Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney today announced the indictments of 18 people in gang-related incidents across Long Island, including people allegedly involved in the armed robbery of a ride-share driver in Wading River and the shooting that occurred outside of the home of Rep. Lee Zeldin.
Tierney said the arrests were the product of a long-term investigation covering 31 separate incidents across the island dating back to October 2021, and that all those arrested are alleged members or associates of the Mastic-Shirley territorial street gang known as “No Fake Love,” or “NFL,” which also has a presence in Riverhead. The gang is also affiliated with the national Crip and Blood street gangs, Tierney said.
“On our first day when we took office, we talked about how we were going to work with our law enforcement partners, we were going to build big gang conspiracy cases, we were going to marry the violence to those conspiracy cases, we were going to make sure that people are held in on bail and that they’re held responsible for their acts of violence and what they’re doing to our communities,” Tierney said during a press conference Monday in the district attorney’s Riverhead office. “And we’ve been able to do that in this case.”
Included in the arrests were three men who allegedly committed assault and armed robbery of a Lyft driver in Wading River, an incident which occurred on April 13 around 2 a.m.. Shati Roy Jr., Corey Foggy and David Trent were charged with Robbery in the First Degree in connection with the incident, the DA said. Riverhead Police arrested Roy for the incident a week after it occurred, but did not release his name.
During the press conference, Tierney showed a video of the incident captured by a camera inside the stolen vehicle. The video showed Roy reach over and repeatedly strike the driver’s head and body, while Roy and Trent pointed guns at the driver, with one shouting “Shoot him! Get out of the car.”
The driver was forced out of his vehicle and suffered lacerations to his forehead, head and knee as a result of the crime, according to Tierney. The mounted camera was thrown out of the window by Roy shortly after entering the driver’s seat. The camera was later recovered by Riverhead Police, Tierney said.
Foggy and Trent, both 18 and from Mastic, face up to 25 years in prison for the incident, Tierney said. Roy, 15, faces up to three-and-a-half to 10 years, due to his age.
“I think what’s instructive in that case is the glee with which they’re undertaking the robbery and clearly appears to be enjoying the fact that they’re terrifying the Lyft driver, who’s just trying to make a living,” Tierney said. “This stuff is serious, and law enforcement takes it serious.”
Also related to the investigation into the gang were three men arrested in Wading River on Oct. 7 for Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree. Matthew Walker, 17 of Wading River, was arrested in his residence in Wading River along with Jason Parker, 21, and Kevin Cabrera, 17, during a search warrant executed by investigators from the District Attorney’s Office, Suffolk County Police and Riverhead Police, who recovered a .9 mm Taurus pistol from the home. All the men face up to 15 years imprisonment.
“This is just another great example of how effective we are when we work together with our law enforcement partners to rid these heinous criminals from our communities here on the East End of Long Island,” Riverhead Police Chief David Hegermiller said in a press release issued by Tierney’s office. “On behalf of our residents and our department, I want to thank Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office and the Suffolk County Police Department for their continued support and cooperation in helping us to bring these cases to fruition.”
Noah Green, 18, of Shirley, who was arrested on Oct. 31 and is accused of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree in connection with the shooting that occurred in front of Rep. Lee Zeldin’s home on Oct. 6, was also an alleged member of the NFL gang, Tierney said.
Tierney said Green was allegedly driving a stolen 2022 Honda CRV when he shot out of the driver’s window at three rival gang members, striking two of them in the chest. The victims survived the shooting, which received national media attention because it took place in front of the home of the congressman, who was running for governor.
Tierney said Green “boasted” about committing the shooting to fellow gang members and was arrested attempting to escape law enforcement after being approached by police while entering the Honda used in the crime. A microscopic analysis of the pistol recovered from Green during his arrest showed that it was the same pistol used in the shooting. Green faces up to 25 years in prison for the shooting, Tierney said.
In a statement today, Zeldin celebrated Green’s indictment and thanked local law enforcement and Tierney for their work on the case.
“I am very grateful to Suffolk County law enforcement and DA Ray Tierney for their efforts to not only solve the case of the shooting outside my family’s home and holding the shooter accountable, but indicting 18 gang members in total,” Zeldin said. “Their efforts and dedication to the rule of law will go a long way towards making our communities safer for all law-abiding New Yorkers.”
Other gang-related crimes include the burglary of seven French bulldogs from a home, a shootout in Nassau County, and the murder of a man and the non-fatal shooting of two others outside the Minx Nightclub in Farmingville allegedly committed by Trent.
Several vehicle thefts were also incidents covered under the indictments. Tierney said the vehicles were used to transport firearms, execute shootings and sold to fund the purchase of guns and fund the gang, Tierney said.
Tierney said Keandre Hudson and Janell Johnson, two high-ranking incarcerated members of the NFL gang, gave orders for and encouraged the alleged crimes while in prison. They are both charged with Conspiracy in the First degree and face up to 25 years to life in prison, according to Tierney.
Ten of the 18 individuals indicted were taken into custody on Thursday and one was taken into custody today. Seven other indicted defendants were already in custody on other charges, according to Tierney. All of the defendants were arraigned and have been held on significant bail or remanded without bail, Tierney said.
Investigators took a total of eight loaded handguns off the street as a result of the investigation, the district attorney said.
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