Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, William F. Sweeney Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and William V. Grady, Dutchess County District Attorney, announced today that DAVONTE HAMILTON, a/k/a “Vont,” an alleged member of the “Uptown” street gang operating in Poughkeepsie, New York, was arrested in connection with the December 2012 murder of Daquelle LeBlanc.  The defendant is charged in a Superseding Indictment with racketeering conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering activity, and a firearms offense.  HAMILTON was arrested tooday and arraigned in White Plains federal court before United States Magistrate Judge Lisa Margaret Smith.

Twelve members and associates of the Uptown gang, and 19 members and associates of the rival Downtown gang, which also operates in Poughkeepsie, New York, were previously charged in separate Indictments – United States v. Douglas Owens et al., 17 Cr. 506 (NSR) and United States v. Ronald Johnson et al., 17 Cr. 505 (VLB) – in August 2017 with murders, attempted murders, racketeering, narcotics, and firearms offenses.  The Superseding Indictment adds HAMILTON as the third defendant charged with murder in aid of racketeering activity and firearms offenses in connection with the 2012 murder of LeBlanc.    

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman stated:  “As alleged, Devonte Hamilton aided and abetted the murder of Daquelle LeBlanc nearly six years ago.  Together with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to pursue justice for victims like Mr. Leblanc against all involved in such violent offenses.”

FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. said:  “The work done on this investigation is a perfect example of how our law enforcement partnerships have a positive impact helping innocent people.  Getting these alleged gang members, dealers, and murderers off the streets has made Poughkeepsie safer.  The FBI Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force won’t let up on our pursuit of these alleged violent criminals until we stop their destructive hold on the community.”

Dutchess County District Attorney William V. Grady said:  “I would like to compliment the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department and their law enforcement partners for their dedication in pursuing this important homicide investigation since 2012.  Thanks to our additional partnership with the United States Attorney’s Office on this case, we have been able to charge those individuals we feel responsible for this homicide.”

According to the Superseding Indictment[1] filed on July 18, 2018, in White Plains and Manhattan federal court and other documents in the public record:

The Superseding Indictment arose from a joint investigation by the FBI’s Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force, the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department, the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office, and the Dutchess County Sherriff’s Office into a gang war between Uptown and Downtown, which led to multiple fatal and non-fatal shootings between 2012 and 2017 in the City of Poughkeepsie.

Uptown is a criminal organization whose members referred to themselves by, and were known by, several different names, including “Spready Gang,” the “400 Savages,” the “Boogotti Boys,” the “Young Bosses” or “YB’s,” and the “Mob Stars.”  Uptown is based within the eastern portion of Poughkeepsie, from east of Hamilton Street to the city line and, more specifically, within the Hudson Gardens housing development (commonly referred to as the “Bricks”). Uptown gang members and associates control the narcotics trade within the Bricks, distributing heroin, crack cocaine, and marijuana primarily.  Uptown gang members stored shared guns in various locations known to gang members to protect the narcotics business, to protect each other from rival gangs, and to strike against rival gangs.  

In addition to many non-fatal acts of violence against rival gang members and innocent victims, the rivalry between Uptown and Downtown led to the murder of Downtown gang member Daquelle LeBlanc, a/k/a “Hamo,” who was killed by a single gunshot wound to the chest at the age of 16 in the vicinity of Main Street, between Academy and North Hamilton Streets, on or about December 23, 2012.  According to the allegations contained in the Superseding Indictment, HAMILTON and two other defendants – who were charged and arrested in connection with the August 2017 Indictments – murdered LeBlanc to enhance their position in Uptown and advance the criminal objectives of that organization.

*                *                *

HAMILTON, a/k/a “Vont,” was in custody on state charges and was transferred to federal custody this morning.  If convicted, HAMILTON faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on Count One (Racketeering Conspiracy), a maximum sentence of life in prison on Count Three (Murder in Aid of Racketeering Activity), and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison on Count Five (Murder Through Use of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence).[2]  The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI’s Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force, the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department, the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, the Dutchess County Drug Task Force, as well as the United States Marshals’ Service, the New York State Police, and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision for their assistance in today’s arrests.  Mr. Berman also thanked the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives for their assistance in the investigation.

The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division.  Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher J. Clore, Maurene Comey, and Emily Deininger are in charge of the prosecution.

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

 



[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Superseding Indictment, and the description of the Superseding Indictment set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.





[2] DAVONTE HAMILTON was charged only in Counts One, Three, and Five of the thirteen-count Superseding Indictment.  The other counts of the Superseding Indictment relate solely to other, previously arrested members of the Uptown gang.

