New Jersey’s Jersey City has a new mayor. U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced on Friday that ten members of a Jersey City gang with ties to the Marion Gardens Housing Complex had been indicted in connection with their alleged roles in a narcotics trafficking conspiracy. Likewise, two guys from Newark were also arrested and prosecuted.
Jersey City residents Herbert Thomas (age 48), Roger Pickett (age 22), Anthony Rogers (age 22), Naim Richardson (age 29), Quaseame Wilson (age 26), Javon Williams (age 21), Jawaad Davis (age 20), and Keith Anderson (age 21) have all been charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
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On Friday, a federal court was scheduled to hear the case against the defendants.
The investigation reveals that members and allies of the Marion Gardens street gang have been responsible for a number of violent crimes since March 2021, including a homicide on March 29, 2021, as well as homicides on November 20 and 1, 2021.
There was an attempted robbery of controlled drugs on November 1, 2022, in furtherance of the gang’s drug trafficking activities, according to a statement, and Davis enabled that murder by contacting the victim to organize a narcotics transaction, the statement stated.
According to a statement, when the victim and another associate arrived at the Marion Gardens Housing Complex to complete the narcotics transaction, Davis robbed the victim of his narcotics supply while Pickett and Wilson held the victim and his associate at gunpoint.
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Pickett then shot and killed the victim while the other associate fled. Next, Pickett and Wilson drove away from the Marion Gardens Apartments.
During the investigation, the police said that Thomas was the main supplier of narcotics to the Marion Gardens drug trafficking organization and that the gang engaged in hundreds of narcotics transactions in and around the Marion Gardens Housing Complex.
A fine of up to $5 million and a prison term of up to 40 years are possible outcomes for all accused.
