The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Violent drug gang dismantled
Final defendant pleads guilty
NEW HAVEN >> After more than three years of investigations and court proceedings, the U.S. attorney’s office announced the federal conviction of the 21st and final defendant Tuesday in cases brought against members of the Red Side Guerilla Brims.
The RSGB, a sect of the Bloods gang in New Haven, most active in 2011 and 2012, has been dismantled, Deirdre Daly, U.S. attorney for the District of Connecticut, said Tuesday afternoon.
“What was most disturbing about this gang is they were responsible for a significant amount of violence,” Daly said. “They were a unified gang acting together.”
Of the 21 convictions, 20 defendants pleaded guilty and one was convicted by a jury in Maine. The charges ranged from various drug and racketeering charges to firearm possession in aid of violent crimes. Several defendants, in pleading guilty to other offenses, admitted to their roles in killing people — seven cold cases that had previously been unresolved, according to Daly.
Only eight of the defendants have been sentenced in federal court so far, according to court records provided by the U.S. attorney’s office. But, at least two defendants that will be sentenced in New Haven this spring face sentences of 30 years to life.
“We hope these resolutions bring some level of solace to the victims and their families,” Daly said.
“Operation Red Side,” the partnership between the New Haven Police Department and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, began in January 2014. Through controlled purchases and surveillance, law enforcement learned that members of the RSGB were selling heroin and crack cocaine to people in Bangor, Maine, in exchange for firearms and wired funds back to New Haven, according to federal officials.
Several of the defendants were charged and convicted in Maine, Daly said.
Acting New Haven Police Chief Anthony Campbell commended the partnership, which also included the Hamden Police Department, state’s attorney’s office, and state labs, in coming together to solve the cold cases and bring the gang members to justice.
“This is what collaboration results in,” Campbell said. “We know there’s more work to be done.”
Daly said Tuesday that some defendants have pending state charges that are related to the RSGB activities.
The final defendant to be convicted was Robert Short, 30, of New Haven, also known as “Santana.” He pleaded guilty in Bridgeport to one count of the use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
During the plea proceedings, Short admitted to being involved in the killing of Darrick Cooper in September 2011, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
Short was indicted in October 2015, along with five other New Haven-area defendants:
• Jeffrey Benton, 32, of New Haven, also known as “Tall Man” and “Fresh,” pleaded guilty on March 17 to one count of engaging in a pattern of racketeering activity, one count of money laundering, and one count of conspiracy to distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine base. According to the U.S. attorney’s office, Benton admitted to his involvement in the murders of Kevin Lee on April 20, 2011, Donnell Allick on June 24, 2011, Darrick Cooper on Sept. 19, 2011, and Donald Bolden on March 19, 2012. He faces up to life in prison, and the U.S. attorney’s office has reported prosecutors will be arguing for at least a 40-year sentence. Benton is scheduled to be sentenced June 27.
• Keith Young, 27, of Hamden, also known as “Capo,” “Bapo” and “Poncho,” pleaded guilty Feb. 13 to one count of engaging in a pattern of racketeering activity and one count of money laundering. Young was a leader in the gang and was present for the murders of Donnell Allick in June 2011 and Darrick Cooper in September 2011, according to court documents. Young faces up to life in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced May 8.
• Trevor Murphy, 28, of New Haven, also known as “Snookie,” pleaded guilty Feb. 10 to one count of interference with commerce by robbery and one count of using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Murphy also admitted to the fatal shooting of Joseph Zargo on Dec. 23, 2011, after he had obtained a quantity of ecstasy from Zargo, according to the U.S. attorney’s office. Murphy is scheduled to be sentenced May 3 and faces up to life in prison.
• Robert Harris, 20, of New Haven, also known as “Skully Mack,” pleaded guilty Feb. 3 to one count of assault in aid of racketeering and one count of possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine. Harris also admitted to playing a role in a violent assault on an individual on Dec. 23, 2014. Harris was sentenced to three years in prison on Nov. 14.
• Christopher Graham, 29, of New Haven, also known as “Ugg,” pleaded guilty on Jan. 22, 2016, to one count of assault in aid of racketeering and one count of possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine on Jan. 22, 2016. He admitted to being involved in the same violent assault as Harris, according to court documents. Graham was sentenced to 5½ years in prison on Aug. 24.