Charges Include Murder, Attempted Murder, Kidnaping, Multi-State Crack Cocaine Distribution and Possession of Firearms

ROSLYNN R. MAUSKOPF, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, MARK J. MERSHON, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office, and RAYMOND W. KELLY, Commissioner, New York City Police Department, today announced the unsealing of federal racketeering charges against 11 leaders, members and associates of a violent Brooklyn street gang responsible for one murder, numerous attempted murders, kidnaping, crack cocaine distribution, and illegal possession of firearms.¹ According to the indictment and a detention letter filed by the government, the defendants often used teenage girls, some as young as thirteen years of age, to transport and sell their narcotics.

The defendants are scheduled to be arraigned later today before United States District Judge David G. Trager, at the U. S. Courthouse, 225 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn, New York.

The charges and arrests follow a three-year joint FBI and NYPD investigation coordinated by the U. S. Attorney's Office as part of an ongoing initiative to eliminate violent street gangs that erode the quality of life in many of the district's neighborhoods. The government's investigation revealed that for over a decade the defendants, among others, distributed crack cocaine at the Vernon and Sumner Houses in the Bedford Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, as well as at numerous other locations along the East Coast, including upstate New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. At the height of their operations, at one location alone - 303 Vernon Avenue - the gang took in an estimated $15,000 per week in drug proceeds.

The leadership of the crew consisted of members of the Martin family, including the brothers JOHN MARTIN and JERROD MARTIN, and their relatives in the Bradley family, including CHRISTOPHER BRADLEY, WILLIAM BRADLEY, DERRICK BRADLEY, and JERRY BRADLEY. DERRICK BRADLEY, WILLIAM BRADLEY, and JERRY BRADLEY, and others, supervised the sales by the lower-level workers, and JOHN MARTIN and CHRISTOPHER BRADLEY, among others, served as enforcers.

Throughout the gang's existence, its members were involved in violent turf battles with rival narcotics trafficking organizations - battles that resulted in numerous shootings and multiple homicides, and endangered the lives of innocent civilians. Specifically, the indictment charges that:

. in October, 2003, JERMAINE STROMAN and CHRISTOPHER BRADLEY, and another individual, murdered Lewayne Harrison in a dispute over control of the narcotics trade in the Vernon and Sumner Houses,

. JOHN MARTIN and JAMEL WILLIAMS, and another individual, are charged with several attempted murders for their roles in other shootings of rival drug dealers,

. JOHN MARTIN, JERROD MARTIN, and WILLIAM BRADLEY are charged with participating in the kidnaping and beating of one of the young girls who refused to transport the gang's drugs, and

. in 2001, JAMEL WILLIAMS shot a rival drug dealer on a local playground in Brooklyn while it was crowded with mothers and their young children.

According to the indictment and detention letter, each of the defendants had access to firearms, which they stashed in various locations in the Vernon and Sumner Houses and frequently carried during narcotics sales.

"This indictment strikes yet another blow against drug gangs that spread violence and fear in our communities," stated United States Attorney MAUSKOPF. "When gangs peddle drugs and use children to do so, we will strike back with the full resources available through federal prosecutions, including the use of the RICO statute. This case is the latest of several joint successful operations demonstrating our commitment to protecting New York neighborhoods from gang violence, including our earlier initiatives in the Queensbridge Houses, the Marcus Garvey Houses, and the Gowanus Houses. We are determined to make these public housing developments safe and secure environments in which to live and raise families." Ms. MAUSKOPF stated that the investigation was continuing.

FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge MERSHON stated, "Fundamentally, this case is about the right of people to be safe and secure in their own homes and neighborhoods. Drugs and gangs and the violence associated with them affect innocent people. The FBI remains committed to policing violent street gangs and making our streets safe."

New York City Police Commissioner KELLY stated, "This case illustrates that we will tolerate neither the presence of felons in public housing developments, nor their attempts to recruit and exploit children there."

If convicted on the narcotics charges, each defendant faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years' imprisonment and a maximum of life imprisonment, and a fine of $4,000,000.

The government's case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Todd Harrison and Alphonzo Grant.

The Defendants:

Name: John Martin
DOB: 2/19/72
Residence: Brooklyn, New York

Name: Jerrod Martin
DOB: 4/15/80
Residence: Brooklyn, New York

Name: William Bradley
DOB: 11/26/78
Residence: Brooklyn, New York

Name: Christopher Bradley
DOB: 12/1/81
Residence: Brooklyn, New York

Name: Derrick Bradley
DOB: 6/23/69
Residence: Brooklyn, New York

Name: Jerry Bradley
DOB: 5/20/72
Residence: Brooklyn, New York

Name: Jermaine Stroman
DOB: 3/19/72
Residence: Brooklyn, New York

Name: Jamel Williams
DOB: 3/7/76
Residence: Brooklyn, New York

Name: Lenora Gibbs
DOB: 10/15/75
Residence : Brooklyn, New York

 

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¹ The charges contained in the indictments are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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