnamed co-conspirator organized and perpetrated a series of three separate armed burglaries of the marijuana grow facility. They recruited additional individuals, including Booth, Jones, McGee, and Munguia, for the third attempted burglary, which occurred around 4:00 a.m. In total, the perpetrators are alleged to have stolen more than 100 marijuana plants.
The indictment describes that when undercover OPD officers, including Officer Le, arrived at the scene, the suspects fled the location in multiple vehicles. As suspects exited the building, the unnamed co-conspirator brandished a firearm at OPD’s unmarked undercover vehicle. Two OPD undercover vehicles chased two vehicles fleeing from the burglary scene. One vehicle, driven by Brown, followed the OPD vehicle driven by Officer Le. The unnamed co-conspirator, who was the passenger in Brown’s vehicle, fired the shots that killed Officer Le.
United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Topper made the announcement.
Some of the defendants are scheduled to appear on December 15, 2025, for bail proceedings before Magistrate Judge Thomas S. Hixson.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the defendants face maximum sentences as set forth in the following chart. Any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
| Defendant |
Charge(s) |
Maximum Penalties |
| Allen Brown |
Counts One, Two, Three & Five:
21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B) – Conspiracy To Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Over 100 Marijuana Plants; 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B) – Possession with Intent to Distribute Over 100 Marijuana Plants; 21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B) – Attempted Possession with Intent to Distribute Over 100 Marijuana Plants; and 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(iii) – Discharging a Firearm in Connection with a Drug Trafficking Crime
|
Counts One, Two, and Three: maximum of 40 years’ imprisonment, mandatory minimum of 5 years’ imprisonment, and $5,000,000 fine.
Count Five: maximum of life imprisonment, a mandatory consecutive minimum of 10 years’ imprisonment, and a $250,000 fine.
|
| Sebron Russell |
Counts One, Two, Three & Four:
21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B) – Conspiracy To Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Over 100 Marijuana Plants; 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B) – Possession with Intent to Distribute Over 100 Marijuana Plants; 21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B) – Attempted Possession with Intent to Distribute Over 100 Marijuana Plants; and 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(ii) – Brandishing a Firearm in Connection with a Drug Trafficking Crime
|
Counts One, Two, and Three: maximum of 40 years’ imprisonment, mandatory minimum of 5 years’ imprisonment, and $5,000,000 fine.
Count Four: maximum of life imprisonment, a mandatory consecutive minimum of 7 years’ imprisonment, and a $250,000 fine.
|
| Marquise Cooper |
Counts One, Two & Three:
21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B) – Conspiracy To Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Over 100 Marijuana Plants; 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B) – Possession with Intent to Distribute Over 100 Marijuana Plants; and
21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B) – Attempted Possession with Intent to Distribute Over 100 Marijuana Plants
|
Maximum of 40 years’ imprisonment, mandatory minimum of 5 years’ imprisonment, and $5,000,000 fine. |
| Janiero Booth (a/k/a Javon Herrington) |
Counts One & Three:
21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B) – Conspiracy To Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Over 100 Marijuana Plants; and
21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B) – Attempted Possession with Intent to Distribute Over 100 Marijuana Plants
|
Maximum of 40 years’ imprisonment, mandatory minimum of 5 years’ imprisonment, and $5,000,000 fine. |
| Jowaun Jones |
Counts One & Three:
21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B) – Conspiracy To Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Over 100 Marijuana Plants; and
21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B) – Attempted Possession with Intent to Distribute Over 100 Marijuana Plants
|
Maximum of 40 years’ imprisonment, mandatory minimum of 5 years’ imprisonment, and $5,000,000 fine. |
| Shawn McGee |
Counts One & Three:
21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B) – Conspiracy To Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Over 100 Marijuana Plants; and
21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B) – Attempted Possession with Intent to Distribute Over 100 Marijuana Plants
|
Maximum of 40 years’ imprisonment, mandatory minimum of 5 years’ imprisonment, and $5,000,000 fine. |
| Salvador Munguia |
Counts One & Three:
21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B) – Conspiracy To Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Over 100 Marijuana Plants; and
21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B) – Attempted Possession with Intent to Distribute Over 100 Marijuana Plants
|
Maximum of 40 years’ imprisonment, mandatory minimum of 5 years’ imprisonment, and $5,000,000 fine. |
| Jasmine Kumar |
Count Six: 18 U.S.C. § 3 – Accessory After the Fact |
Maximum of 15 years’ imprisonment and $125,000 fine. |
| Felicia Sanders |
Count Six: 18 U.S.C. § 3 – Accessory After the Fact |
Maximum of 15 years’ imprisonment and $125,000 fine. |
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alethea Sargent and Kelly Volkar are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Laurie Worthen and Amala James. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the ATF and OPD, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals, FBI, OPD, California Highway Patrol, Concord Police Department, and Pittsburg Police Department for yesterday’s arrests.