Judge Sentences Pittsburgh Man to Five Years for Role in Heroin Trafficking Ring

PITTSBURGH—A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has been sentenced in federal court for violating federal narcotics trafficking laws, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

Jordan McKoy, 20, was sentenced to serve 60 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release by United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab. From January 2010 to March 3, 2011, McKoy conspired to distribute and possess with intent to distribute at least 100 grams of heroin.

Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.

U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Pittsburgh Police Department; the United States Postal Inspection Service; the Pennsylvania State Police; the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, the Ross Township Police Department; the Canonsburg Police Department; and the Allegheny County Police Department for the successful investigation leading to the conviction and sentence in this case.

Pittsburgh Crips Gang Members Sentenced to Prison for Racketeering Charges

WASHINGTON – Two members of the Pittsburgh Crips criminal enterprise were sentenced yesterday in federal court to 154 and 120 months in prison, respectively, on charges of conspiring to conduct a racketeering enterprise, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney David J. Hickton of the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Terrance Clark, 22, aka “Doo Wop,” was sentenced to 154 months in prison and three years of supervised release and Lamon Street, 20, aka “M-Dot,” was sentenced to 120 months in prison and three years of supervised release.   Clark and Street each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to engage in a racketeering conspiracy earlier this year. 

According to the guilty plea, Clark, Street and others participated in a pattern of racketeering activity that included multiple acts involving gun point robberies; attempted murders; drug distribution, including cocaine, heroin and crack cocaine; and obstruction of justice and witness intimidation.

According to court documents, Clark was a member of the Northview Heights/ Fineview Crips, a criminal street gang operating out of the Northview Heights public housing facility in the Northside neighborhood, and in the nearby Fineview neighborhood.  The gang had been operating in Northside since 2002, when in 2003 it formed an alliance with the Brighton Place Crips to expand the gang’s drug trafficking territory and increase the gang’s capability for violence.   Street was a member of the Brighton Place Crips, a criminal street gang that controlled an area of Brighton Place and Morrison Street, also known as the Mad Cave, and Federal Street in the Northside area of Pittsburgh.

The Brighton Place/Northview Heights Crips gang maintains exclusive control over drug trafficking in these neighborhoods through continuous violence and intimidation of rivals and witnesses.  Members of the gang support each other through payment of attorneys’ fees, bond, jail commissary accounts and support of incarcerated members’ families.  

In addition, the Brighton Place/Northview Heights Crips gang maintains an ongoing feud with the Manchester Original Gangsters, a criminal street gang located in the Manchester area of the Northside Section of Pittsburgh.   Brighton Place/Northview Heights Crips gang members identify themselves by wearing blue, using Crips gang hand signals, and using phrases such as “Cuz,” “C-Safe,” “Loc,” and “G.K.”  Members and associates of the enterprise obtained greater authority and prestige within the enterprise based upon their reputation for violence and their ability to obtain and sell a steady supply of illegal drugs.

According to court documents, Clark and Street each acted as a “hustler” or distributor of heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine for the gang.   Clark also acted as a “soldier” or enforcer for the gang, providing protection for the enterprise through the commission of violent crimes.

Also yesterday, co-defendant Hosea Ghafoor was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Clark, Street and Ghafoor are among 26 defendants charged in February 2010 with being members of, and conducting racketeering activity through, the Brighton Place/Northview Heights Crips gang.  This prosecution resulted from a Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force investigation that began in 2005.  To date, all members of the Brighton Place/ Northview Heights Crips who were charged in this indictment have pleaded guilty to racketeering charges.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles A. Eberle and Troy Rivetti of the Western District of Pennsylvania and Trial Attorney Kevin L. Rosenberg of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section.  The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police; the Allegheny County, Penn., Police Department; and the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office.

Three Pittsburgh Crips Members Sentenced to Prison on Racketeering Charges

WASHINGTON – Dominique Steele, Nicky Evans and Jamar Pharr, of Pittsburgh, were sentenced this week in federal court on charges of conspiring to conduct a racketeering enterprise, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney David J. Hickton of the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Jamar Pharr, 27, aka “Brownway,” was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge Gustave Diamond to 10 years in prison.   Pharr pleaded guilty on Aug. 18, 2011, to one count of conspiracy to engage in a racketeering enterprise.

