Eight Members of Marion Gardens Jersey City Gang Indicted for Racketeering, Violent Crimes

NEWARK, N.J. – Eight members of a Jersey City gang associated with the Marion Gardens Housing Complex were charged by indictment today with racketeering, violent crimes in aid of racketeering, drug trafficking, and firearms offenses, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.

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. (See chart below for specific charges/penalties.)

The charges are the result of a long-running investigation by the FBI, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Jersey City Police Department.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Morris, Holmes, Kevin Williams, Gibson-Madison, Jackson, Grayson, Willie Williams, and Rogers, are all members and associates of the neighborhood street gang associated with the Marion Gardens Housing Complex. Members and associates of the Marion Gardens street gang routinely distribute crack cocaine and heroin, among other controlled substances, in and around the Marion Gardens Housing Complex. Members and associates of the gang also engaged in acts of violence, including numerous assaults, shootings, and murders, which targeted rival gang members and others, including the following:

• On July 28, 2011, Morris, Kevin Williams, and another member of the Marion Gardens street gang, murdered Victim A.C. in the area of Gifford Avenue and Bergen Avenue in Jersey City;
• On Nov. 5, 2017, members and associates of the Marion Gardens street gang shot Victim C.C. in the area of Van Nostrand Avenue and Bergen Avenue in Jersey City;
• On Nov. 26, 2017, members and associates of the Marion Gardens street gang shot victim T.C. in the area of Warner Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive in Jersey City;
• On Dec. 3, 2017, Holmes and other members and associates of the Marion Gardens street gang 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 member of the Marion Gardens street gang assaulted victim R.B. in the area of Summit Avenue and Magnolia Avenue in Jersey City;
• On June 30, 2018, Holmes, Rogers, and Jackson 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 fellow gang member;
• On July 6, 2018, Holmes, Jackson, Gibson-Madison, and at least one other member of the Marion Gardens street gang 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 retaliate for the murder of a fellow gang member, at which time Holmes shot Victim M.G. and Victim T.S. and attempted to shoot Victim E.M; and
• On June 9, 2019, after being shot at by rival gang member, Victim K.G., brandished a firearm and attempted to shoot back at Victim K.G.

Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch, Jr., investigators of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Esther Suarez, and the Jersey City Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director James Shea, for the investigation leading to the indictment.

This investigation was conducted as part of the Jersey City Violent Crime Initiative (VCI). The VCI was formed in 2018 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Jersey City Police Department, for the sole purpose of combatting violent crime in and around Jersey City. As part of this partnership, federal, state, county, and city agencies collaborate to strategize and prioritize the prosecution of violent offenders who endanger the safety of the community. 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 government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Desiree Grace of the District of New Jersey’s Criminal Division in Newark.

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