‘We seen some treasure’: Feds say trio in Wilmington’s ‘6ixers’ gang bragged online, taunted victim after Dover robbery

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A house party in Dover took a dark turn after the host told four unwelcome guys from Wilmington, who had arrived after midnight, to hit the road.

Instead, according to federal court records, they pulled masks over their faces, whipped out guns and proclaimed they were “6ixers” — a Wilmington street gang whose name is a twist on the 76ers, Philadelphia’s pro basketball team.

They approached one guest who had a reputation as an online influencer and ordered him to empty his pockets. He refused, but one hit him with a pistol and another took his cellphone.

Unlock it, they demanded.

He would not comply. So, he was punched him again, then he obeyed, opening the phone’s Cash App, which they used to transfer about $1,500 to various accounts they controlled.

The gunmen forced him to give them his Louis Vuitton beanie hat, Meta smart glasses and a diamond necklace with a large “3X” pendant, then sped off in a white Dodge Charger.

That burst of violence, detailed in a federal criminal complaint that led to an indictment this month in Delaware’s U.S. District Court, took place in a matter of moments one night in March.

But, after getting away, instead of lying low, the three men and one minor left a substantial digital trail for Dover police and the FBI, court records state.

Social media taunts leave a trail for investigators

They went on social media, unmasked, to brag about the heist, pose with the items and taunt the victim, authorities wrote in court documents.

But as sometimes happens in the digital age, the actions described by authorities allowed the investigation to proceed rather rapidly. Police and federal agents electronically tracked the money to the suspects, who trumpeted their crime publicly, prosecutors said.

In one photo posted on social media, a suspect wearing the diamond necklace with the pendant waves a stash of cash, and another dons the Louis Vuitton beanie. The victim identified both items as his and said the men were two of his attackers.

In a video posted to Instagram, one suspect pointed his hand, mimicking a gun, and ordered, “Give it all up,” the complaint says. Two other men, one unmasked and laughing, held their hands in mock surrender and joked, “You can have everything” and “I’m a content creator.”

That quip was a seeming reference to the victim’s “career as an internet influencer,” the complaint says. The victim was not identified.

In yet another video, an unmasked man whose face was partially visible declared that he was making a “PSA,” or public service announcement. “You see how we just took the … chains last night,” he bragged, adding, “We seen some treasure and received that treasure, you feel me?” The man also referenced “the 6,” which the indictment said means the 6ixers.

In addition, the victim’s mother called her son’s phone hours after the robbery and someone answered, authorities said. Using a third phone, she made a video recording of the call and the man who answered said, “We robbed that … for $1,500,” according to the complaint

Authorities say the victim was able to identify the men he said attacked him from the photos and videos they posted.

Now, three men identified as members of the 6ixers face robbery charges that could put them behind bars for up to 20 years each. Prosecutors decided not to charge the minor, whose age was not released.

Damire Lee, 22, and Jerome Pegram and Jeremiah Cunningham, both 19, are being held without bail because they are considered “a danger to the community,” said Ben Wallace, U.S. attorney for Delaware.

The Cash App accounts of Pelgram, Cunningham and Lee’s girlfriend received money electronically from the victim, the complaint says.

All three men were taken into custody by police within 10 days of the robbery, and they were charged by federal prosecutors in July. Pegram had the diamond pendant and Lee was driving a white Dodge Charger when they were arrested, authorities said.

A federal grand jury in Wilmington indicted the trio this month.

None of the defense attorneys for Pegram, Cunningham or Lee responded to inquiries from WHYY News about the case.

‘Impossible to do our job if we’re not getting cooperation’

Wallace said federal agents were aware of the 6ixers gang prior to the robbery but had not prosecuted any members. He said Wilmington police helped Dover detectives and federal agents identify the suspects.

The case stands out for the “really brazen taunting of the victim both on social media and then on a phone call with the victim’s mother,” Wallace said. “I think it will be a significant thing to keep these offenders off the street.”

Wilmington police and the Attorney General’s Office would not say if they had previously investigated, charged or prosecuted any members of the 6ixers.

Wallace said a priority for federal prosecutors in his office and nationwide is “to go after organized violent groups, gangs, pseudo gangs, folks who are causing trouble in neighborhoods where the vast mass majority of the people living there are hard-working people who are just going about their business.”

To that end, Wallace said his office is working with Delaware police agencies “to try and curb that violence, stamp it out as best we can.”

While the case against the 6ixers members was boosted by digital evidence, court documents also highlight the assistance of the victim and his mother.

“It’s impossible to do our job if we’re not getting cooperation from folks who witness crimes being committed or are the victims of crimes,” Wallace said. “It does take courage to come forward and we will always repay that courage with as much dogged effort as we possibly can.”