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TRENTON
- Attorney General Paula T. Dow today announced
that the alleged leader of a Trenton gang
and participant in a series of crimes emanating
from the 2005 clash between three Trenton
gangs that left three people murdered, including
a 22-year-old woman who was caught in the
gunfire, pleaded guilty yesterday for possession
of a weapon by a convicted felon.
Robert
“Snoop” Christie, 25, of Trenton,
an alleged leader of the Nine Trey Gangsters
of Trenton, pleaded guilty yesterday to
an Accusation charging 2nd-degree certain
persons not to possess weapons before Mercer
County Superior Court Judge Edward Neafsey.
Judge Neafsey scheduled sentencing for August
30. As part of the plea agreement, the State
will recommend a sentence of five years
in New Jersey State Prison without possibility
of parole. The sentence will run consecutive
to an eight year prison sentence Christie
is currently serving in an unrelated case
for charges of possession with intent to
distribute a control dangerous substance
within 1,000 feet of a school and unlawful
possession of a weapon. Deputy Attorney
General Daniel I. Bornstein represented
the State at the plea hearing.
According
to Deputy Attorney General Bornstein, Christie
was indicted for his role in a string of
crimes committed during the Summer of 2005,
when violence erupted between the Gangster
Killer Bloods and two rival Bloods sets,
the Nine Trey Gangsters and Sex Money Murder.
Bernard Green, 29, a.k.a. Petey Black, a
“five-star general” in the Gangster
Killer Bloods or G-Shine set, allegedly
directed the gang’s activities, including
drug trafficking and violence involving
assault rifles and semi-automatic handguns,
which were used to defend the gang’s
turf and settle scores with other gangs.
In total, 14 Trenton residents were charged
with first-degree racketeering as members
of the Gangster Killer Blood set of the
Bloods street gang.
Green
and co-defendants were also charged with
three counts of murder, seven counts of
attempted murder, and five counts of conspiracy
to commit murder. In addition, Green and
10 other codefendants were charged with
conspiring to unlawfully possess, use and
traffick in guns. Green was personally charged
with being a leader of organized crime and
with numerous narcotics and weapons offenses.
Green
and Richard “Bandanna” Jenkins,
26, were charged in the June 20, 2005 murder
of Otis Jones, 26, who was shot in the head
at Brunswick Avenue and Sanford Street.
Jones allegedly was shot because he showed
disrespect to gang members while trying
to recover a gold necklace of his that had
been stolen. On June 9, 2011, in exchange
for a recommended sentence of 15 years in
state prison, with an 85 percent parole
disqualifier, Jenkins pleaded guilty to
charges of aggravated manslaughter and conspiracy
to commit murder before Judge Neafsey.
In
addition, Green and Keith “Droop”
Parker, 30, were charged in the murder of
Sharee Voorhees. Voorhees, 22, was fatally
wounded in gunfire on Monmouth Street on
Aug. 28, 2005. The men allegedly were part
of a group of gang members who targeted
a car they believed was occupied by Joseph
James, a.k.a. “Hell Rell,” a
reputed high-ranking member of the Nine
Trey Gangsters. It was the wrong car. The
car was driven by Michael Cadlett, who had
five passengers. One bullet struck Cadlett
in the stomach, and another traveled down
the street and hit Voorhees in the chest.
In
addition, Green, Anthony “Ace”
Coleman, 26, and Curtis “Lil Curt”
Hawkins, 24, were charged in the murder
of Kareem Washington, 28, of the Nine Trey
Gangsters. He was fatally shot in the neck
on Ellsworth Avenue on Aug. 28, 2005, the
same day Voorhees was shot, allegedly in
retaliation for shootings the day before
on Passaic Street that wounded three Gangster
Killer Bloods members.
Christie,
a fifteenth defendant, was charged in the
indictment with aggravated assault for allegedly
firing shots at the home of a Gangster Killer
Bloods member on August 28, 2005 and making
terroristic threats to Green in response
to the killing of Washington.
At
the plea hearing yesterday, Christie admitted
he was sentenced to prison in 2009 for possession
with intent to distribute a controlled dangerous
substance within 1,000 feet of a school
and unlawful possession of a weapon. He
also admitted that while in prison, he owned
a .45 caliber handgun, which he kept in
his residence. Christie also admitted that
he exercised dominion and control over the
handgun, and had the ability to direct others
to take possession of the weapon and transport
it. As a result of yesterday’s guilty
plea, all remaining charges against Christie
will be dropped.
Attorney
General Dow commended the dedicated efforts
of all of the attorneys and investigators
who have worked on the case, including:
For
the Division of Criminal Justice and its
Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau, Supervising
Deputy Attorney General Andrew Butchko,
Deputy Attorney General Daniel I. Bornstein,
Volunteer Associate Randy Miller, Deputy
Attorney General Steven Bennet, Lead Detective
Cortney Lawrence, Detective Edward Augustyn
III, Sgt. Keith Stopko, Lt. Richard J. Nocella,
Chief of Detectives Paul Morris and First
Deputy Chief of Detectives Allan Buecker.
For
the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office,
Assistant Prosecutor Lewis Korngut, who
is Chief of the Mercer County Homicide Unit,
Lead Detective Brian Kiely, Chief William
Straniero, Lt. Richard Frascella, Sgt. Michael
Novembre, Detective James Francis, and Retired
Detective Frank Clayton. For the Trenton
Police Department, Lt. Chris Doyle, Detective
Frank Guido, Detective Gary Britton, Detective
Nathan Bolognini, the Trenton Police Crime
Scene Unit, and Former Police Director Irving
Bradley.
For
the New Jersey State Police, the Electronic
Surveillance Unit and from the Organized
Crime Control Central Bureau, Bureau Chief
Lt. Rick Nuel, Lt. Jay Sullivan, Sgt. Jim
Burnham, and Trooper Chris Sharpe.
Attorney General Dow also credited the Mercer
County Sheriff’s Office and members
of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
VEST initiative for their valuable assistance.
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