Bloods Gang Member Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Racketeering Conspiracy

NEWARK—A member of the Paterson, New Jersey Fruit Town and Brick City Brims set of the Bloods street gang was sentenced today to 168 months in prison for conspiring to murder and kidnap a rival gang member and to distribute narcotics as part of a racketeering conspiracy, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Haleek State, 27, of Paterson, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler to a second superseding indictment charging him with conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Judge Chesler imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.

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

State, a member of the Fruit Town and Brick City Brims set of the Bloods, admitted that he conspired with fellow gang members Larry Mayo, John Benning, and Torien Brooks to murder a rival gang member, identified in court documents as “M.M.” State said the plan arose out of a disagreement between Brooks and M.M. On April 11, 2005, the four gang members kidnapped and pistol-whipped M.M., eventually taking him to the Paterson Falls to murder him. As the gang members exited the car, M.M. was able to escape and run down the street, saving his life.

State also admitted that he conspired with other individuals from January 2005 through January 2007 to sell cocaine in an apartment building on 16th Avenue in Paterson controlled by a Fruit Town Brims member.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Chesler sentenced State to three years’ supervised release.

Mayo and Benning have pleaded guilty to related offenses and await sentencing. The charges against Brooks remain pending.

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 today’s sentencing.

He also thanked the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes; 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 of the Criminal Division in Newark.

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 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 More Than 30 Years in Prison for Mistaken Identity Murder, Other Gang-Related Crimes

NEWARK, N.J. – Torien Brooks, a leader in the Fruit Town and Brick City Brims set of the Bloods street gang, was sentenced today to 362 months in prison for murdering an innocent teenager in a case of mistaken identity, kidnapping a rival gang member and conspiring to distribute narcotics as part of a racketeering conspiracy, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Brooks, 31, a/k/a “B.G.,” a/k/a “T-Bird,” a/k/a “Reek Boy” of Paterson, N.J., previously pleaded guilty 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. Brooks 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: Brooks admitted that he was responsible for a July 19, 2004, murder that occurred in Jersey City. Brooks stated that along with co-defendant Emmanuel Jones, 28, of Jersey City, N.J., a/k/a “Killer,” a/k/a “Killer E,” a/k/a “Emo,” 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.

Brooks also admitted that he conspired with fellow gang members Larry Mayo, 30, John Benning, 29, and Haleek State, 27, all of Paterson, to kidnap a rival gang member, identified in court documents as “M.M.” Brooks said the plan arose out of a disagreement he had with M.M. after M.M. changed Bloods sets without receiving permission. On April 11, 2005, the four gang members kidnapped and pistol-whipped M.M., eventually taking him to the Paterson Falls to murder him. As the gang members exited the car, M.M. was able to escape and run down the street, saving his life.

Brooks also admitted that he conspired with other individuals from April 2007 through March 2008 to smuggle heroin into Northern State Prison in Newark, where he was incarcerated and to sell heroin on the streets of Paterson, the proceeds of which were sent back to his prison commissary account.

Brooks was previously indicted by the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office for the July 2004 murder.

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

Jones, Mayo and Benning have pleaded guilty to related offenses and await sentencing. 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 Passaic County Prosecutor's Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes; 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 Colonel 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.

Bloods Gang Member Sentenced to 10 Years for Murder Plot

NEWARK, NJ—A member of the Fruit Town and Brick City Brims set of the Bloods street gang was sentenced today to 120 months in prison for conspiring to murder a rival gang member in April 2009 and illegally possessing firearms, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Thomas Haskins, 26, of Jersey City, N.J., previously pleaded guilty to an Information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering and one count of possession of two firearms by a convicted felon. Haskins 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:

Haskins admitted that he conspired with other Fruit Town and Brick City Brims members—including Gerard Jennette, a/k/a “Swizzy,” 27, and Samad McCallum, 24, of Elizabeth, N.J.—to kill a rival gang member, identified in court documents as “M.B.” They believed M.B. was responsible for ordering the murder of two Fruit Town and Brick City Brims members in Jersey City.

On April 27, 2009, Haskins, Jennette, and McCallum were arrested in Jersey City in a van with a loaded Kahr 9-mm handgun, a loaded Intratech Luger 9-mm semi-automatic Tec-9, and three ski masks.

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

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Ward; law enforcement officers from the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Frank X. Schillari; the Jersey City Police Department, under the direction of Police Director Samuel Jefferson and Chief Thomas Comey; and the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Edward J. De Fazio, with the investigation leading to today’s sentence.

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.

McCallum pleaded guilty to the same charges on July 22, 2011, and is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 5, 2012.

As for Jennette, the charges and allegations in the Complaint against him are merely accusations, and the defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Defense counsel: John Coyle Esq., Jersey City

New Jersey Gang Member Admits Mistaken Identity Murder

NEWARK, NJ—Emmanuel Jones, a set leader in the Fruit Town and Brick City Brims set of the Bloods street gang, admitted today to 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, 27, a/k/a “Killer E,” a/k/a “Killer,” a/k/a “Emo,” of Jersey City, N.J., pleaded guilty to one count of a second superseding Indictment filed against him in January 2011, which charged with him conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Jones entered his guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler in Newark federal court.

“This case illustrates the horror of gang violence and its devastating effect on innocent children in our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Fishman. “We will continue to use federal statutes, like RICO, to put those responsible in federal prison as we fight to keep New Jersey’s streets safe.”

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, 30, of Paterson, N.J., 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 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.

Jones was previously indicted by the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office for the July 2004 murder.

The racketeering conspiracy count to which Jones pleaded guilty carries a maximum potential penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. Jones is currently scheduled to be sentenced on October 25, 2011.

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 the charges.

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 Colonel 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.

As for Brooks, the charges contained in the second superseding Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

11-275 ### Defense counsel: Paul Condon Esq., Jersey City, N.J.; David Ruhnke Esq., Montclair, N.J.