Madison man whose arrest sparked protest indicted by federal grand jury

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - A federal grand jury in Madison has indicted a Madison activist for reportedly threatening two state street businesses in exchange for free food, drinks, and money.

Devonere Johnson, also known as Yeshua Musa, faces up to 40 years in prison if he is convicted. The grand jury returned its indictment Wednesday charging him with two counts of extortion.

A federal complaint alleges Johnson threatened that windows of a business would be smashed unless a payment was made to his Venmo account.

A second count claims Johnson would shut down and destroy another business unless he and others were given free drinks and food.

On June 23, Johnson was arrested outside Cooper’s Tavern after he entered with a megaphone and a baseball bat. His arrest sparked protests over the use of force in his arrest.

Johnson is also facing state charges for allegedly making threats against an unnamed State Street business. Two others, Gregg James Jr. and William Shanley are also facing the same charges.