Dominique Steele, 21, aka “C-Flack,” was sentenced yesterday to 15 years in prison by Judge Diamond.   Steele pleaded guilty on Aug. 25, 2011, to one count of conspiracy to engage in a racketeering enterprise and one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Nicky Evans, 31, aka “Yamma,” was sentenced yesterday to 88 months in prison.   Evans pleaded guilty on Aug. 23, 2011, to one count of conspiracy to engage in a racketeering enterprise.

According to the guilty pleas, Steele, Pharr, Evans and others participated in a pattern of racketeering activity that included robberies at gun point; attempted murders; distribution of cocaine, heroin and crack cocaine; and obstruction of justice and witness intimidation.

According to court documents, Pharr and Steele were members of the Northview Heights/ Fineview Crips, while Evans was a member of the Brighton Place Crips.   The Brighton Place Crips were a criminal street gang that controlled an area of Brighton Place and Morrison Street, also known as the Mad Cave, and Federal Street in the Northside area of Pittsburgh.  The Brighton Place Crips were formed in the early 1990s; in 2003, it formed an alliance with the Northview Heights/ Fineview Crips.  This alliance expanded the gang’s drug trafficking territory, and increased the number of gang members and associates available to preserve and protect the gang’s power, territory and profits through violence.

The Brighton Place/Northview Heights Crips gang maintains exclusive control over drug trafficking in these neighborhoods through continuous violence and intimidation of rivals and witnesses.  Members of the gang support each other through payment of attorneys’ fees and bonds, as well as payments to jail commissary accounts and support payments to incarcerated members’ families.  

In addition, gang members had violent confrontations with members of the rival Manchester OG’s and other street gangs operating in the Northside Section of Pittsburgh.  Members and associates obtained greater authority and prestige within the enterprise based on their reputation for violence and their ability to obtain and sell a steady supply of illegal drugs.  According to court documents, the Brighton Place/Northview Heights Crips gang members identify themselves by wearing blue, flashing Crips gang hand signals, and using phrases such as “Cuz,” “C-Safe,” “Loc” and “G.K.”   

Steele, Evans and Pharr are three of the 26 defendants charged in February 2010 with being members or associates of the Brighton Place/Northview Heights Crips, a racketeering enterprise.   This prosecution resulted from a Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force investigation that began in 2005.  To date, all members or associates of the Brighton Place/ Northview Heights Crips who were charged in this indictment have pleaded guilty to racketeering charges.       

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles A. Eberle and Troy Rive tti of the Western District of Pennsylvania and Trial Attorney Kevin Rosenberg of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section.  The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police; the Allegheny County, Penn., Police Department; and the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office.

Two Pittsburgh Residents Sentenced on Racketeering Charges

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WASHINGTON – Two Pittsburgh residents were sentenced to prison this week on racketeering charges relating to their involvement with the Brighton Place/Northview Heights Crips, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney David J. Hickton of the Western District of Pennsylvania.

James Pendleton, 30, aka “Jim Bob,” was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge Gustave Diamond to 112 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.  Pendleton pleaded guilty on June 30, 2011, to one count of conspiracy to engage in a racketeering enterprise.

Devon Shealey, 25, was sentenced on Oct. 25, 2011, by Judge Diamond to 57 months in prison.  This sentence will run concurrent to a 34-68 year prison sentence he is currently serving for related crimes.  Shealey pleaded guilty on Aug. 18, 2011, to one count of violence in the aid of racketeering.

According to the guilty pleas, Pendleton and Shealey were associates of the Brighton Place/Northview Heights Crips street gang, which participated in a pattern of racketeering activity that included multiple acts involving robberies at gun point; attempted murders; distribution of controlled substances, including cocaine, heroin and crack cocaine; and obstruction of justice and witness intimidation.

