Fourteen Alleged Members of a Rockville Centre Crack Cocaine Distribution Organization Arrested

Criminal Complaint Charges Four Defendants are Members of the Bloods Street Gang

A criminal complaint was unsealed today in federal court in Central Islip, New York, charging 14 members of an alleged Rockville Centre-based crack cocaine distribution ring with narcotics trafficking.1 According to the complaint and a detention letter filed today by the government, each defendant is associated with a criminal organization that has dominated the narcotics trade in the Old Mill Court apartment complex in Rockville Centre, and four of the defendants are members of the United Blood Nation (“Bloods”), a violent street gang. The defendants’ arraignments are scheduled later today before United States Magistrate Judge E. Thomas Boyle at the U.S. Courthouse, 100 Federal Plaza, Central Islip, New York.

The charges were announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Janice K. Fedarcyk, Assistant Director in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office; Charles Gennario, Commissioner of the Rockville Centre Police Department; and Nassau County Acting Police Commissioner Thomas C. Krumpter.

According to the complaint, a four-month joint investigation by the FBI, Rockville Centre Police Department, and Nassau County Police Department revealed a narcotics distribution ring operating in the Old Mill Court apartment complex located in Rockville Centre. All of the defendants are charged with conspiring to distribute crack cocaine as part of that organization. During the course of the investigation, law enforcement monitored court-ordered wiretaps, which revealed purchases and sales of narcotics by and from members of the drug organization. In addition, in conjunction with the defendants’ arrests, search warrants were executed at various residences in the Old Mill Court apartment complex, one residence in Hempstead, and two residences in Brooklyn. Those searches resulted in the seizure of a quantity of crack cocaine and ammunition.

“The charges and arrests announced today have disrupted an alleged drug distribution organization that victimized an entire housing development in Rockville Centre,” stated United States Attorney Lynch. “We are committed to ensuring that the residents of our public housing, and all the residents of our district, are free from the scourge of narcotics trafficking. As a result of the close cooperation of federal and local law enforcement partners, these defendants will now be held to account for their charged crimes.” Ms. Lynch thanked the Suffolk County Police Department, Nassau County Sheriff’s Department, Hempstead Village Police Department, U.S. Marshal’s Service, Internal Revenue Service, Yonkers Police Department, and the New York City Police Department for their assistance.

FBI Assistant Director in Charge Fedarcyk stated, “These arrests mark an important step in returning the streets of Rockville Centre to the law-abiding residents. Narcotics traffickers and street gang members pose a threat our communities, and the FBI is committed to ridding our neighborhoods of these twin plagues.”

“These arrests will have a beneficial impact on the quality of life in The Village of Rockville Centre and other Long Island communities,” stated Rockville Centre Police Commissioner Gennario. “We faced a major law enforcement challenge in our community, which required the assistance of federal law enforcement. I want to thank the United States Attorney’s Office and the FBI for their hard work, dedication, and professionalism throughout the course of this extensive investigation—without their assistance this operation would not have been possible.”

“The Nassau County Police Department appreciates this partnership of federal and other local law enforcement agencies in combating narcotics trafficking in our communities,” stated Acting Police Commissioner Krumpter. “This investigation clearly demonstrates that cooperation and sharing of information is critical to the safety of Nassau County residents.”

If convicted of the drug distribution conspiracy charge, each of the defendants faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Thomas Sullivan and Nicole Boeckmann.

The Defendants:

LATEE SMITH

Age: 31

JAMEL RICHARDSON-BANKS

Age: 28

NEVILLE HUNTER

Age: 30

RASHARID AGEE

Age: 34

ALPHONSO BURKE

Age: 42

CHANELL DUNCAN

Age: 32

DION EVANS

Age: 40

CRYSTAL JAMISON

Age: 25

LAMEEK C. MCGHEE

Age: 32

RAMSEY MILTON

Age: 33

EDDIE RICHARDSON

Age: 47

ANGELO TAYLOR

Age: 37

VALERIE WALKER

Age: 58

MICHAEL WRIGHT

Age: 49

1 The charges contained in the complaint are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.