Leader of Crips Gang Pleads Guilty in Virginia to Prostituting Eight Juveniles

ALEXANDRIA, VA—Justin Strom, aka “Jae,” “Jae Dee,” or “J-Dirt,” 26, of Lorton, Virginia, pleaded guilty today to recruiting at least eight juvenile girls to engage in commercial sex for his street gang’s prostitution business.

Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Kenneth T. Cuccinelli, II, Attorney General of Virginia; Colonel David Rohrer, Fairfax County, Virginia Chief of Police; and Ronald T. Hosko, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal Division, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge James C. Cacheris.

“For six years, Justin Strom profited from preying on teenage girls and others he recruited as prostitutes in a commercial sex ring,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride. “Strom is the fifth and final Underground Gangster Crips gang member to plead guilty to sex trafficking a juvenile—a very serious crime that carries a potential life sentence.”

“Justin Strom robbed these girls of their childhoods, their innocence, and their trust, and he did that in the most base, vile, and despicable way possible,” said Attorney General Cuccinelli. “Nothing can ever repair the damages Strom inflicted on his victims, but it’s our hope that today’s guilty plea will help them begin a path towards healing and moving forward.”

“Today, a fifth member of the Underground Gangster Crips pleaded guilty to strong-arming and pimping underage girls in the illegal sex trade—a trade that is taking place here in some of the most affluent neighborhoods in our nation,” said Special Agent in Charge Hosko. “These gang members admitted that they beat and intimidated young girls they met on the Internet or in Metro stops in our area. They preyed on some of the most vulnerable in our society, and today Justin Strom admitted to these crimes.”

“This gang-driven prostitution ring was a direct threat to the safety and welfare of young women,” said Chief Rohrer. “With the help of our federal partners, we will continue to work aggressively and consistently to rid Fairfax County of gang violence and criminal operations wherever and whenever we find it.”

Strom pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of a child, which carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and maximum penalty of life in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for September 14, 2012.

According to a statement of facts filed with his plea agreement and other court records, Strom is a member of the Underground Gangster Crips (UGC) set based in Fairfax County. From 2006 through March 2012, Strom misrepresented his identity online to recruit females—including juveniles—through online social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and Datehookup and enticed the girls to use their good looks to earn money through prostitution. He and others posted numerous advertisements on Backpage, Craigslist, and other websites to solicit customers to pay to have sex with juvenile and adult prostitutes.

Strom admitted that he knowingly enticed at least eight juvenile girls to engage in prostitution for his business and that he received proceeds from this illicit conduct for approximately six years.

On March 28, 2012, Strom was among five members and associates of the UGC set based in Fairfax County charged with running a prostitution business that recruited and trafficked high school girls. Four previously pleaded guilty, and Strom’s guilty plea today marks the fifth and final conviction in this case.

Donyel Pier Dove, aka “Bleek,” 27, of Alexandria, Virginia, pleaded guilty on May 17, 2012 to sex trafficking of a juvenile. He also pleaded guilty to use of a firearm during a crime of violence in relation to two armed robberies of 7-11 stores in Manassas, Virginia, in March 2012 and to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in Fairfax, which also occurred in March 2012. Dove faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years and a maximum of life on the use of a firearm charge and a maximum of 10 years in prison on the possession of a firearm charge. He is scheduled to be sentenced on August 10, 2012 by U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga.

On May 14, 2012, Henock Ghile, aka “Knots,” 23, of Springfield, Virginia, pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of a juvenile. In court, Ghile admitted that he was a UGC gang associate and that from May 2011 through September 2011, he transported two 17-year-old girls to work as prostitutes. Sentencing has been scheduled for August 3, 2012, before U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton.

On April 14, 2012, two others associated with the UGC prostitution operation—Michael Tavon Jefferies, aka “Loc,” 21, of Woodbridge, Virginia; and Christopher Sylvia, 23, of Springfield, Virginia—pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of a juvenile. Jefferies is scheduled to be sentenced on July 6, 2012 before U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema. Sylvia is scheduled for sentencing on July 20, 2012 before U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee.

This case was investigated by the Fairfax County Police Department and the FBI’s Washington Field Office, with assistance from the Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force. Virginia Assistant Attorney General and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Birnbaum and Assistant U.S. Attorney Inayat Delawala are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

Founded in 2004, the Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force is a collaboration of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies—along with non-governmental organizations—dedicated to combating human trafficking and related crimes.

Leader of Crips Gang Indicted for Prostituting High School Girls

ALEXANDRIA, VA—Justin Strom, aka “Jae,” “Jae Dee,” or “J-Dirt,” 26, of Lorton, Virginia, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on accusations of recruiting at least seven high school girls to engage in commercial sex for his prostitution business.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Kenneth T. Cuccinelli, II, Attorney General of Virginia; Colonel David Rohrer, Fairfax County Chief of Police; and Ronald T. Hosko, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal Division, made the announcement.