According to court documents, Pendleton was an associate of the Brighton Place Crips, a criminal street gang that controlled an area of Brighton Place and Morrison Street, also known as the Mad Cave, and Federal Street in the Northside area of Pittsburgh.  The Brighton Place Crips were formed in the early 1990s; in 2003, it formed an alliance with the Northview Heights/ Fineview Crips.  This alliance expanded the gang’s drug trafficking territory, and increased the number of gang members and associates available to preserve and protect the gang’s power, territory and profits through violence.

The Brighton Place/Northview Heights Crips gang maintains exclusive control over drug trafficking in these neighborhoods through continuous violence and intimidation of rivals and witnesses.  Members of the gang support each other through payment of attorneys’ fees and bonds, as well as payments to jail commissary accounts and support payments to incarcerated members’ families. 

In addition, gang members had violent confrontations with members of the rival Manchester OG’s, and other street gangs operating in the Northside section of Pittsburgh.  Members and associates obtained greater authority and prestige within the enterprise based on their reputation for violence and their ability to obtain and sell a steady supply of illegal drugs.  According to court documents, the Brighton Place/Northview Heights Crips gang members identify themselves by wearing blue, flashing Crips gang hand signals, and using phrases such as “Cuz,” “C-Safe,” “Loc” and “G.K.” 

According to court documents, Pendleton was a “connect” for the gang, supplying members of the enterprise with cocaine and crack cocaine.

Pendleton and Shealey are two of 26 defendants charged in February 2010 with being members or associates of, and conducting racketeering activity through, the Brighton Place/Northview Heights Crips gang.  This prosecution resulted from a Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force investigation that began in 2005.  To date, all members of the Brighton Place/Northview Heights Crips who were charged in this indictment have pleaded guilty to racketeering charges.

      

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles A. Eberle and Troy Rivetti of the Western District of Pennsylvania and Trial Attorney Kevin Rosenberg of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section.  The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police; the Allegheny County, Penn., Police Department; and the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office.

Two Pittsburgh Crips Members Plead Guilty to Racketeering Charges

Additional Pittsburgh Crips Gang Member Sentenced to Prison

WASHINGTON – Two members of the Crips gang pleaded guilty today in federal court in Pittsburgh to charges of conspiring to conduct a racketeering enterprise, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney David J. Hickton of the Western District of Pennsylvania. 

Jamar Pharr, 27, of Pittsburgh, aka “Brownway,” pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to engage in a racketeering enterprise before Senior U.S. District Judge Gustave Diamond in the Western District of Pennsylvania.  Devon Shealey, 25, of Pittsburgh, pleaded guilty before Judge Diamond to one count of violence in aid of racketeering. 

In addition, yesterday Karl Anger, 22, aka “K-Loc,” was sentenced by Judge Diamond to 58 months in prison for conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise, consecutive to 72 months he is currently serving on a state court conviction for an aggravated assault shooting, for a total of 130 months in prison.  The shooting was also charged in the federal indictment as part of the racketeering conspiracy.  Anger pleaded guilty on Jan. 19, 2011, to the federal racketeering conspiracy charge. 

According to court documents, Pharr, Shealey, Anger and others participated in a pattern of racketeering activity that included robberies at gun point; attempted murders; distribution of heroin and crack cocaine; obstruction of justice and witness intimidation.  The three defendants were members of different gangs in the Northside area of Pittsburgh that formed an alliance in 2003 to expand the gang’s drug trafficking territory and increase the gang’s membership to better protect their territory and profits.  Members of the gang, known as the Brighton Place/Northview Heights Crips, maintained exclusive control over drug trafficking in these neighborhoods through continuous violence and intimidation of rivals and witnesses.  Gang members supported each other through payment of attorneys’ fees and bonds, as well as payments to jail commissary accounts and support payments to incarcerated members’ families.  

Gang members had violent confrontations with members of the rival Manchester OGs, and other street gangs operating in the Northside area of Pittsburgh.  Members and associates obtained greater authority and prestige within the enterprise based on their reputation for violence and their ability to obtain and sell a steady supply of illegal drugs.  According to court documents, the Brighton Place/Northview Heights Crips gang members identify themselves by wearing blue, flashing Crips gang hand signals, and using phrases such as “Cuz,” “C-Safe,” “Loc” and “G.K.”   

