News Scarpino
DA Announces Indictments of 18 New Rochelle Gang Members “Operation Crip Keeper”
June 12, 2019 -- Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. with New Rochelle Police Commissioner Joseph F. Schaller, announced at a press conference earlier today, two multicount indictments of 18 individuals, as part of a yearlong investigation into violence and narcotics trafficking in the City of New Rochelle, dubbed “Operation: Crip Keeper.”
A Westchester County Grand Jury handed up a 50-count indictment against 14 members of the “8 Trey Crips” or “E.T.C,” a street gang operating in New Rochelle. The indictment, unsealed Tuesday before Westchester County Court Judge George Fufidio, included charges of conspiracy, attempted murder, robbery, burglary and a number of narcotics-related offenses.
See full press conference video on Westchester DA YouTube Channel
A second related 18-count indictment, also unsealed Tuesday, charged five individuals in connection with a conspiracy to possess and sell cocaine. One of them was also charged in the “8 Trey Crips” indictment.
The District Attorney’s Gang, Firearms and Narcotics Bureau has been working closely with New Rochelle Police to focus resources on members of this gang to stop violence, illegal weapons possession and the spread of illegal narcotics in the lower county.
Yesterday, law enforcement officers, including New Rochelle Police, Westchester County District Attorney’s Office Investigators, the Westchester County Police, the Westchester County Department of Probation, the Yonkers Police Department and the Mount Vernon Police Department with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, arrested 16 of the 18 defendants. Two are still being sought by police. Most were arraigned yesterday (Tuesday). Five of the defendants were incarcerated on prior charges.
Throughout the course of this investigation police recovered five handguns, a stun gun, and an assault rifle.
Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. said: “We value our safe quality of life here in Westchester and as long as there are gangs pushing cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and other narcotics, and creating violent enterprises to protect their territory, that safety is in jeopardy. As today’s arrests in New Rochelle, and earlier arrests in other communities, show we are committed to putting an end to gang control and violence and, just as importantly, to stopping the insidious sale of drugs which, all too frequently, cause death.”
New Rochelle Police Commissioner Joseph F. Schaller said: “Our focus is to keep New Rochelle safe and to rid our streets of gangs like the “8 trey Crips.” The New Rochelle Police Department thanks its law enforcement partners for their assistance both in the investigation and in the execution of warrants and arrests yesterday morning. With their help “Operation: Crip Keeper’ can be called a success.
Westchester County Department of Public Safety Commissioner Thomas A. Gleason said: “I commend all the agencies involved for working together effectively to bring this investigation to a successful conclusion. Teamwork and interagency cooperation continues to be a critical way that we keep Westchester safe and remove illegal narcotics and those who sell them from our streets.”
The Indictments
Defendants
To view a larger image of the defendants, click on each poster.
Indictment #19-0407
- Evan DeYoung Adams aka “Emula” (DOB 08/10/96) New Rochelle
- Brandon Brown aka “Bones” (DOB 06/24/93) Bronx
- Gerardo Alvarez aka “EZ” (DOB 09/18/00) New Rochelle
- Ebbin Croft aka “Dinero” (DOB 11/09/95) Yonkers
- Keyonnie Davis aka “Zeus” (DOB 04/23/96) New Rochelle
- Kody Fudge (DOB 09/01/91) New Rochelle
- Eduardo Gutierrez aka “Gio” (DOB 02/04/85) New Rochelle
- Artez Jackson aka “Tez” (DOB 10/16/96) New Rochelle
- Corey James aka “Curry” (DOB 11/23/95) New Rochelle
- Ashley Jankowski (DOB 12/17/89) New Rochelle
- Jamie Martindale (DOB 02/25/98) Mount Vernon
- Jahil Ricketts aka “Fat Boy” aka “Sheff” (DOB 07/05/97) Rye
- Jamier Starkes aka “Play” (DOB 05/08/96) Mount Vernon
- Sion Young aka “C Money” (DOB 01/05/92) Mount Vernon
Indictment #19-0610
- Eric Barnett (DOB 12/19/80) Mount Vernon
- Corey James aka “Curry” (DOB 11/23/95) New Rochelle
- Anton Morrison (DOB 3/20/1995), New Rochelle
- David Shelton (DOB 5/2/57), New Rochelle
- Miguel Tarrant aka “Zee” or “Zelda”
Details
On the first indictment, 14 members of the New Rochelle “8 Trey Crips” are charged with conspiracy to commit crimes including assault, criminal sale and possession of narcotics, and weapons offenses. Additionally, seven Crips were charged with conspiracy to commit murder. The indictment details the gang’s cocaine trafficking operation in New Rochelle as well as numerous violent incidents including a violent home invasion, three attempted murders and numerous narcotics and weapons related charges.
