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OFFICIAL NEWS RELEASE

 
 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Office of Public Information (609) 882-2000
Capt. Al Della Fave ext. 6514
Lt. Gerald Lewis ext. 6516
Sgt. Stephen Jones ext. 6513
Sgt. Jeanne Hengemuhle ext. 6515

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 08, 2007


 
 
LEADERS AND DOZENS OF MEMBERS OF
NINE TREY STREET GANG INDICTED ON
RACKETEERING, DRUG CONSPIRACY CHARGES
Many also charged with murder, attempted murder or
conspiracy to commit murder


Indictment (PDF)

Trenton, N.J. - First Assistant Attorney General Anne Milgram and Criminal Justice Director Gregory A. Paw announced that a state grand jury has returned an indictment charging 46 members of the Nine Trey set of the Bloods street gang, including its top leaders, with first-degree racketeering and other charges stemming from a joint investigation by the New Jersey State Police and the Division of Criminal Justice.

The indictment was voted late yesterday and filed in court this morning. According to Director Paw, David “Duke” Allen, 34, who allegedly ran the gang from Trenton State Prison, and two of his top deputies, Jermaine Little, 34, and James Pringle, 34, both of Newark, were indicted on first-degree charges of leading a narcotics trafficking network. If convicted, they would face 25 years to life in prison on that charge alone.

The grand jury charged five other defendants with murder, two counts of felony murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the shooting death of Leroy Lindsey on January 23, 2006 at his house in Vineland. Those defendants are Steven Armstead, 26, of Millville; Almeen Palmer, 30, of Atlantic City; Quason Blake, 19, of Atlantic City; Kelsey Smith, 20, of Atlantic City; and Evelyn Parker Campos, 30, of Fairton.

Pringle and Michael Smart, 25, who is in jail in Atlantic County, were charged with attempted murder in connection with a shooting in Irvington on May 3, 2006, and Smart was charged with attempted murder in a second shooting in Irvington the following night. The murder, felony murder and attempted murder charges carry a potential prison sentence of 30 years to life.

The indictment charges 11 additional defendants with first-degree conspiracy to commit murder for alleged plots to kill other individuals. That charge carries a sentence of up to 20 years.

“The murderous acts alleged to have been carried out, attempted or plotted by these defendants in connection with Nine Trey activities attest to the tremendous violence of this particular set of the Bloods,” said First Assistant Attorney General Milgram. “With investigations and prosecutions targeting the leadership of these violent street gangs, we are seeking to reduce the gunfire and bloodshed that are plaguing many of our communities.”

“We’re going to keep targeting street gangs with prosecutions such as this one, which was launched with intelligence gathered by the State Police and other agencies, and was guided from the start by state prosecutors to ensure that we delivered a crippling blow to this violent gang,” said Director Paw.

“We will continue to utilize intelligence-led policing to reduce crime and eliminate violent gangs in New Jersey,” said Colonel Rick Fuentes, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. “The partnering of numerous agencies has led to these indictments today," added Fuentes.

There are a total of 48 defendants named in the 74-count indictment. A full list of defendants and charges is attached to this release, and the indictment is posted with this release at www.njpublicsafety.com.

Forty-six defendants are charged with both first-degree racketeering and second-degree conspiracy to possess and distribute narcotics. The racketeering charge carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, while second-degree conspiracy carries up to 10 years in prison.

In addition, John Abbey, 38, of Little Egg Harbor, a co-owner of the Atlantic City rap recording studio Black Wall Street East, was charged with second-degree money laundering for allegedly laundering $83,500 in criminal proceeds from Nine Trey activities, a portion of which was laundered through his business ventures. That charge carries a sentence of up to 10 years in state prison and a criminal fine of up to $500,000.

The defendants could be eligible for sentencing to an extended term on many of the charges if a jury finds the crimes were committed while the defendants were knowingly involved in criminal street-gang activity.

This matter was presented to the state grand jury by Deputy Attorneys General Andrew Butchko, John Corson Jr., Lauren Scarpa Yfantis, James Ruberton and Brent Hopkins. Also assisting in the case have been Supervising Deputy Attorneys General John Quelch, Mark Eliades and Debra Conrad; Assistant Attorneys General Gladys Rodriguez (Deputy Director of the Division of Criminal Justice), Patricia Prezioso, and Terry Merced; and Deputy Attorneys General Pedro Jimenez, Francine Ehrenberg, Frank Gennaro and Christine D’Elia

The indictment is merely an accusation and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. It was handed up to Superior Court Judge Neil H. Shuster in Mercer County, and the cases were assigned to Mercer County.

First Assistant Attorney General Milgram credited the detectives and investigators with the State Police and the Division of Criminal Justice who carried out the investigation. She also thanked the many law enforcement agencies that assisted in the investigation and arrests, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Newark Police Department, Trenton Police Department, Atlantic City Police Department, Pleasantville Police Department, Washington Township Police Department (Mercer County), Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office, Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office, Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, Tinton Falls Police Department, Mercer County Sheriff’s Office, Bordentown City Police Department, New Jersey Department of Corrections, and State Parole Officers.


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