According to court documents, Pharr was considered a respected member and leader in the enterprise.  Pharr had a reputation for violence, and instructed other members and associates of the enterprise as to how to conduct the affairs of the enterprise, including how to possess and distribute firearms and controlled substances, and how to commit acts of violence and witness intimidation.  Pharr also distributed controlled substances, including heroin.  

Shealey and Anger were considered “gorillas” or “soldiers” for the enterprise, providing protection for the enterprise through the possession of firearms and committing acts of violence.  Specifically, according to Shealey’s plea agreement, he was involved in shooting at a member of the Manchester OGs, in an effort to maintain and increase his position within the gang.  According to information presented at sentencing, Anger obstructed justice when he tried to convince the victim in his assault case not to testify.

At sentencing, Pharr and Shealey each face maximum prison sentences of 20 years.   Shealey is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 19, 2011, at 11:00 a.m., and Pharr on Dec. 15, 2011, at 10:00 a.m.

Pharr, Shealey and Anger are three of 26 defendants charged in February 2010 with being members of, and conducting racketeering activity through, the Brighton Place/Northview Heights Crips gang.  This prosecution resulted from a Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force investigation that began in 2005.  To date, 23 members or associates of the Brighton Place/ Northview Heights Crips who were charged in this indictment have pleaded guilty to racketeering charges.           

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles A. Eberle and Troy Rivetti of the Western District of Pennsylvania and Trial Attorney Kevin Rosenberg of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section.  The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police; the Allegheny County, Penn., Police Department; and the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office.

Pittsburgh Crips Gang Member Sentenced to 72 Months in Prison

WASHINGTON – A Pittsburgh man was sentenced today to 72 months in prison for conspiring to conduct a racketeering enterprise related to his membership in a Pittsburgh Crips gang, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney David J. Hickton of the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Terrell Henson, 26, aka “50,” pleaded guilty on Feb. 1, 2011, before Senior U.S. District Judge Gustave Diamond to one count of conspiracy to engage in a racketeering enterprise.

According to the guilty plea, Henson and others participated in a pattern of racketeering activity that included multiple acts involving robberies at gun point; attempted murders; distribution of controlled substances, including cocaine, heroin and crack cocaine; and obstruction of justice and witness intimidation.

According to court documents, Henson was a member of the Brighton Place Crips, a criminal street gang that controlled an area of Brighton Place and Morrison Street, also known as the Mad Cave, and Federal Street in the Northside area of Pittsburgh.  The Brighton Place Crips were formed in the early 1990s; in 2003, it formed an alliance with the Northview Heights/ Fineview Crips.  This alliance expanded the gang’s drug trafficking territory, and increased the number of gang members and associates available to preserve and protect the gang’s power, territory and profits through violence.

The Brighton Place/Northview Heights Crips gang maintains exclusive control over drug trafficking in these neighborhoods through continuous violence and intimidation of rivals and witnesses.  Members of the gang support each other through payment of attorneys’ fees and bonds, as well as payments to jail commissary accounts and support payments to incarcerated members’ families.  

In addition, gang members had violent confrontations with members of the rival Manchester OGs and other street gangs operating in the Northside area of Pittsburgh.  Members and associates obtained greater authority and prestige within the enterprise based on their reputation for violence and their ability to obtain and sell a steady supply of illegal drugs.  According to court documents, the Brighton Place/Northview Heights Crips gang members identify themselves by wearing blue, flashing Crips gang hand signals, and using phrases such as “Cuz,” “C-Safe,” “Loc” and “G.K.”   

According to court documents, Henson served as a “hustler” for the gang.  Hustlers were gang members who distributed controlled substances on behalf of the gang, in the territory controlled by the Northview Heights/ Brighton Place Crips.   

Henson is one of 26 defendants charged in February 2010 with being members of, and conducting racketeering activity through, the Brighton Place/Northview Heights Crips gang.  This prosecution resulted from a Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force investigation that began in 2005.  To date, 16 members of the Brighton Place/ Northview Heights Crips who were charged in this indictment have pleaded guilty to racketeering charges.           