The indictment alleges, several of the defendants distributed cocaine from a residence at 110 Washington Avenue, New Rochelle. There, Brandon Brown aka “Bones” fielded calls from cocaine buyers and sent other Crips, including Artez Jackson aka “Tez,” to make the sales on his behalf.
The relationship between Brown and Jackson soured, however, when Brown was incarcerated at Rikers Island for a different case and Jackson began to sell directly to Brown’s customers. This conflict culminated with Brown shooting at Jackson Sept. 23, 2018, in the area of Walnut Street and Washington Avenue in New Rochelle.
Brown, along with Jamier Starkes aka “Play” and Eduardo Gutierrez aka “Gio,” also participated in an attempted murder Oct. 10, 2017, on Fountain Place in the City of New Rochelle where he and Starkes shot at a rival in an attempt to kill him. After that shooting, Brown sent videos of news coverage of the story to several people over Facebook private messaging bragging about the shooting and comparing himself to Elmer Fudd.
Five Crips members—Starkes, Gerardo Ernan Alvarez aka “EZ,” Corey James aka “Curry,” Jackson and Jahil Ricketts aka “Fat Boy” aka “Sheff”—were charged with attempted murder in relation to a May 8, 2018, shooting on May Street in New Rochelle where the group fired at a rival. Afterward, Ricketts picked up the shell casings, in an attempt to thwart the police investigation.
The gang often used coded language to communicate over the telephone and Facebook private messaging.
In separate incidents, not covered by this indictment, two of the gang members named here were arrested in Yonkers and Mount Vernon. Ebbin Croft aka “Dinero” was recently charged with Assault in the First Degree for a stabbing that occurred May 22, 2019, on a Bee Line Bus in the City of Yonkers. On June 6, 2019, Evan DeYoung Adams aka “Emula” was charged with the possession of two loaded handguns in Mount Vernon and an assault rifle in New Rochelle. All three weapons have been recovered.
The second indictment, unsealed Tuesday, charges Corey James, an “8 Trey Crip” member named in the first indictment, and four other defendants with conspiracy for working together in a cocaine trafficking operation. They were also indicted for multiple charges of the criminal possession and sale of controlled substances.
This sweep in New Rochelle is the third in the series of gang and drug investigations in recent months resulting from a collaboration between the DA’s Office and local police departments, including Port Chester and Mount Vernon, in an effort to combat narcotics trafficking and violence perpetrated by local gangs.
The case is being prosecuted by the Investigations Division Gang, Guns and Narcotics Bureau.
Additional Info
Details on Port Chester Sweep in April
Details of Mount Vernon indictment
In compliance with the Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 3.6, you are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
DA Announces Indictments on Attempted Murder and Conspiracy to Commit the Murder of an Eyewitness to Mount Vernon Shooting
Defendants: Jason Garcia, aka “Mecca-J” (DOB 03/21/93,) Mount Vernon;Laquanna Kershaw, aka “Q,” aka “Quanna” (DOB 09/13/87), Ossining; Cassaundra Dunham, Aka “Saun” (DOB 06/04/76), Yonkers;Damien Rickard, aka Damien Richardson, aka “Soldier” (DOB 07/21/77), Elmsford
May 25, 2019 -- Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. announced the indictment and arraignment of four defendants on multiple charges related to a plan to murder a witness in a pending criminal case, a plan devised from inside the Westchester County Jail.
“G-Shine Bloods” gang members Jason Garcia and Damien Rickard, along with Cassaundra Dunham and Laquanna Kershaw were indicted for Attempted Murder in the First Degree, Conspiracy in the Second Degree and other charges in relation to their attempts to murder an eyewitness. That underlying case charges Garcia and a co-defendant with attempted murder for a shooting at the Garden Bar in Mount Vernon Dec. 10, 2016. Two victims were shot there and permanently injured. That case was set to begin trial soon.
See full press conference video on Westchester DA YouTube Channel
The multicount indictment handed up by the Westchester County Grand Jury was unsealed at arraignment today by Westchester County Court Judge David Zuckerman.