Strom was charged with conspiracy, seven counts of sex trafficking of a child, and two counts of transporting a minor across state lines for purposes of engaging in commercial sex acts. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison on the conspiracy charge and a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and maximum penalty of life in prison on the other charges.

According to the indictment and other court records, Strom is a member of the Underground Gangster Crips (UGC) set based in Fairfax County, Virginia. Strom and other UGC associates are accused of recruiting teen girls to work for them as prostitutes. They would allegedly contact teens at school or through online social networking sites and entice the girls to use their good looks to earn money through prostitution. In addition, members of the conspiracy would approach girls at bus or rail stops and attempt to recruit them into joining their prostitution business. Once a girl expressed interest, Strom is alleged to have relied on women within his organization to transition the victim into earning money for the conspirators by having sex with multiple clients.

According to the indictment, from 2007 through March 2012, Strom allegedly recruited and trafficked seven victims aged 16 or 17, including transporting two of the victims from northern Virginia to service clients either in Washington, D.C. or in Maryland. Many of the victims were allegedly provided with illegal drugs and alcohol and were required to submit to sex with members of the conspiracy as a “try out” or an “initiation” before they worked as prostitutes.

Court records state that Strom and members of the conspiracy allegedly advertised their victims through online sites including craigslist.org and backpage.com. Conspirators also allegedly provided “in-call” service to clients, allowing clients to use the basement of a townhome in Lorton, Virginia to have sex with victims. In addition, many victims were prostituted by walking door-to-door soliciting clients in apartment buildings or townhouse complexes, with Strom and others waiting within a car nearby. They were instructed to find apartments with multiple males inside to minimize walking in the open and to maximize profit.

This case was investigated by the Fairfax County Police Department and the FBI’s Washington Field Office, with assistance from the Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force. Special Assistant United States Attorney Marc Birnbaum from the Virginia Attorney General’s Office and Assistant United States Attorney Inayat Delawala are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

Founded in 2004, the Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force is a collaboration of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies—along with non-governmental organizations—dedicated to combating human trafficking and related crimes.

The Fairfax County Police Department has set up a telephone number for use by anyone with information about cases in Fairfax County. That number is 703-246-4006. You will be prompted to leave your contact information for investigators.

Criminal indictments are only charges and not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Gang Impact Team Investigation Leads to Federal Charges Against 12 Inland Empire Men

LOS ANGELES—The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California today announced federal charges against 12 defendants for a variety of federal narcotics and firearms violations as part of an Inland Empire investigation known as Operation Squeeze Play. Ten of the 12 defendants are in custody this morning, and two defendants are currently being sought by authorities.

In 2011, an FBI Safe Streets Task Force known as the San Bernardino Gang Impact Team, which consists of members from the FBI; the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); the San Bernardino Police Department; and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, initiated an investigation into the criminal activities of several San Bernardino based criminal street gangs, including the California Garden Crips and the Delmann Heights Bloods. According to investigators, the California Garden Crips and the Delmann Heights Bloods street gangs play a major role in the distribution of illegal narcotics in and around the city of San Bernardino, California. The members and associates of the two gangs are believed to actively sell narcotics to further the influence of the gang.

“The Department of Justice is committed to aggressively pursuing gang members and narcotics traffickers that threaten the safety of our local communities,” said United States Attorney André Birotte, Jr., whose office is handling the prosecution of the case. “The United States Attorney’s Office will continue working together with our partners at both the federal and local levels in order to take these dangerous offenders off our streets. When violent crime and narcotics trafficking are reduced, then all of our communities and neighborhoods benefit.”

A 42-page federal indictment based on the work of the Gang Impact Team was unveiled today, and it names seven defendants, all of whom are charged with conspiracy to distribute various illegal narcotics, including methamphetamine and crack cocaine. Three other defendants are named in a second criminal complaint, and two individuals are named in single-defendant criminal complaints. In total, Operation Squeeze Play has resulted in federal charges against 12 defendants.

“The activity alleged in the indictment outlines the vast reach of drug networks operating in and around the city of San Bernardino—activity that has perpetuated a gang culture among neighborhood youth and has fueled the spread of violence in the area,” said Steven M. Martinez, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “Today’s arrests by the Gang Impact Team will have a strong impact on the gang’s influence and are a positive step toward restoring order to law-abiding citizens.”