Joon H. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, William F. Sweeney Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), William V. Grady, Dutchess County District Attorney, Thomas Pape, Chief of Police for the City of Poughkeepsie, Adrian Anderson, Dutchess County Sheriff, and George P. Beach, the Superintendent of the New York State Police (“NYSP”), announced today the unsealing of two indictments charging 31 members and associates of two rival street gangs operating in Poughkeepsie, New York: Uptown and Downtown.  The gangs are charged in two separate Indictments – United States v. Douglas Owens et al., 17 Cr. 506 (NSR) (the “Uptown Indictment”), and United States v. Ronald Johnson et al., 17 Cr. 505 (the “Downtown Indictment”) – with murders, attempted murders, racketeering conspiracy, narcotics conspiracy, and firearms offenses.

Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim said:  “As alleged in the indictments unsealed today, two violent Poughkeepsie street gangs have been at war with each other for the last several years.  Their war has left in its wake a bloody trail of tragedy – alleged murders, attempted murders, shootings, and rampant drug dealing.  One of the innocent victims of this alleged gang war was Caval Haylett, an 18-year-old basketball star whose bright future and promise was extinguished on March 9, 2016, in a hail of senseless gunfire.  With today’s charges and arrests, we seek to dismantle these gangs from the top down, and together with our federal and local law enforcement partners, we seek to stem the tide of gun violence and drug dealing in Poughkeepsie.  When gangs flourish, neighborhoods suffer, parents grieve, and children die; it is as simple as that.  And we will not sit by and let that happen.”    

FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. said:  “Two young lives were lost in the alleged ongoing criminal activity of these street gangs. We will not sit idly in the midst of violence, as shown by the diligent and dedicated work of our FBI Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force and our law enforcement partners. As gang rivalry continues to stir strife in our community, we won't stop or slow down in our pursuit to take these members off the streets and keep our residents safe.”

District Attorney William V. Grady said:  “There is no question that gang activity in our community has resulted in drug dealing, shootings, violent crimes and homicides, and this cannot be tolerated.  All possible efforts must and are being made to insure that our community is a safe place to live and work.  These indictments today send a clear message that law enforcement agencies at all levels will join forces to insure that these violent offenders are held accountable and removed from our streets.”

Chief of Police Thomas Pape said:  “On December 23, 2012, a senseless act of violence took the life of a young resident of Poughkeepsie.  This act was the beginning of many more shootings and homicides that plagued our City and took the lives of too many young men. Today, through the cooperation of federal, state and local law enforcement, the persons responsible have been taken into custody and will have to answer for their actions.  I want to personally thank the United States Attorney, Mr. Kim, his office, and all of the law enforcement agencies that through a collaborative effort, removed these violent individuals from our community.”

Dutchess County Sheriff Adrian Anderson said:  “Today was an enormous victory for law enforcement by the taking of these individuals off of our streets. These charges are evidence of the strong commitment that we share with other law enforcement agencies, both local and federal, and should serve as a great example of what can be achieved when everyone works together. I commend all of those involved for their outstanding efforts to remove dangerous individuals from our communities and prosecute them to the fullest extent.” 

NYSP Superintendent George P. Beach said:  “This investigation is another example of our law enforcement partners working collaboratively to put an end to the dangerous gang activity that brings violence and crime into our neighborhoods.  I commend all of our law enforcement partners for their hard work in dismantling these rival gangs and for their commitment to making our neighborhoods safer.  We have no tolerance for those who bring drugs and the threat of violence to our communities.”

According to the Indictments[1] unsealed today in White Plains and Manhattan federal court and other documents in the public record:

The Indictments arise from a joint investigation by the FBI’s Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force, the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department, the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office, and the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office into the gang war between Uptown and Downtown, which has led to multiple fatal and non-fatal shootings between 2012 and the present in the City of Poughkeepsie.

Uptown is a criminal organization whose members referred to themselves by, and were known by, several different names.  Those names include the “Spready Gang,” the “400 Savages,” the “Boogotti Boys,” and the “Mob Stars.”  Uptown gang members referred to themselves by different combinations of these names, all of which referred to the same criminal enterprise: the Uptown street gang.  Uptown is based within the eastern portion of Poughkeepsie, from east of Hamilton Street to the city line and, more specifically, within the Hudson Gardens housing development (commonly referred to as the “Bricks”).  Uptown gang members and associates control the narcotics trade within the Bricks, distributing primarily heroin, crack cocaine, and marijuana.  Uptown gang members stored shared guns in various locations known to gang members to protect the narcotics business, to protect each other from rival gangs, and to strike against rival gangs.  The case of United States v. Douglas Owens et al. charges 12 members and associates of Uptown, including its leaders: DOUGLAS OWENS, a/k/a “Born Truth,” and JIHAD WILLIAMS, a/k/a “Goodie.”