The indictment reads as follows:
- Count 1: The four defendants are charged with Attempted Murder in the First Degree, a class A violent felony. The indictment alleges that together they attempted to commit the murder of an eyewitness.
- Count 2: All four defendants and a fifth unnamed co-conspirator are charged with Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a class C felony. The indictment states, from Aug. 21, 2018, to on or about March 16, 2019, they were involved in conspiring to commit the class A-1 felony of Murder in the First Degree to stop a witness from testifying.
- Count 3: Defendants Garcia, Dunham and Rickard are charged with Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony.
- Count 4: Kershaw is charged with Promoting Prison Contraband in the First Degree, a class D felony, for bringing an illegal phone charger into the jail.
- Count 5: Garcia is charged with Promoting Prison Contraband in the First Degree, a class D felony, for possessing an illegal cellphone.
Background
According to the indictment, defendants Jason Garcia and a co-defendant, while in remand in County Jail awaiting trial, conspired to commit murder. Defendants Laquanna Kershaw and Cassaundra Dunham were “girlfriends” of Garcia who were allowed to visit the jail and, in person and through phone calls, conspired with their co-defendants. While on release from jail on an unrelated case, defendant Rickard was recruited by his co-conspirators to find and kill the witness.
Throughout the investigation, Westchester County District Attorney Investigators learned that Garcia, while incarcerated at the County Jail, was using a secreted cellular telephone and other means to communicate with his accomplices. Through telephone calls, the co-conspirators used coded language to discuss their plans to locate and kill the witness. Garcia, a high-ranking member of the G-Shine Bloods gang, directed fellow G-Shine member, Rickard, to kill the witness and arranged for Dunham to provide Rickard with a loaded handgun, equipped with a laser-sight, for that purpose. Garcia and Kershaw discussed at length the whereabouts of the witness and the best place to commit the murder, preferring a location that did not have surveillance cameras.
On March 16, 2019, Dunham and Rickard were arrested in the vicinity of Park Avenue, Yonkers, after law enforcement surveilled the hand-off of the gun from Dunham to Rickard.
The case is being prosecuted by members of the Westchester County District Attorney’s Investigations Division Gang, Firearms and Narcotics Bureau and Public Integrity Bureau.
The District Attorney’s Office Investigations Division and Criminal Investigators were assisted in this investigation by the Westchester County Department of Correction and received additional support from the Yonkers Police Department, the Village of Ossining Police Department and the Westchester County Department of Public Safety.
Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. said:
“Our mission is always to keep Westchester safe and secure, and with that in mind, the safety of witnesses in every case is paramount. A witness to a crime should never fear coming forward. We do everything we can to ensure their safety and this case proves that.” DA Scarpino added, “In addition to commending the Department of Corrections for their work on this investigation, we reaffirm our commitment to working with them as important partners in law enforcement. We maintain that the safety and security of everyone in the jail is important. Swift and sure punishment of criminal behavior is the best way to ensure that such behavior does not recur or persist. We thank Yonkers Police, Ossining Police and Westchester County Police for their assistance in this example of true collaboration.”
Westchester County Executive George Latimer said:
“I would like to thank the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, with the Department of Correction for their work to uncover and investigate this attempted murder and conspiracy, which could have taken the life of a witness. Witness intimidation undermines the capacity of law enforcement to deliver justice to victims, which is essential.
I thank County Police, Yonkers Police and Ossining Police for their help in this long investigation.”
Correction Commissioner Joseph K. Spano stated:
“I would like to recognize the work of our Department’s Major Case Squad for its involvement in this highly-sensitive investigation. The Squad worked in close collaboration with the District Attorney’s Office and other police agencies for weeks, gathering critical jail-based intelligence which was relied on to support today’s indictments.”
Yonkers Police Commissioner Charles Gardner stated:
“This indictment further exemplifies how local law enforcement and prosecutors are committed to working together to keep our communities safe. In this instance, another illegal handgun was taken off the street and violence was averted. I applaud the efforts of the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, the Village of Ossining Police Department, the Westchester County Department of Public Safety, and our own Yonkers Police members for their hard work and diligence in this investigation.”
