Twelve Members of the Bloods Street Gang Indicted on Racketeering, Murder, Drug Distribution, and Firearms Charges

An indictment was unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn this morning charging members of the “Nine-Trey Gangsters,” also known as the “Bugout Boyz,” a set of the Bloods street gang, with racketeering, murder, drug distribution, and firearms offenses. Two defendants, including Laron Spicer, were charged with the July 18, 2008, murder of a drug rival; eight defendants were charged with racketeering; nine defendants were charged with illegally possessing guns in connection with drug trafficking; three defendants were charged with armed robbery; and all defendants were charged with conspiring to distribute heroin and cocaine.1 The defendants arrested today are scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Andrew L. Carter, Jr., at the U.S. Courthouse, 225 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn, New York. The case is assigned to United States District Judge Sterling Johnson, Jr.

The charges were announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Janice K. Fedarcyk, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office, and Raymond W. Kelly, Commissioner, New York City Police Department.

FBI and NYPD depart police station with subject during this morning’s arrests.

Photo credit: Richard Kolko, FBI New York

According to the indictment and a detention memorandum filed by the government, a two-year joint investigation by the FBI and the NYPD revealed that the Nine- Trey Gangsters operated for at least 12 years on Sterling Place in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, where they controlled four apartment buildings which they used as a focal point for crack cocaine and heroin dealing. The gang members allegedly dominated the illegal activity on their block and committed shootings, slashings, and other acts of violence to protect their turf. On July 18, 2008, armed gang members allegedly attempted to rob the apartment of a rival drug dealer on Sterling Place, and beat one individual in the apartment with a handgun. Later that same day, two of the defendants allegedly lured a rival drug dealer into the street where they shot him to death. Also during the summer of 2008, one of the defendants forced a resident of Sterling Place from her apartment at gunpoint, and the gang turned the apartment into a crack den.

“Today’s charges and arrests are yet another example of our commitment to eliminating gang violence and restoring our communities to their residents who wish to live, work, and raise families in peace,” stated United States Attorney Lynch. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to free our neighborhoods from the twin evils of narcotics trafficking and the violence it breeds.” Ms. Lynch thanked the Kings County District Attorney’s Office for its assistance and stated that the government’s investigation is continuing.

FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Fedarcyk stated, “As alleged in the indictment and other government filings, Laron Spicer was committed to an enterprise that not only terrorized people of the Brooklyn neighborhood where this gang operated, but affected interstate and foreign commerce by engaging in a great deal of illegal activity and acts of violence to include murder. He was allegedly the ‘Face’ of an organization responsible for instilling fear and trepidation into the lives of innocent people, but now he must face the FBI and our fellow law enforcement partners as we enforce the law and vigorously pursue justice.”



NYPD Commissioner Kelly stated, “This case is an example of the relationship between drugs and violent crime, where individuals use illegal guns and murder to battle rivals over a drug trafficking market. I want to commend the detectives, agents, and prosecutors who worked together to bring these alleged gang members to justice.”

If convicted of murder, Spicer and a co-defendant face up to life imprisonment or the death penalty. If convicted on the drug distribution conspiracy charge, each of the 12 defendants faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum sentence of life in prison. If convicted of illegal firearms possession, nine of the defendants face mandatory sentences of at least five years and a maximum of life in prison.

The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew Amatruda and Zainab Ahmad.