‘Lake Boyz’ arrests may cost taxpayers

FORT MYERS, Fla. It’s been two weeks since 22 members of a suspected Harlem Lakes neighborhood gang were arrested on racketeering charges.

Police have identified 34 possible members of the “Lake Boyz,” meaning as many as a dozen people are still at large, according to an arrest affidavit.

“We’ve been working everyday on this with the Fort Myers Police Department. Between our two agencies, countless hours have been put into it,” said assistant state attorney Amira Fox.

But Sawyer Smith, a defense attorney for Wilbur Smith Attorneys at Law, believes arresting this many people at once will burden the courts and taxpayers.

“Taxpayers have suffered by FMPD’s lack of leadership. Taxpayers are now suffering because they are going to have to pay for the defense of these individuals,” he said.

The gang could’ve been disbanded years ago, Smith said, if police took action sooner.

The 22 accused gang members who were arrested face multiple charges, including heroin trafficking, aggravated assault and various firearm offenses. The police department and the state attorney’s office investigated them for two years prior to the raid.