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles A. Eberle and Troy Rive tti of the Western District of Pennsylvania and Trial Attorney Kevin Rosenberg of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section.  The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police; the Allegheny County, Penn., Police Department; and the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office.

Pittsburgh Crips Gang Member Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison

WASHINGTON – A Pittsburgh man was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for conspiring to conduct a racketeering enterprise related to his membership in a Pittsburgh Crips gang, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney David J. Hickton of the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Lynn Gibson, 26, was also sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Gustave Diamond to serve three years of supervised release following the prison term.    Gibson pleaded guilty on Feb. 2, 2011, to one count of conspiracy to engage in a racketeering enterprise.   

According to the guilty plea, Gibson and others participated in a pattern of racketeering activity that included multiple acts involving robberies at gun point; attempted murders; distribution of controlled substances, including cocaine, heroin and crack cocaine; and obstruction of justice and witness intimidation.

According to court documents, Clark was a member of the Northview Heights/ Fineview Crips, a criminal street gang operating out of the Northview Heights public housing facility in the Northside neighborhood, and in the nearby Fineview neighborhood of Pittsburgh.  The gang had been operating in the Northside since 2002; in 2003, it formed an alliance with the Brighton Place Crips to expand the gang’s drug trafficking territory and increase the gang’s capability for violence.  

The Brighton Place/Northview Heights Crips gang maintains exclusive control over drug trafficking in these neighborhoods through continuous violence and intimidation of rivals and witnesses.  Members of the gang support each other through payment of attorneys’ fees and bonds, as well as payments to jail commissary accounts and support payments to incarcerated members’ families.  

In addition, the Brighton Place/Northview Heights Crips gang maintains an ongoing feud with the Manchester Original Gangsters, a criminal street gang located in the Manchester area of the Northside Section of Pittsburgh.   Brighton Place/Northview Heights Crips gang members identify themselves by wearing blue, using Crips gang hand signals, and using phrases such as “Cuz,” “C-Safe,” “Loc,” and “G.K.”    According to court documents, members and associates of the gang gain greater authority and prestige within the gang based upon their reputation for violence and their ability to obtain and sell a steady supply of illegal drugs.

According to court documents, Gibson was considered a respected member of the gang who sold narcotics and taught other members how to successfully distribute narcotics.   Gibson was involved in the distribution of heroin, and possessed firearms in connection with the enterprise’s criminal activities.

Gibson is one of 26 defendants charged in February 2010 with being members of, and conducting racketeering activity through, the Brighton Place/Northview Heights Crips gang.  This prosecution resulted from a Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force investigation that began in 2005.  To date, 16 members of the Brighton Place/ Northview Heights Crips who were charged in this indictment have pleaded guilty to racketeering charges.           

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles A. Eberle and Troy Rivetti of the Western District of Pennsylvania and Trial Attorney Kevin Rosenberg of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section.  The case was investigated by the ATF; the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police; the Allegheny County, Penn., Police Department; and the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office.

San Francisco Man Sentenced to Probation for Interfering with a Flight Crew

PITTSBURGH—A resident of San Francisco, California has been convicted and sentenced in federal court in Pittsburgh to five years' probation on a charge of interfering with a flight crew, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today. The defendant was also ordered to make restitution of $6,804.00 to U.S. Airways for causing the diversion of his flight to Pittsburgh.

Senior United States District Judge Gustave Diamond imposed the sentence on Kinman Chan, 32.

According to information presented to the court, on or about Jan. 31, 2010, while on a U.S. Airways flight from Philadelphia to San Francisco, Chan assaulted a flight attendant by attempting to "elbow" her while being escorted to his seat after causing a disturbance in the aircraft lavatory. The incident forced the pilot to divert the flight to Pittsburgh. Chan told FBI agents who met the flight in Pittsburgh that he had taken double the dose of his medically prescribed marijuana cookies prior to boarding his flight in Philadelphia. Chan advised FBI agents that he had been prescribed marijuana in California for carpal tunnel syndrome.

Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Diamond stated that the offense appeared to be an aberration, caused by Chan's overdose of medically prescribed marijuana.

Assistant United States Attorney Margaret E. Picking prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Allegheny County Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Chan.