The city of Newburgh, which for years has been battling gang activity, is pointing to a recent success by the FBI”™s Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force, supported by Newburgh”™s Police Department, in executing several warrants and arresting 14 members of the Young Gunnaz Gang, known as the YG Gang or YG Enterprise, for crimes ranging from racketeering to attempted murder.
This was just the latest in a series of law enforcement efforts to combat gang activity in Newburgh. Criminals based in Newburgh often carry out their illegal activities in other parts of the Hudson Valley as well. One of the biggest gang roundups in Newburgh took place in 2010 when 78 members of the Bloods and Latin Kings were rounded up by a team of 600 law enforcement officers in raids on dozens of locations. In Sept. 2011, 20 more members of the Bloods were arrested in Newburgh. In June of 2017, 18 members of the Southside S. gang were arrested in Newburgh on racketeering, firearms and narcotics charges.
A federal indictment had been returned against the suspects who were picked up in the Nov. 30 raid and was kept sealed until after the arrests had been completed. The matter is being handled in Federal Court in White Plains. Among those arrested were people alleged to be high-ranking gang leaders. The charges include narcotics, firearms and racketeering offenses.
“We will not rest until every corner of our city belongs to the community, not the criminals,” Newburgh Police Commissioner José A. Gomérez said.
According to U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, the gang members ran open-air drug markets, shot at people in broad daylight and used other tactics to control their turf.
Michael J. Driscoll, FBI assistant director-in-charge, said, “Many communities are seeing a dramatic increase in violent crime, putting people on edge. The FBI, and our law enforcement partners, are doing all we can to search out and stop these gangs from terrorizing towns in the Hudson Valley. This investigation should be viewed as a warning to others ”” we will hold you accountable.”
The 14 who were arrested are: Kashad Sampson, George Delgado, Gabriel Roman, Dallas Archer, Jasiah Wooten, Bruce Allen, Syncere Tatum, John Lalanne, Raekwon Jackson, Bashir Mallory, Mekhi McDonald, Christopher Tate, Kristopher Burgess Cunningham and Dejon Scott. They”™re all charged with being involved in a racketeering conspiracy in addition to specific allegations contained in the indictment.
It”™s alleged that on Aug. 15, 2020, Sampson, Archer, Lalanne and Jackson attempted to murder members of a rival gang in Poughkeepsie.
On April 27, 2021, Tatum, Roman, and Tate are alleged to have shot at a rival drug dealer in Newburgh after trying to rob him.
On Nov. 17, 2021, Sampson, Delgado, Wooten, and Allen are alleged to have shot at four rival gang members in Newburgh.
On Nov. 10, 2020, Lalanne allegedly robbed a narcotics dealer at gunpoint in Newburgh and fired the gun.
All 14 are charged with conspiracy to distribute narcotics, including crack cocaine, heroin, Oxycodone, marijuana, and Promethazine HCL mixed with Codeine. They allegedly had numerous guns used in connection with the narcotics conspiracy.
Most of the 10 counts in the indictment carry penalties of 20 years in prison while some carry a maximum of life in prison.
The indictment charged the 14 with engaging in acts of violence that “included acts involving murder, robbery, extortion and assault intended to protect the YG Enterprise”™s narcotics business, retaliate against members of rival gangs who had encroached on the YG Enterprise”™s narcotics business, to otherwise promote the standing and reputation of YG amongst rival gangs and to promote the standing and reputation of YG members amongst other YG members.””™
The indictment also charged that the gang members conspired to commit “wire fraud by fraudulently obtaining unemployment benefits and committed, and conspired to commit bank fraud by fraudulently obtaining funds from victims”™ accounts.”
