NEWARK – Two members of the Newark street gang known as the “Famous Boyz” were sentenced to prison for conspiring to distribute crack cocaine and heroin, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Malik Minor, aka “YK,” 23, of Newark, was sentenced to 63 months in prison and five years of supervised release; Javon Holmes, aka “J-Dot,” 21, of Newark, was sentenced March 22, 2021, to 108 months in prison and four years of supervised release.
Minor previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo to an information charging him with one count of conspiring to distribute 28 grams or more of crack cocaine, and 100 grams or more of heroin.
Holmes previously pleaded guilty to a superseding information charging him with one count of conspiring to distribute 28 grams or more of crack cocaine, and 100 grams or more of heroin, and possessing with the intent to distribute 28 grams or more of crack cocaine. Judge Arleo imposed both sentences by videoconference.
According to the documents filed in this case and statements made in court: The Famous Boyz are a subset of the Brick City Brim set of the Bloods street gang, which dealt significant quantities of heroin and crack cocaine, primarily in and around the area of South 18th Street and 15th Avenue, in Newark. The gang often referred to this area as the “8 Block,” “18th,” or simply by reference to the number “8.”
In October 2018, Minor, Holmes, and 15 other members of a violent drug trafficking conspiracy operating in Newark were charged by complaint with conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and/or heroin following a lengthy wiretap investigation. Shaka McKinney and Jahid Vauters, aka “K,” aka “KO,” also were charged with firearms possession offenses. To date, 15 of the defendants have pleaded guilty to drug and firearm charges and three await sentencing.
On Feb. 25, 2019, a grand jury returned an indictment charging three of the defendants, Patricio Hernandez, Jonathan Hernandez, and Jonathan Garcia, aka “Bebo” with one count each of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 280 grams or more of crack cocaine for their alleged participation in supplying the “Famous Boyz” with cocaine. On Sept. 30, 2019, a grand jury returned a 21-count superseding indictment against Patricio Hernandez, Jonathan Hernandez, Garcia, Holmes, and John Mosley, aka “Breezy,” aka “Brazy.” The charges in the superseding indictment remain pending against Patricio Hernandez and Mosley.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of ATF, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Charlie J. Patterson in Newark, and members of the Newark Department of Public Safety, under the direction of Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose, with the investigation leading to the guilty pleas.
She also thanked the DEA, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson; the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II; the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Armando B. Fontoura; the N.J. State Police, under the direction of Col. Patrick J. Callahan; the Belleville Police Department, under the direction of Chief Mark Minichini; and the Livingston Police Department, under the direction of Chief Gary Marshuetz.
This case is being conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and is part of the Violent Crime Initiative (VCI) in Newark. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.
The VCI was formed in August 2017 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, and the City of Newark’s Department of Public Safety to combat violent crime in and around Newark. As part of this partnership, federal, state, county, and city agencies collaborate and pool resources to prosecute violent offenders who endanger the safety of the community.
VCI is composed of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the ATF, the DEA New Jersey Division, the U.S. Marshals, the Newark Department of Public Safety, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, N.J. State Board of Parole, Union County Jail, N.J. State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center/Real Time Crime Center, N.J. Department of Corrections, the East Orange Police Department, and the Irvington Police Department.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Angelica M. Sinopole of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Unit in Newark. The charges and allegations against the remaining defendants are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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