Five Essex County Men Charged with Drug Distribution in Reservoir Site Townhouses in Newark

 NEWARK, N.J. – Five Essex County men have been arrested today and charged with distribution of heroin, fentanyl and cocaine in and around the Reservoir Site Townhouses in Newark, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Arrested today and charged by complaint are:

• Dayvon Rogers, 29, of Newark, two counts of distribution of cocaine in August and September 2020;
• Rasheed Gilbert, 27, of East Orange, one count of distribution of cocaine in January 2020, and one count of distribution of heroin and cocaine in January 2020;
• Naim Frazier, 32, of Newark, one count of distribution of heroin and fentanyl in January 2020;
• Rahjohn Montgomery, 27, of East Orange, one count of distribution of heroin in January 2020, and one count of distribution of heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine in June 2020; and
• Rasheen Thomas, 25, of Newark, one count of distribution of heroin and cocaine in June 2020, three counts of distribution of heroin and cocaine in July 2020, and two counts of distribution of heroin and cocaine in August 2020.

 

The defendants are scheduled to appear by videoconference this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Falk.

According to the documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

The defendants sold narcotics in and around the Reservoir Site Townhouses in Newark, selling to individuals who were confidential informants working with law enforcement. The narcotics sales were documented through audio and video recordings, text messages, and physical surveillance.

Each count in the complaints carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $1 million.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, Newark Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr.; the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose; Essex County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Armando B. Fontoura; the East Orange Police Department, under the direction of Chief Phyllis Bindi: and Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II, with the investigation leading to the charges.

This investigation is part of the Violent Crime Initiative (VCI) in Newark. The Newark VCI was formed in August 2017 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, and the City of Newark’s Department of Public Safety for the sole purpose of combatting violent crime in and around the Newark. As part of this partnership, federal, state, county, and city agencies collaborate and pool resources to prosecute violent offenders who endanger the safety of the community. The VCI includes the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the DEA, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals, the Newark Department of Public Safety, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, New Jersey State Parole Board, New Jersey State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center/Real Time Crime Center, and New Jersey Department of Corrections.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emma Spiro and Jonathan W. Romankow of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Violent Crimes Unit in Newark.

The charges and allegations contained in the complaints are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.