Trenton,
N.J. – Attorney General Paula T. Dow,
Department of Corrections Commissioner Gary
M. Lanigan, and New Jersey State Police
Major Matthew Wilson today announced charges
against eighteen members and associates
of the violent Nine Trey Headbusters set
of the Bloods street gang. The charges stemmed
from an investigation launched by the New
Jersey Department of Corrections in April
of 2007 into the in-prison activities of
Michael Anderson, 37. Anderson is incarcerated
at the New Jersey State Prison after being
convicted of death by auto and eluding.
In
October 2007, the State Police Street Gang
North Unit and the Division of Criminal
Justice started working with the New Jersey
Department of Corrections to look into the
criminal activities of Michael Anderson
and the Nine Trey Headbusters. The investigation
was dubbed “Operation Hard Hat.”
Anderson
has been identified as holding the status
of “Godfather,” which is the
highest ranking position in the gang. Anderson
directed and supervised external gang activities
from inside the New Jersey State Prison.
The State Police Street Gang North Unit
determined that Anderson controlled the
distribution of narcotics, and dictated
promotions and punishments of members who
went against his rule. He also demanded
that money be collected from members to
keep his prison phone account active.
“We
will continue to utilize intelligence-led
policing methods, including the monitoring
of inmates, to aggressively investigate
and prosecute members of violent street
gangs in New Jersey," said Attorney
General Dow. “We partnered with numerous
law enforcement agencies in order to cast
a wide net over these targets today.”
“Are
the gang members among our inmate population
a significant concern? Yes. Are they running
the prisons? Absolutely not. This investigation
is the latest example of how a variety of
law enforcement agencies are able to work
together to curb illegal gang activities
and ultimately make New Jersey a safer place,”
said Commissioner Lanigan. “We are
particularly proud of the fine work of our
Special Investigations Division, which gathered
the information that launched this investigation.”
During
the investigation into Anderson, several
spin off investigations were initiated.
In one case the detectives learned of a
planned robbery. More intelligence enabled
Troopers and Jersey City Police to prevent
an armed robbery by 9-3 Headbuster members
Darryl Gilbert, Terriek Hammonds, and Teisha
Boundurant. They were stopped in a stolen
motor vehicle and found to be in possession
of a sawed-off, double barrel shotgun, and
a black face-mask.
Also,
further information was obtained regarding
the Devon Thompson Homicide in New Brunswick,
New Jersey. The gang members Syree Hakins,
37 and Davon Parker, 22 were indicted for
the Homicide. The Attorney General’s
Office will be prosecuting this homicide
as part of “Operation Hardhat.”
In
2006 a State Police Street Gang investigation
dubbed “Operation Nine Connect”
significantly disrupted the operations of
the Nine Trey set causing them to split
into three smaller, more fractured sets:
793 set, 93rd Hillside Killer Beehive set,
and the 9-3 Headbusters set.
"The
members of the Nine Trey set of the Bloods
are in relative disarray. Every time a new
set rises to fill the power vacuum, it becomes
the target for cooperative law enforcement
efforts such as this operation." said
Major Matt Wilson, commanding officer of
the Intelligence Section of the State Police.
“For
the second time this month, we are using
New Jersey's new anti-gang laws to charge
the leaders of a violent set of the Bloods
with the crime of promoting organized street
crime,” said Criminal Justice Director
Taylor. “That first-degree charge
carries a sentence of 15 to 30 years in
state prison. We will use every legal tool
we have in order to fight the street gangs
that are bringing drugs, guns and violence
into our communities.”
The
following agencies conducted and assisted
with the investigation:
• New Jersey Department of Corrections
– Special Investigation Division
• New Jersey State Police
• Division of Criminal Justice
• Hudson County Prosecutor’s
Office
• Essex County Prosecutor’s
office
• Middlesex County Prosecutor’s
Office
• Jersey City Police Department
• Newark Police Department
• New Brunswick Police Department
• Paterson Police Department
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