|
TRENTON
– Attorney General Stuart Rabner and
Criminal Justice Director Gregory A. Paw
announced that the Division of Criminal
Justice has obtained guilty pleas from the
top leaders of the Cash Money Brothers gang,
which formerly was one of the most violent
gangs in Plainfield.
According
to Paw, four gang members pleaded guilty
yesterday before Superior Court Judge Stuart
Peim in Union County, including the gang’s
leader, Sohn O’Connor. The guilty
pleas were entered pursuant to a July 19,
2006 indictment obtained by the Division
of Criminal Justice that charged 21 members
of the Cash Money Brothers gang with conspiring
to distribute large quantities of heroin
and cocaine in Plainfield and other communities.
“This
was a street gang that was looking to control
the distribution of cocaine and heroin in
Plainfield,” said Attorney General
Rabner. “Through the outstanding investigative
work of the Plainfield Police Department
and the State Police Street Gang Bureau,
our Division of Criminal Justice is sending
the top leaders of this gang to prison for
lengthy terms. We will continue to aggressively
target the violent street gangs that are
terrorizing our communities.”
“We
have doubled the number of attorneys in
the Division of Criminal Justice who are
assigned to fighting gangs, as outlined
in the reorganization announced this week”
said Director Paw. “Those attorneys
will work in concert with division investigators,
the State Police and our law enforcement
partners throughout New Jersey to effectively
prosecute gang leaders and members.”
Paw
noted that the following guilty pleas were
obtained:
- Sohn
Yakeem O’Connor, 28, of
Plainfield, the leader of Cash Money Brothers,
pleaded guilty to a first-degree charge
of leader of a narcotics trafficking network.
The state will recommend a sentence of
12 years in prison, six years without
possibility of parole.
-
Jacob Emanuel Smith,
30, of North Plainfield, who was O’Connor’s
lieutenant and enforcer in the gang, pleaded
guilty to first-degree possession of cocaine
with intent to distribute and second-degree
conspiracy. The state will recommend a
sentence of seven years in prison, 27
months without possibility of parole.
- Rashon
Fuquan Faulcon,
22, of Plainfield, who was the third-ranking
member of the gang and one of O’Connor’s
primary distributors, pleaded guilty to
first-degree possession of cocaine with
intent to distribute. The state will recommend
a sentence of seven years in prison, 30
months without possibility of parole.
Daniel Kwame Sarku, 21, of Plainfield,
pleaded guilty to second-degree conspiracy.
The state will recommend a sentence of
four years in prison.
Judge
Peim revoked bail for all four of the defendants
pending sentencing. All four are scheduled
to be sentenced on Feb. 16.
A
fifth man who was charged in the indictment,
Joseph Smith Bethea, 27, of Plainfield,
was sentenced yesterday by Judge Peim to
five years in prison following his Nov.
13 guilty plea to a second-degree charge
of eluding police. Additional defendants
in the case pleaded guilty in October and
November.
Deputy
Attorney General Pedro Jimenez and Supervising
Deputy Attorney General John Quelch are
handling the case for the Attorney General.
Jimenez took the guilty pleas.
Attorney
General Rabner credited the investigative
work of the Plainfield Police Department,
which was coordinated by Detective Kevin
O’Brien under the direction of Police
Chief Edward Santiago and Police Director
Martin Hellwig, as well as the Street Gang
Bureau of the New Jersey State Police, under
the direction of Superintendent Rick Fuentes.
|