Downtown, like Uptown, is the name of a large-scale criminal organization that went by many different names.  Those names include the “420 Boys,” “L-Block,” “Most Hated,” “Hamo Gang,” the “C-Eazy Gang,” and the “Bully Hard Hunna” faction of the Bloods street gang.  Despite the existence of several different names, each one referred to the same criminal enterprise: the Downtown street gang.  Downtown’s base of operations was located in the western portion of Poughkeepsie, from west of Hamilton Street to the Hudson River and, particularly, within the Martin Luther King and Rip Van Winkle housing developments (commonly referred to as the “Ville” and “Rip,” respectively).  Downtown gang members and associates controlled the narcotics trade within the Ville, Rip, and the surrounding area, also distributing primarily resale amounts of heroin, crack cocaine, and marijuana.  Downtown gang members also stored their shared firearms in different locations known to members and associates.  This allowed Downtown gang members to arm themselves quickly when confronted by rivals and to protect each other and their narcotics business.  The case of United States v. Ronald Johnson et al. charges 19 members and associates of Downtown, including its leader: RONALD JOHNSON, a/k/a “Top Gun.”

In addition to countless non-fatal acts of violence against rival gang members and innocent victims, the rivalry between Uptown and Downtown has led to the following two murders:

The murder of Downtown gang member Daquell LeBlanc, a/k/a “Hamo,” who was killed by a single gunshot wound to the chest at the age of 16 in the vicinity of Main Street, between Academy and North Hamilton Streets, on or about December 23, 2012.

The murder of Caval Haylett, 18, an innocent bystander and local high school basketball star, who was killed by a single gunshot wound to the head while attending a barbeque in the vicinity of Winnikee Avenue and Harrison Street, on or about March 9, 2016.

*                      *                     *

In a coordinated operation, 11 defendants were arrested in and around Dutchess County yesterday and early this morning, one defendant was arrested in North Carolina, and one defendant was arrested in Florida.  The Uptown defendants will be presented later this afternoon in Manhattan federal court, while the Downtown defendants will be presented later this afternoon in White Plains federal court.  Eighteen defendants were in custody on state charges and will be transferred to federal custody in the next day.  Charts identifying each defendant, the charges, and the maximum penalties are below.

Mr. Kim praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI’s Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force, the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department, the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, the Dutchess County Drug Task Force, as well as the United States Marshals’ Service, the New York State Police, and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision for their assistance in today’s arrests.  Mr. Kim also thanked the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for their assistance in the investigation.

The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division.  Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher J. Clore and Maurene Comey are in charge of the prosecution.

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

United States v. Douglas Owens et al.

 



CHARGE





DEFENDANTS





MAXIMUM PENALTIES





Count One

Racketeering Conspiracy

 





DOUGLAS OWENS

  a/k/a “Born Truth”

JIHAD WILLIAMS

  a/k/a “Goodie”

NICHOLAS HARRIS

  a/k/a “Bados”

DIMETRI MOSELEY

  a/k/a “Pancho”

JAQUEZ HILL

  a/k/a “Quezzy”

  a/k/a “Quez”

MARKEL GREEN

  a/k/a “Booge”

RAHEIM MILLER

  a/k/a “Bigs”

  a/k/a “Bigs Miller”

  a/k/a “Trippy”

CHRISTIAN BLADES

  a/k/a “C Blades”

  a/k/a “JT”

ASHANTI BUNN

  a/k/a “Shan D”

RAYSHAWN CASANOVA

  a/k/a “Cass”

  a/k/a “Uber Jack”

TREQUON DANCY

  a/k/a “Trigga Tre”

  a/k/a “Tre Pound”

RASHMI RUPARELIA

  a/k/a “Baby Rash”





20 years in prison





Count Two

Murder in Aid of Racketeering

 





MARKEL GREEN

RAHEIM MILLER

 





Life in prison

 





Count Three

Murder in Aid of Racketeering





NICHOLAS HARRIS

DIMETRI MOSELEY

JAHQUEZ HILL





Life or the death penalty with a mandatory minimum of life





Count Four

Firearms Offense





RASHMI RUPARELIA

JIHAD WILLIAMS

 





