ONE TWENTY-NINE” or “GOODFELLAS/THE NEW DONS.” The gang members are accused of collectively acquiring and possessing a cache of illegal firearms

 

long-term investigation lead to arrest of 19 gang members in central Harlem on weapons possession, conspiracy, attempted murder, and firearms trafficking charges.  Arrests follow recent conviction of nearby 137th Street Crew Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., New York City Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly, and Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) Janice K. Fedarcyk, say the street gang terrorized the neighborhood surrounding West 129th Street between Lenox and Fifth avenues. Between 2007 and 2011, the defendants are accused of importing, possessing, and using semiautomatic pistols, revolvers, rifles and assault weapons, including a TEC-9 machine pistol and a Chinese SKS military semiautomatic rifle, as well as ammunition, which was used in shootings in Central Harlem.  All of the defendants are charged with felony conspiracy. Several defendants are additionally charged with attempted murder, criminal possession of a weapon, criminal sale of a firearm, and other charges occurring over the course of the conspiracy.   “At least 162 people have been shot so far this year in Manhattan, 22 of them fatally” said District Attorney Cyrus Vance. New York City Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said: “Through persistent police enforcement and programs like the gun buyback initiative we have successfully removed thousands of illegal firearms from our neighborhood streets. But any illegal gun in the wrong hands can be lead to loss of life and that is why we must continue to build on our past accomplishments with aggressive efforts to combat gun violence.” According to documents filed in court, members of the District Attorney’s Office’s Violent Criminal Enterprises Unit, detectives from the NYPD’s Narcotics Division, and FBI special agents engaged in long-term operations aimed at dismantling one of Central Harlem’s most violent and destructive criminal street gangs, referred to as “ONE TWENTY-NINE” or “GOODFELLAS/THE NEW DONS.”  The gang members are accused of collectively acquiring and possessing a cache of illegal firearms in order to engage in armed conflict with rival Harlem gangs.

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