Six Riverhead residents are among 31 alleged members of a subset of the Bloods street gang facing felony charges under a 103-count indictment announced today by Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney.
The long-term investigation that led to the indictments covered 34 separate incidents, including 18 shootings, three armed robberies, three long-term conspiracies, including a conspiracy to commit murder, and the recovery of 12 loaded handguns used in 13 shootings and armed robberies.
A 44-year-old school teacher was shot and killed by gang members on April 1, 2023 in Hempstead, according to the press release.
According to the indictment, the defendants are alleged members of the Bloodhound Brims street gang, which Tierney described as “an established and organized subset of the nationwide Bloods gang.”
The investigation into a series of violent acts allegedly committed by members of the Bloodhound Brims got underway in early 2022, and was conducted by multiple law enforcement agencies, Tierney said in a press release today.
Over the course of the almost two years, investigators executed over 100 search warrants into residences, vehicles, and digital sources to gather evidence and intelligence about members and associates of Bloodhound Brims, Tierney said.
“The investigation revealed the sprawling and extensive criminal conduct allegedly committed by members of BHB dating back to August 2021,” according to the press release.
The school teacher shot and killed on April 1 last year was Kimberly Midgette, who was in a vehicle on Polk Street in Hempstead when three gang members, including a juvenile, riding in a stolen vehicle opened fire on the victim’s car, striking Midgette in the head and another occupant in the arm, according to the indictment.
“The evidence suggests that Midgette was not the intended victim of the shooting, but rather, the shooting was one of mistaken identity,” Tierney’s press release states.
Jayvonte Nash, 23, and Jaheim Woodson, 22, both of Riverhead, face charges of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree and Attempted Assault in the First Degree, for attempting to cause the death of another person Oct. 29, 2022 in Riverhead. Nash and Woodson are also charged with Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree in connection with possession of a loaded firearm on that date.
Nash is also charged with Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree for recklessly engaging in conduct under circumstances evincing a depraved indifference to human life, creating a grave risk of death for another person. June 15 and June 18, 2022.
Nash is also charged with Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree on March 22, 2022.
On two dates in May 2023, Nash lured an individual to a location in Suffolk County under the guise that lower-ranking BHB gang members wanted to purchase marijuana from the individual and on that date ordered the lower-ranking gang members to rob the individual, according to the indictment.
Nash is also charged with Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, for conspiring with 14 other gang members to commit the crime of Robbery in the First Degree on or about Aug. 23, 2021 to Feb. 7, 2024, in the County of Suffolk. Among the co-conspirators charged with Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree is Tanaya Love, 21, of Riverhead.
Love also faces charges of Robbery in the First Degree and Robbery in the Second Degree for forcibly stealing property from another person on Sept. 27, 2023.
Octavious Rose, 22, Javon Holliday, 21, and Acorey Hobbs, 18, all of Riverhead face top counts of Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony, and up to 12 ½ to 25 years in prison.
The indictment describes how gang members allegedly coordinated the theft of vehicles, acquisition of firearms for the purpose of killing others, and conspiracies to kill other gang members and members of rival gangs.
One of the defendants, Latique Johnson, 44, of Victorville, California, is charged with directing and controlling gang activity from prison, where he amassed $31,000 in his Federal Bureau of Prisons account, funded by payments from local BHB gang leaders. The indictment details how gang members conspired to demand and collect fees from lower-ranking gang members for payment to Johnson.
The investigation was led by Special Investigator Daniel Crerend of the District Attorney’s Gang Task Force, Detective Christopher Marksberry of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Gun Crime Reduction Unit and Detective Daniel Hogan of the Riverhead Town Police Department.
Participants in the investigation included District Attorney investigators, Suffolk County Police detectives, members of the Riverhead Town Police Department, and members of the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, with the assistance of the District Attorney’s Violent Criminal Enterprise Bureau and in collaboration with members of the Nassau County Police Department, Southampton Town Police Department, United States Department of Homeland Security, United States Marshals Service, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
The investigation culminated in a five-month grand jury presentation, Tierney said.
The full list of indicted defendants is as follows:
1. Latique Johnson, 44, of Victorville, California, faces a top count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony, and up to 12 ½ to 25 years in prison.
2. Jussiah Herbert, 26, of Copiague, faces a top count Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony, and up to 12 ½ to 25 years in prison.
3. Oumar Barry, 27, of Hempstead, faces a top count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony, and up to 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison.
4. Jayvonte Nash, 23, of Riverhead, faces a top count of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, a Class B violent felony, and up to 25 years in prison.
5. Octavious Rose, 22, of Riverhead, faces a top count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony, and up to 12 ½ to 25 years in prison.
6. Janell Johnson, 21, of Bellport, faces a top count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony, and up to 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison.
7. Donovan Cannon, 25, of Wyandanch, faces a top count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony, and up to 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison.10
8. Raymond Villegas, 19, of Coram, faces a top count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony, and up to 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison.
9. Kariem Harrell, 21 of Medford, faces a top count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony, and up to 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison.
10. Jermaine Jackson, 19, of North Amityville, faces a top count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony, and up to up to 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison.
11. Isaiah Beauford, 18, of North Amityville, faces a top count of Assault in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony, and up to 25 years in prison.
12. Kamar Addison, 17, of Central Islip, faces a top count of Assault in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony, and up to 25 years in prison.
13. Khamari Elie, 19, of Hempstead, faces a top count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony, and up to up to 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison.
14. Jaidan Beaubrun, 20, of Port Jefferson Station, faces a top count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony, and up to up to 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison.
15. Keysean Meade, 17, of Wyandanch, faces a top count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony, and up to 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison.
16. Joel Badger, 18, of Medford, faces a top count of Robbery in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony, and up to 25 years in prison.
17. Reymon Rodriguez, 18, of Hauppauge, faces a top count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony, and up to 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison.
18. Omarian Francis, 19, of Coram, faces a top count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony, and up to 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison.
19. Amis Bonner, 22, of Shirley, faces a top count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony, and up to 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison.
20. Javon Holliday, 21, of Riverhead, faces a top count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony, and up to 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison.
21. Eric Roman, 17, of East Setauket, faces a top count of Robbery in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony, and up to 25 years in prison.
22. Andrew Little, 16, of Brightwaters, faces a top count of Robbery in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony, and up to 25 years in prison.11
23. Marwan Ghanem, 18, of East Setauket, faces a top count of Robbery in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony, and up to 25 years in prison.
24. Acorey Hobbs, 18, of Riverhead, faces a top count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a Class B felony, and up to 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison.
25. Jaheim Woodson, 22, of Riverhead, faces a top count of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, a Class B violent felony, and up to 25 years in prison.
26. Horace Hibbert, 18, of Massapequa, faces a top count of Assault in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony, and up to 25 years in prison.
27. Shanecke Tinch, 36, of Amityville, faces a top count of Hindering Prosecution in the Second Degree, a Class E felony, and up to 1 1/3 to 4 years in prison.
28. Aaron Beatty, 19, of Mastic, faces a top count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a Class C violent felony, and up to 15 years in prison.
29. Makhi Taylor, 25, of Ridge, faces a top count of Robbery in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony, and up to 25 years in prison.
30. Tanaya Love, 21, of Riverhead, faces a top count of Robbery in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony, and up to 25 years in prison.
31. Giavanna Pergola, 20, of Port Jefferson Station, faces a top count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a Class C violent felony, and up to 15 years in prison.
Editor’s note: Criminal charges are accusations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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