Life in prison with a mandatory minimum of 5 years’ in prison





Count Five

Firearms Offense





CHRISTIAN BLADES

ASHANTI BUNN

RAYSHAWN CASANOVA





Life in prison with a mandatory minimum of 10 years’ in prison





Count Six

Firearms Offense





MARKEL GREEN

RAHEIM MILLER

 





Life in prison with a mandatory minimum of 10 years’ in prison





Count Seven

Firearms Offense





NICHOLAS HARRIS

DIMETRI MOSELEY

JAHQUEZ HILL





Life in prison with a mandatory minimum of 10 years’ in prison



 



DEFENDANT





AGE





DOUGLAS OWENS





34





JIHAD WILLIAMS





26





NICHOLAS HARRIS





25





DIMETRI MOSELEY





23





JAHQUEZ HILL





19





MARKEL GREEN





21





RAHEIM MILLER





21





CHRISTIAN BLADES





24





ASHANTI BUNN





30





RAYSHAWN CASANOVA





21





TREQUON DANCY





22





RASHMI RUPARELIA





41



 

United States v. Ronald Johnson et al.

 



CHARGE





DEFENDANTS





MAXIMUM PENALTIES





Count One

Racketeering Conspiracy

 





RONALD JOHNSON

  a/k/a “Top Gun”

MARKUS ANDERSON

  a/k/a “Sparks”

SAVON BAGBY

  a/k/a “Baggs”

NATQUAN CATTS

  a/k/a “Nate”

  a/k/a “Scoop”

JAHQUEZ COLEMAN

  a/k/a “Quez the Rapper”

  a/k/a “Quez”

WALTER COLEMAN

  a/k/a “BB”

CHEVEZ DERELLO

  a/k/a “Vezy”

LEONARD DERELLO

  a/k/a “Lenny Boy”

TYRECK DOUGLAS

  a/k/a “Little Ty”

ERVING FERZAN

  a/k/a “Erv”

RAKEE JOHNSON

  a/k/a “Spaz”

  a/k/a “Zetho”

COREY LATIMER

  a/k/a “Fonzi”

ANTOINE MCKINNON

  a/k/a “Twon”

  a/k/a “Cuzzi”

WAYNE MORGAN

  a/k/a “Chum Chum”

GORDON RIDDICK

  a/k/a “Stacky G’s”

  a/k/a “Stacks”

KEENAN WATTS

  a/k/a “Milleone”

  a/k/a “Mills”





20 years in prison





Count Two

Attempted Murder in Aid of Racketeering

 





TYRECK DOUGLAS

GORDON RIDDICK

MARKUS ANDERSON

 





10 years in prison

 





Count Three

Attempted Murder in Aid of Racketeering





TYRECK DOUGLAS

 





10 years in prison





Count Four

Narcotics Conspiracy





CARLOS OCASIO

  a/k/a “Pimp”

  a/k/a “Leak”

KWAMENE WILLIAMS

  a/k/a “Kwa”

  a/k/a “Rich Quality”

GLORIOUS LANDUM

  a/k/a “Gus”

RAKEE JOHNSON

  a/k/a “Spaz”

  a/k/a “Zetho”

 





Life in prison with a mandatory minimum of 10 years’ in prison





Count Five

Firearms Offense





 

MARKUS ANDERSON

JAHQUEZ COLEMAN

CHEVEZ DERELLO

LEONARD DERELLO

RAKEE JOHNSON

COREY LATIMER

ANTOINNE MCKINNON

GORDON RIDDICK

 





Life in prison with a mandatory minimum of 5 years’ in prison





Count Six

Firearms Offense





TYRECK DOUGLAS





Life in prison with a mandatory minimum of 10 years’ in prison





Count Seven

Firearms Offense





GLORIOUS LANDRUM

 





Life in prison with a mandatory minimum of 5 years’ in prison



 



DEFENDANT





AGE





RONALD JOHNSON





33





MARKUS SPARKS





24





SAVON BAGBY





19





NATQUAN CATTS





22





JAHQUEZ COLEMAN





22





WALTER COLEMAN





43





CHEVEZ DERELLO





25





LEONARD DERELLO





22





TYRECK DOUGLAS





23





ERVING FERZAN





27





RAKEE JOHNSON





25





GLORIOUS LANDRUM





27





COREY LATIMER





23





ANTOINNE MCKINNON





43





WAYNE MORGAN





21





CARLOS OCASIO





36





GORDON RIDDICK





23





KEENAN WATTS





23





KWAMENE WILLIAMS





27



 

 



[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictments, and the description of the Indictments set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.