Eighteen alleged members and associates of a Riverhead-based gang known as the “48 Gang” have been indicted in a 57-count case charging two murders, five shootings, eight armed robberies and the possession of 13 illegal weapons, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney announced at a press conference in Hauppauge Friday.
Prosecutors allege the gang operated primarily in Riverhead, in the areas around Oakland Drive, the Doctors Path apartments and the River Pointe apartments on East Main Street.
The indictment follows what prosecutors described as a multi-year investigation by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office Gang Violence Task Force in partnership with the Riverhead Police Department, Suffolk County Police Department, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, Southampton Town Police Department, Nassau County Police Department, the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force.
Among the most serious charges are murder counts against Justin Dicks, 24, of Riverhead, and Jacob Moore, 24, of Riverhead, in the October 2021 fatal shooting of Marcel Arrington, 18, in Mastic Beach.
Nickomas Allen, 38, of Riverhead, is charged in the January 2023 fatal shooting of James Ayers, 47, of Mastic, on East Main Street in Riverhead, according to prosecutors.
The indictment also charges Kyren Braunskill, 34, of Mount Vernon, currently a detective with the Mount Vernon Police Department, with conspiracy related to the alleged sale and possession of illegal firearms involving gang members in 2021 and 2022.
According to prosecutors, the investigation found that alleged gang members shared illegal firearms and used them in shootings and armed robberies. Prosecutors also allege the defendants used violence to establish dominance in the Riverhead area and funded criminal activity through robberies, firearms sales, narcotics sales and financial fraud.
“I’d like to thank the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, as well as all the agencies that made this case a success,” Riverhead Police Chief Ed Frost said, according to a press release issued by the D.A.
“Above all else this case highlights two critical points. First, the violent acts of a few will not be allowed to destroy the lives of many. Second, this case highlights the fact that no one is above the law,” Frost said. “I also would like to recognize the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office for its tireless efforts and unwavering partnership with our police department. This case is a direct result of that collaboration.
Among the incidents outlined by prosecutors:
On June 23, 2021, Moore, Dicks and Javon Holliday, 23, of Riverhead allegedly fired multiple shots into an Aquebogue residence after a dispute with several individuals. A 74-year-old woman and a 76-year-old man were inside the home, but no one was injured, prosecutors said.
On Sept. 26, 2022, Elias Lugo, 20, of Riverhead, Acorey Hobbs, 20, of Southampton and Omarion Francis, 21, of Coram allegedly traveled to Bellport armed with multiple firearms and opened fire on a group of rival gang members. No injuries were reported, according to prosecutors.
On Jan. 6, 2023, Allen allegedly shot Ayers in the head following a fight in the parking lot of 821 East Main Street and a subsequent confrontation farther west on Main Street, prosecutors said. Ayers later died from his injuries.
In the early morning hours of Sept. 26, 2023, Dicks, Moore, Brandon Johnson, 21, of Riverhead and Jeonta Scott, 25, of Riverhead, allegedly robbed two 7-Eleven stores at gunpoint, one in Central Islip and another in North Bellmore, within less than an hour, according to prosecutors.
In September 2024, Demario Weston, 23, of Farmingville, Kevin Setchoy, 23, of Mastic and Joel Sandoval Llamas, 26, of Riverhead allegedly conspired to rob the El Quetzal Deli on Flanders Road in Flanders. Prosecutors allege Weston entered the deli armed with a firearm, stole about $6,000 and pistol-whipped the clerk.
Dicks and Moore are both in custody and scheduled to be arraigned April 2 before Acting State Supreme Court Justice Anthony S. Senft Jr., according to the district attorney’s office.
Allen is in federal custody in Pennsylvania on an unrelated matter and will be transported to Suffolk County for arraignment at a later date, prosecutors said.
Lugo was arraigned March 26 and ordered held on bail. Braunskill and Courtney Gregg, 34, of Riverhead were arraigned March 26 and placed on supervised release with GPS conditions because the charges against them are not bail-eligible under state law, according to prosecutors.
Also charged in the indictment are:
Kendall Gamble, 26, of Shirley, charged with Conspiracy in the Second Degree. He was arraigned on March 26 and held on bail, the D.A. said.
Javonette Nash, 25, of Riverhead, charged with Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree. He is currently being held on charges under an unrelated indictment and is scheduled to be arraigned March 31, according to prosecutors.
Andre Willliams, 25, of Calverton, who faces a top count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree. He is currently incustody and scheduled to be arraigned on April 2, the D.A.’s press release said.
Tiana MacDonald, 24, of Farmingville, charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a Class B felony. She is scheduled to be arraigned on April 9. Her charges are non-bail eligible under New York State law, prosecutors said.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys William Richards and Kenneth Collado of the district attorney’s Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau.
Criminal complaints and indictments are accusations. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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