“Among those arrested during this morning’s operation were gang members or associates identified based on persistent criminal activity that has plagued our streets for too long,” said Robert Handy, Chief of the San Bernardino Police Department. “Today’s operation demonstrates our commitment to the residents of San Bernardino who deserve to live without fear and to raise families in safe communities.”

The federal indictment alleges 23 counts, and all seven defendants named in that indictment are charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, crack cocaine, and/or marijuana. Some of the defendants listed in the indictment and the three complaints are additionally charged with distribution of methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, distribution of crack cocaine, possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and/or felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

If convicted, all seven defendants named in the indictment face potential maximum sentences of lifetime imprisonment and mandatory minimum sentences of at least five years of imprisonment. The five defendants charged by way of complaint potentially face maximum sentences of at least 40 years of imprisonment and mandatory minimum sentences of at least five years of imprisonment.

An indictment and a criminal complaint only contain allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in court.

The following agencies provided support during the investigation and today’s arrests: the FBI, DEA, ATF, San Bernardino Police Department, and San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

The federal charges are being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office. Those persons taken into custody this morning will be arraigned on the indictment and/or the complaints this afternoon in United States District Court in Riverside.

Eighteen Charged with Narcotics Offenses After FBI Task Force Investigation into New Haven Gang Activity

David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Kimberly K. Mertz, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that a federal grand jury sitting in Bridgeport has returned an indictment charging 18 individuals with federal narcotics offenses stemming from the alleged large-scale distribution of cocaine and crack cocaine in and around New Haven.

According to court documents and statements made in court, this matter stems from an investigation conducted by the FBI New Haven Safe Streets Task Force, the New Haven Police Department, and the Connecticut State Police into drug distribution and related violence allegedly being committed by members and associates of the Grape Street Crips in New Haven. The investigation was funded in significant part by the United States Attorney’s Office Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force and supported by the office’s Project Safe Neighborhoods and anti-gang programs.

The indictment, which was returned on April 9, 2012 and unsealed today, charges each of the following individuals with one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine base (crack cocaine) and a quantity of cocaine:

Donald Ogman, a.k.a. “Manny-O” and “Main,” 30, of Shelton Avenue, New Haven;

Kenneth Sturdivant, a.k.a. “Slay,” 26, of Lamberton Street, New Haven;

Derrick Brock, a.k.a. “Easy,” 25, of Englewood Drive, New Haven;

Lamont Reed, a.k.a. “L-Wop,” 32, of Congress Avenue, New Haven;

Romell Brown, a.k.a. “Rell,” 33, of Howard Avenue, New Haven;

Anaje Amin, a.k.a. “Dice,” 27, of Shelton Avenue, New Haven;

Cornell Streater, a.k.a. “Messy,” 30, of Shelton Avenue, New Haven;

Edward Prezioso, a.k.a. “Wu-Loc,” 24, of Westerly, Rhode Island;

Cody Belanger, a.k.a. “Forty,” 30, of Westerly, Rhode Island;

Wayne Wright, a.k.a. “Cruger,” 27, of Uncasville;

Alphonzo Dixon, a.k.a. “Fonz,” 24, of Ivy Street, New Haven;

Marvin Ogman, a.k.a. “Bub Love,” 35 of Franklin Street, New Haven;

Marvin Howard, a.k.a. “Marv,” 20, of Ella Grasso Boulevard, New Haven;

Charles Hart, a.k.a. “O.G.,” 53, of Park Street, New Haven;

Richard Mason, a.k.a. “Rich,” 30, of Grand Avenue, New Haven;

Clayton Carney, a.k.a. “Hardcore,” 37, of St. Mary’s Street, Hamden;

Deandre Barnes, a.k.a. “D-Man,” 22, of Helen Street, Hamden; and

Janarleen Boria, a.k.a. “Jan,” 24, of Ivy Street, New Haven.

The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine base carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life, and the charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine carries a maximum term of imprisonment of life.

The indictment also charges Donald Ogman and Brown with possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, and Brock, Hart, and Carney with possession and distribution of cocaine base. These charges carry a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

Borgia, Carney, Hart, Howard, Mason, and Marvin Ogman were arrested today. The other 11 defendants were initially charged by criminal complaint and arrested in March 2012. Barnes is currently being sought by law enforcement.

The defendants arrested today appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Holly B. Fitzsimmons in Bridgeport. All of the defendants, including those arrested previously, are currently detained.

U.S. Attorney Fein stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is being investigated by the FBI’s New Haven Safe Streets Task Force, which includes officers from the New Haven, Hamden, and Milford Police Departments and the State of Connecticut Department of Correction. The investigation was significantly assisted by the Connecticut State Police, the United States Marshals Service, and the Westerly (Rhode Island) Police Department.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony Kaplan, Gordon Hall and Patrick Caruso.