Bloods Street Gang Member Sentenced to 89 Months in Prison in Racketeering Conspiracy

NEWARK—A Passaic County man who is a member of the Bloods street gang was sentenced today to 89 months in prison for his role in a racketeering conspiracy that included violent crimes and narcotics distribution, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Michael McCloud, a/k/a “Ike Brim,” 26, of Paterson, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler to one count of a second superseding Indictment filed in January 2011, which charged him with conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

McCloud, a member of the Fruit Town Brims (FTB) set of the Bloods, admitted to selling crack cocaine to an undercover officer on August 30, 2006, together with two other members of the gang. McCloud also admitted to participating in two robberies in Paterson in 2006. McCloud was involved in the robbery of a dice game in Paterson, in which a co-conspirator used an AK-47 and the gang members took controlled substances, cell phones, and money. He also conspired with other FTB members to commit a robbery, also involving a gun, in retaliation for the shooting of an FTB member by a member of a rival gang.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Chesler sentenced McCloud to three years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, under the Direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Ward—which includes members from the Newark Police Department, East Orange Police Department, Essex County Department of Corrections, Hudson County Sheriff’s Office, Jersey City Police Department, the New Jersey Division of Parole, and the Paterson Police Department—along with the New Jersey Department of Corrections, Special Investigations Division, with the investigation leading to the charges.

He also thanked the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Carolyn Murray; and the Special Operations Division’s National Gang Targeting, Enforcement, and Coordination Center, under the direction of Director John Sieder, for their important roles.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa L. Jampol, Lisa Colone, and Robert Frazer of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Organized Crime/Gangs Unit in Newark.

Member of the Bloods Street Gang Sentenced to 151 Months in Prison for Racketeering Conspiracy

NEWARK—A member of the Bloods street gang from Newark was sentenced today to 151 months in prison for a range of violent crimes and conspiring to distribute narcotics as part of a racketeering conspiracy in furtherance of the gang’s activities, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Ricky Coleman, a/k/a “Pool Stick,” a/k/a “Sticks,” 39, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler to one count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act in a second superseding indictment filed against him in January 2011. Judge Chesler imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Coleman, a member of the Brick City Brims (BCB)—a subset of the Fruit Town Brims (FTB) set of the Bloods—admitted that he conspired with BCB leader Altariq Gumbs, while Gumbs was in an Arizona state prison, to sell narcotics in Newark. Coleman acknowledged he sold heroin to a confidential informant on four occasions from October 2008 through March 2009. Gumbs pleaded guilty to the RICO conspiracy charge in July 2011 and is scheduled to be sentenced June 28, 2012. Coleman also conspired with another BCB member in May and June 2009 to send the proceeds of the sale of drugs to a ranking member of the FTB and BCB who was incarcerated in Newark’s Northern State Prison.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Chesler sentenced Coleman to three years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Ward—which includes members from the Newark Police Department, East Orange Police Department, Essex County Department of Corrections, Hudson County Sheriff’s Office, Jersey City Police Department, the New Jersey Division of Parole, and the Paterson Police Department—along with the New Jersey Department of Corrections, Special Investigations Division, with the investigation leading to the charges.

He also thanked the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Carolyn Murray; and the Special Operations Division’s National Gang Targeting, Enforcement and Coordination Center, under the direction of Director John Sieder, for their important roles.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa L. Jampol, Lisa Colone, and Robert Frazer of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Organized Crime/Gangs Unit in Newark.

Member of Fruit Town Brims Bloods Set Sentenced to 63 Months in Prison for Role in Criminal Enterprise

NEWARK—A ranking member of the Fruit Town Brims set of the Bloods criminal street gang in Jersey City, New Jersey was sentenced today to 63 months in prison for his role in a criminal enterprise that involved drug distribution and violent crimes, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Tequan Ryals, 34, of Jersey City, previously pleaded to one count of racketeering conspiracy in the second superseding indictment against him. Ryals entered his guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler, who also imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Tequan Ryals, along with fellow gang members, conspired to distribute quantities of heroin in Jersey City between December 2008 and February 25, 2009. Ryals also made two sales that were monitored by law enforcement on December 10, 2008 and December 18, 2008. As a member of the Fruit Town Brims, Ryals participated in the set’s activities on a daily basis from 2004 until he was arrested. Between December 2008 and February 2009, he acted as a middleman drug distributor; he was supplied bricks of heroin by an associate of the set and resold them to gang members.

The second superseding indictment was unsealed in January 2011 and charged 15 defendants, including Ryals, with racketeering conspiracy and other offenses—including acts pertaining to murder, murder conspiracy, aggravated assaults, a kidnapping, firearms offenses, and various controlled substance distribution conspiracies.

The charges in this case were the first of its kind in the federal District of New Jersey to dismantle the leadership of a gang from various cities. The gang members charged in this indictment ran the gang’s activities in Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, and other locations.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Ward, along with law enforcement officers from the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Frank X. Schillari; the Paterson Police Department, under the direction of Police Chief William Fraher; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Matthew W. Horace; the Jersey City Police Department, under the direction of Police Chief Thomas J. Comey; the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Edward J. DeFazio; the National Gang Targeting Enforcement and Coordination Center, under the direction of Director Adam W. Cohen; and the New Jersey Department of Corrections, under the direction of Commissioner Gary M. Lanigan.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa Jampol, Lisa Colone, and Robert Frazer of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.