In compliance with the Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 3.6, you are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Media contact:
media@westchesterda.net
(914) 995-3586
Da Scarpino Joins Other District Attorneys in Support of Bail and Discovery Reform
Mar. 21, 2019 -- Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. joined with Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez, Bronx DA Darcel Clark, Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance, Jr., Nassau DA Madeline Singas and Suffolk DA Tim Sini in an Op-Ed in the New York Daily News showing their support for the Governor’s Criminal Justice Reform package but calls on the State Legislature to reconsider the proposals as written citing the safety of witnesses, victims and others.
In part, the Op-Ed reads:
“We support reform, and we want to see it enacted, but our concerns are real and, we believe, shared by the people we serve.
We believe that our positions — that witness and victim personal information should not be turned over without their consent, and that individuals who pose a safety threat to others should not be released while their cases are pending — are simply common sense.
The governor and the Legislature have heard our specific misgivings and have invited us to suggest changes that we believe will make these bills more protective of the safety of victims, witnesses, and the public.”
Read the entire Opinion article here: NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Justice Reform and New Laws Explained
Criminal justice reform took center stage this year as state lawmakers passed several measures aimed at ensuring greater fairness in our courts and throughout our criminal justice system. District Attorneys across New York State are brushing up on the new laws, which include bail and discovery reform, as they prepare to implement these measures when they go into effect January 2020.
Bail Reform
New York is now the third state to end the use of cash bail as an incentive to return to court for people accused of low-level offenses.
Under the State’s new bail reform policy, cash bail will not be required for most defendants accused of misdemeanors and non-violent felonies including those arrested for drug possession, or even many property crimes like theft and burglary. Instead, the law will encourage alternatives such as supervision by a pretrial services agency, which exist in every county to assist defendants after their release.
Judges will still be able to set bail for those charged with qualifying offenses, including violent felonies, witness intimidation or tampering, or violating an order of protection against a member of the same household.
Discovery Reform
In addition, we are working with colleagues in the District Attorney’s Association of the State of New York (DAASNY) to implement the changes brought on by new laws affecting discovery in the trial process.
Before a trial begins, there's a period of time in which both parties exchange information about the facts of the case. This is called discovery. Among other things, the new law will expedite timing of discovery in all criminal cases; require early compilation and disclosure of a prosecution witness list; and mandate discovery prior to the entry of a guilty plea to a crime. In connection with the new more strenuous time obligations, prosecutors must be provided with “complete” law enforcement agency records and files upon request and take proactive measures to ensure adequate information flow.
Other justice reforms which became law in 2019 include:
Child Victims Act
The Child Victims Act was signed into law Feb. 14, 2019. The legislation ensures those who abuse children are held accountable criminally and civilly and that survivors of childhood sexual abuse have a path to justice.
This legislation:
- Extends New York's statute of limitations to allow for criminal charges against sexual abusers of children until their victims turn 28 years old for felony cases, up from the current 23
- Allows victims to seek civil action against their abusers and institutions that enabled them until they turn 55
- As of Aug. 14, 2019, opens up a one-year, one-time-only period to allow all victims to seek civil action, regardless of how long ago the abuse occurred
Red Flag Law
This common-sense gun safety measure goes into effect August 24, 2019, just as the new school year begins. The law, also known as the Extreme Risk Protection Order law, prevents individuals who show signs of being a threat to themselves or others from purchasing or possessing any kind of firearm. This is the first red-flag law in the country which empowers school personnel to report their concerns and seek a protection order based on a person’s actions. The law provides all necessary procedural safeguards to ensure that no firearm is removed without due process while ensuring that tragedies be prevented. New York is now one of 14 states with red-flag laws.
How Video is Changing Pleas and Convictions
A picture is worth a thousand words and prosecutors know that to be true when it comes to video from the scenes and vicinities of crimes. The availability of video surveillance is changing the prosecution of serious crime in Westchester County. Police in Westchester aggressively obtain video from crime scenes, surrounding neighborhoods, and, sometimes, from multiple streets and locations where defendants were before, during and after a crime is committed.
Once the police obtain the digital footage from these locations, ADAs must carefully view it, make notes, and compare one video to the next. Prosecutors say this is invaluable evidence. It is hard for a defendant to deny holding a gun on someone or being at a crime scene when the video is produced. As a result of the increasing use of surveillance video in investigations, guilty pleas are more frequent saving time and law enforcement resources.
Photo
Still frame of video surveillance tapes submitted into evidence at the trial of Errol Hillary in the Christmas Day nightclub shooting rampage which left the owner dead and five others injured in Mount Vernon.
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Media contact:
media@westchesterda.net
(914) 995-3586
