Eight alleged members of a Jersey City gang associated with the Marion Gardens Housing Complex have been charged by indictment with racketeering, violent crimes in aid of racketeering, drug trafficking, and firearms offenses, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael Honig.
The indictment charges Jervon Morris, aka “Sticky,” 32; Jalil Holmes, aka “Broad Day,” aka “BD,” 21; Kevin Williams, aka “KK,” aka “Kay,” 27; Jakeem Gibson-Madison, aka “Beanz,” 27; K’shawn Jackson, aka “Lil Kay,” 21; Lakief Grayson, aka “Lala,” aka “La Greaz,” 30; Willie Williams, aka “Willz,” 30; and Terick Rogers, aka “Moot,” 29, all of Jersey City.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s statement, the charges stem from a long-running investigation by the FBI, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Jersey City Police Department.
According to court documents, those indicted are allegedly members and associates of a neighborhood street gang associated with the Marion Gardens Housing Complex.
The court documents reference several social media posts, videos, and photographs of the men flashing the Marion Gardens street gang sign or referencing the gang.
Also known as the Marion-300 gang, it has historically consisted of alleged members and associates of the “Brim” and “Sex, Money, Murder” subsets of the Bloods gang, operating within the Marion Gardens Housing Complex.
Members allegedly use a hand sign that is made by extending the pinky, ring, and middle fingers and joining the thumb and pointer fingers.
Members of this gang allegedly distribute crack cocaine and heroin, among other controlled substances, in and around Marion Gardens. Their alleged assaults, shootings, and murders target rival gang members from other public housing complexes known as “Wilkinson” and “SaLaf.”
Eight years of violence
These violent crimes stretch back to at least 2011 when on July 28, Morris, Kevin Williams, and another alleged gang member allegedly murdered “Victim A.C.” in the area of Gifford Avenue and Bergen Avenue in Jersey City.
On Nov. 5, 2017, alleged gang members and associates allegedly shot “Victim C.C”. in the area of Van Nostrand Avenue and Bergen Avenue and on Nov. 26, alleged members allegedly shot “Victim T.C.” in the area of Warner Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive.
On Dec. 3, 2017, Holmes and other alleged members and associates allegedly murdered “Victim R.S.” in the area of Warner Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive in Jersey City.
On Feb. 7, 2018, Kevin Williams and another alleged member of the gang allegedly assaulted “Victim R.B.” in the area of Summit Avenue and Magnolia Avenue in Jersey City.
On June 30, 2018, Holmes, Rogers, and Jackson allegedly shot five people – “Victim K.C.”, “Victim D.A.”, ”Victim J.W.”, “Victim C.F.”, and “Victim R.H.” – while celebrating “Meech Day” in honor of a deceased gang member.
On July 6, 2018, Holmes, Jackson, Gibson-Madison, and at least one other alleged gang member allegedly traveled to the area of Wilkinson Avenue, at which time “Victim A.W.” and “Victim R.H.” were shot.
On Jan. 9, 2019, Holmes and Gibson-Madison traveled to the area of Grant Avenue and Ocean Avenue to allegedly retaliate for the murder of a gang member, at which time Holmes allegedly shot “Victim M.G.” and “Victim T.S.” and attempted to shoot “Victim E.M.”
The final act of violence cited in the court documents occurred on June 9, 2019, when one member of the gang had been shot by a rival gang and he allegedly attempted to shoot back .
Joint effort
All eight men are charged with racketeering which, if convicted, could mean life in prison. They also face various weapons and drug related offenses.
Honig credited the FBI, Hudson County Prosecutor Office, and the Jersey City Police Department with the investigation leading to the indictment.
The investigation was conducted as part of the Jersey City Violent Crime Initiative (VCI) which was formed in 2018 for the sole purpose of combatting violent crime in and around Jersey City.
The VCI is composed of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the ATF, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) New Jersey Division, the U.S. Marshals, the Jersey City Police Department, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office, New Jersey State Parole, the Hudson County Jail, and the New Jersey State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center/Real Time Crime Center.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
For updates on this and other stories follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Marilyn Baer can be reached at [email protected].
