Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal today announced a state grand jury indictment charging the alleged leader and 16 other alleged members of a narcotics network linked to the Bloods street gang that was distributing large amounts of heroin in Paterson.
Officials say seventeen more individuals are charged with possession of narcotics, including 16 who allegedly purchased heroin from the ring, bringing the total number of defendants indicted to 34.
According to authorities, the investigation targeted a drug trafficking organization operating in a section of the 4th Ward of Paterson known as the four corners or “4K” area, referring to the intersections of Mercer Street and Putnam Street, Rosa Parks Boulevard and Putnam Street, Mercer Street and Warren Street, and Rosa Parks Boulevard and Warren Street.
Officials say the area has a history of open air drug dealing and gun violence. The drug network was led by a local set of the Bloods street gang known as the “4K Bloods” or “Korner Boyz.” The cooperating agencies arrested most of the defendants in November, including the alleged ringleader, Jaumel Reese, 35, of Passaic, and one of his alleged bulk suppliers, Jesse Garcia, 27, of Lodi, Reese and many of the other defendants are allegedly members of the 4K Bloods.
The Division of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau yesterday obtained a 63-count state grand jury indictment charging all 17 alleged ring members with second-degree conspiracy to distribute heroin. Reese is also charged with first-degree promoting organized street crime, and Eric Huntington, 41, of Paterson, who allegedly was one of Reese’s top “runners” or suppliers to street-level dealers, is charged with first-degree distribution of heroin.
During the takedown of the ring, authorities executed a search warrant at the home of Garcia, where they seized 90 bricks of heroin (each including about 50 “bags” or doses), a handgun, hollow-nose bullets, and over $19,000. Garcia is charged with additional second-degree drug and gun offenses, as well as third-degree money laundering. A total of three guns were seized during the investigation.
The other ring members face various additional second-and third-degree drug charges, and the 16 alleged buyers face third-degree heroin possession charges.
The following is a full list of the defendants charged with second-degree conspiracy as alleged ring members:
1.Jaumel Reese, 35, of Passaic, N.J.
2. Jessie Garcia, 27, of Lodi, N.J.
3. Eric Huntington, 41, of Paterson, N.J.
4. Jerome Deas, 38, of Paterson, N.J.
5. Marvelous Pitts, 31, of Paterson, N.J.
6. Shaques Huntington, 24, Paterson, N.J.
7. Herbert Pitts, 60, of Paterson, N.J.
8. Justin Jones, 24, of Paterson, N.J.
9. Angela Whitehead, 32, of Prospect Park, N.J.
10. Jeffrey Hunter, 29, of Paterson, N.J.
11. Markeith Davis, 48, of Paterson, N.J.
12. Tariq Jackson, 25, of Paterson, N.J.
13. Devon Armstrong, 40, of Paterson, N.J.
14. Jonathan Cedeno, 22, of Paterson, N.J.
15. Isaac Coleman, 32, of Paterson, N.J.
16. Hanife Dock, 29, of Paterson, N.J.
17. Theodore Blackshear, 46, of Paterson, NJ
According to authorities, the following is a list of the remaining 17 defendants. All are charged with third-degree possession of heroin, with the exception of Winter Burch. Burch, who is a girlfriend of Reese, is charged with third-degree possession of codeine and fourth-degree possession of false government documents.
1. Jasmine Soto, 28, of Milford, Pa.
2. Christopher Gutierrez, 34, of Milford, Pa.
3. Daniel Grimm, 67, of Franklin
4. Nicholas McLaughlin, 26, of Greeley, Pa.
5. Christopher Holbert, 24, of Hawley, Pa.
6. Brent Howell, 33, of Blairstown
7. Frank Marchionni, 26, of Nanuet, N.Y.
8. Jonathon Kleinberg, 29, of New City, N.Y.
9. Michael Armao, 33, of Greenwood Lake, N.Y.
10. Michael Sheridan, 42, of Johnson, N.Y.
11. Robert Ferri, 33, of Wyckoff
12. Chelsea Rouse, 34, of East Stroudsburg, Pa.
13. Jennifer Halterman, 33, of East Stroudsburg, Pa.
14. David Boralsky, 35, of Stanhope
15. Michael Ryerson, 48, of Paterson
16. Carl McKenith, 65, of Englewood
17. Winter Burch, 36, of Passaic
Officials say Jaumel Reese, Jessie Garcia, Eric Huntington and Jerome Deas are being detained in jail pre-trial. They were charged in a prior indictment in March that has been superseded by this new indictment.
First-degree charges carry a sentence of 10 to 20 years in state prison and a fine of up to $200,000, while second-degree charges carry a sentence of five to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $150,000. A sentence for first-degree promoting organized street crime must be served consecutively to the sentence for any underlying offense.
The first-degree heroin distribution charge carries an enhanced fine of up to $500,000. Reese is charged with employing a juvenile in a drug distribution scheme, a second-degree charge which also carries an enhanced fine of up to $500,000.
The second-degree charges of certain persons not to possess a weapon carry a mandatory term of parole ineligibility of five years. The third-degree drug charges carry a sentence of three to five years in state prison and a fine of up to $35,000.
The indictment is merely an accusation and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.