New Jersey Gang Member Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Mistaken Identity Murder

NEWARK—Emmanuel Jones, a set leader in the Fruit Town and Brick City Brims set of the Bloods street gang, was sentenced today to 360 months in prison for murdering an innocent teenager in a case of mistaken identity in July 2004 and conspiring to murder a rival gang member in October 2006 as part of a racketeering conspiracy, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Jones, 28, a/k/a “Killer E,” a/k/a “Killer,” a/k/a “Emo,” of Jersey City, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler to one count of a second superseding indictment filed against him in January 2011, which charged him with conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Judge Chesler imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Jones admitted that he was responsible for a July 19, 2004 murder that occurred in Jersey City. Jones stated that along with co-defendant Torien Brooks, 31, of Paterson, New Jersey, a/k/a “B.G.,” a/k/a “T-Bird,” a/k/a “Reek Boy,” he shot and killed a person they believed was responsible for an earlier shooting of a fellow gang member but was actually an innocent teenager identified in court documents as “M.T.” Three other bystanders were hit by stray bullets during the incident. Jones was previously indicted by the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office for the murder.

Jones also admitted that he was responsible for conspiring to murder a rival gang member in October 2006 while they were both incarcerated in the Hudson County Jail. As part of that dispute, Jones ordered other members of the Fruit Town and Brick City Brims to kill the rival gang member, identified in court documents as “C.C..” As a result of Jones’ order, C.C. was struck with a broom handle, causing him to fall down a flight of stairs in the jail.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Chesler sentenced Jones to five years of supervised release and ordered him to pay $11,815 in restitution.

On June 5, 2012, Brooks was sentenced to 362 months in prison, five years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $11, 815 in restitution.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Ward; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Matthew W. Horace; law enforcement officers from the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Frank X. Schillari; the Paterson Police Department, under the direction of Chief James F. Wittig; and the Jersey City Police Department, under the direction of Director Samuel Jefferson; and Chief Thomas J. Comey with the investigation leading to today’s sentence.

He also thanked the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Edward J. De Fazio; the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Acting Police Director Samuel DeMaio; the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray; the Special Operations Division’s National Gang Targeting, Enforcement, and Coordination Center, under the direction of Director John Sieder; the New Jersey Department of Corrections, under the direction of Commissioner Gary M. Lanigan; and the New Jersey State Police, under the direction of Col. Rick Fuentes, Superintendent, for their important roles.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa Jampol, Lisa Colone, and Robert Frazer of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Organized Crime/Gangs Unit in Newark.

Fruit Town Brims Bloods Gang Indicted

Four Members of the Fruit Town Brims Bloods Gang Indicted for Kidnapping and Weapons Possession


NEWARK—Four Paterson, New Jersey-based members of the Fruit Town Brims (“FTB”) set of the Bloods street gang, which originated in California, have been indicted for the April 11, 2005, kidnapping of a rival Paterson gang member, United States Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

The indictment charges four purported members of the Brims: two “status” members, Torien Brooks, 29, and Haleek State, 25; and two members and associates, John Benning, 27, and Larry Mayo, 27, all of Paterson, New Jersey. The defendants are charged with a series of violent crimes in aid of racketeering stemming from the 2005 kidnapping of M.M., as the victim is identified in the federal indictment unsealed today in Newark federal court. According to the indictment, the defendants conspired to kidnap and murder M.M. for the purpose of gaining entrance to, and maintaining and increasing position in, the FTB Set.

Benning was arrested on the then-sealed indictment Friday evening by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”). The other three defendants were already in federal or state custody on other charges. All four defendants appeared this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Esther Salas, who ordered the defendants detained.

The indictment describes the racketeering activities of the Fruit Town Brims, including the set’s development in Los Angeles, California, its involvement in narcotics trafficking and robberies, and its requirement of retaliation against people who “disrespect” the set itself or the Bloods generally.

Each of the defendants is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit murder and kidnapping and one count of kidnapping—all in aid of racketeering, as well as a federal weapons possession offense. If convicted, the defendants face a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison on the conspiracy charge; life in prison on the kidnapping charge; and a minimum of seven years in prison and a maximum of life in prison on the weapons charge. Each count also carries a maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.

In determining an actual sentence, the judge to whom the case is assigned would, upon a conviction, consult the advisory U.S. sentencing guidelines, which provide appropriate sentencing ranges that take into account the severity and characteristics of the offense, the defendant’s criminal history, if any, and other factors. The judge, however, would not be bound by those guidelines in determining a sentence. Parole has been abolished in the federal system. Defendants who are given custodial terms must serve nearly all that time.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from the Safe Streets and Violent Crimes Task Forces out of Woodland Park, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Ward—with special recognition to the Paterson Police Department, under the direction of Police Chief James Wittig—as well as the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa L. Jampol, of the U.S. Attorney’s Criminal Division in Newark.

The charges and allegations in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.