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A Monmouth County Grand Jury handed up a 219-count indictment Monday charging 44 people in connection with their involvement with “Operation Dead End,” a six-month long investigation into violent street crimes in Asbury Park, according to a news release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.

The investigation discovered members of the “Crips” and “Bloods” street gangs regularly conspired between Sept. 15 and Aug. 15 to commit several different firearms-related offenses on two dead end streets in Asbury Park, Dewiitt Avenue and Jersey Street in the Washington Village Public Housing Complex, according to court documents.

The group was also involved in the distribution of cocaine, heroin, “molly” (ecstasy) and oxycodone, according to the documents.

Those charged include 16-year veteran Asbury Park police officer Keith German, 46, Tinton Falls, who allegedly assisted the members of the criminal organization in avoiding detection and prosecution by providing them with confidential law enforcement information, including on one occasion unlawfully accessing a law enforcement database.  German also allegedly sought and obtained help from a co-conspirator in the course of stalking a victim, which at various times occurred while German was on duty as a police officer.

Two of the leaders of the criminal enterprise – James Fair, 26, and Altyreek Leonard, 21, both of Asbury Park – allegedly conspired with several other members of the criminal enterprise to obtain and transfer guns within the organization and to target rival street gang members for shootings, directing others within the criminal organization to notify them when their enemies were located and to then assist Fair and/or Leonard in attempting to shoot at their enemies. For their roles in directing and planning these crimes, as well as other crimes including robbery, burglary, and firearms possession, Fair and Leonard were both charged with promoting organized street crime and racketeering conspiracy.

Toms River residents Frederick K. Ecke, 3rd, 28, and Eric J. Fitzgerald, 28, two owners of Cash It In, a pawn shop located in Neptune City, were charged with racketeering conspiracy, as well as other theft-related offenses. Owners had allegedly established relationship with the criminal enterprise and helped them unload merchandise from an organized shoplifting ring.

The members of the criminal organization Fair and Leonard conspired to possess, transfer and/or use firearms include: Harry Clayton, 34; Alexander Walton, 19; Haneef Walker, 22; Clarence Jackson 3rd, 26; Corderian Strickland, 27; Anthony Lanier, 21; Richard Hammond, 32; Tyrice Berry, 21; Todd Howard, 23; Jashawn Mack, 26; Tarik Cox, 23; Ja’air Butler, 18; Kyre Wallace, 27; and Tishonda Walker, 26, all of Asbury Park; Imere Meredith 21, of Neptune; Anthony Esdaile, 32, of Neptune City; Bilaal Scurdy, 21, of Long Branch; Quiana Robinson, 20, of Tinton Falls; Ayres Gray, 18, of Manalapan; Anthony Long, 33, of Freehold Township; and Deron Anglin, 27, of Newark. In addition to firearms offenses, these individuals were charged with racketeering conspiracy for their association and involvement in the criminal enterprise.

Tyan Harvey, 22, of Newark, and Alvin Durham, 26, of Union, were also charged with firearms offenses arising from a gun recovered by the police during a motor vehicle stop.

Two Asbury Park juveniles were also charged in connection with the operation .

Throughout the investigation, members of the criminal organization attempted to avoid detection or apprehension through the use of coordinated tactics to direct police activity away from particular areas of Asbury Park, which included calling in reports of false emergencies and attempting to fire shots into the air.

The charges carry state prison sentences that range between 18-months and 20 years.

The full text of the release appears below, verbatim:

A Monmouth County Grand Jury has indicted forty-four people, many of whom were charged in February in a large sweep undertaken by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and a number of other law enforcement agencies, announced Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

The 219-count indictment includes charges against members of the “Bloods” and “Crips” criminal street gangs. An Asbury Park Police Department patrolman was also indicted as part of the criminal organization, in addition to the two owners of a pawn shop in Neptune City.

The 14-month investigation, dubbed “Operation Dead End,” began in the summer 2013 in conjunction with law enforcement efforts to stem violent street crimes and firearms offenses in Asbury Park.  During the investigation, members of the criminal organization and their conspirators based their criminal activities out of two dead end streets in Asbury Park – Dewitt Avenue, and a section of Jersey Street in the Washington Village Public Housing Complex.

The investigation revealed that members of the criminal organization acted together on numerous occasions to commit a series of armed robberies, residential burglaries, and thefts, and included an organized shoplifting ring that had an established relationship with the owners of a local pawn shop.  The investigation further revealed that members of the criminal organization regularly conspired to commit several different firearms-related offenses including unlawfully possessing firearms, transferring guns between various members of the criminal organization, and targeting rival gang members and enemies for shootings.  The investigation also revealed that members of the criminal organization supported their criminal activities by distributing narcotics including cocaine, heroin, oxycodone, and “molly,” a form of ecstasy.  The investigation further revealed the coordinated efforts of members of the organization to distract law enforcement and conduct counter-surveillance of law enforcement, which included obtaining the assistance of an Asbury Park police officer who provided information to the leaders of the organization.

Two of the leaders of the criminal enterprise – James Fair, 26, and Altyreek Leonard, 21, both of Asbury Park – conspired with several other members of the criminal enterprise to obtain and transfer guns amongst the organization and to target rival street gang members for shootings. To that end, Fair and Leonard directed others within the criminal organization to notify them when their enemies were located and to then assist Fair and/or Leonard in attempting to shoot at their enemies. For their roles in directing and planning these crimes, as well as other crimes including robbery, burglary, and firearms possession, Fair and Leonard were both charged with promoting organized street crime and racketeering conspiracy.

The members of the criminal organization with whom Fair and Leonard conspired to possess, transfer and/or use firearms include: Harry Clayton, 34; Alexander Walton, 19; Haneef Walker, 22; Clarence Jackson 3rd, 26; Corderian Strickland, 27; Anthony Lanier, 21; Richard Hammond, 32; Tyrice Berry, 21; Todd Howard, 23; Jashawn Mack, 26; Tarik Cox, 23; Ja’air Butler, 18; Kyre Wallace, 27; and Tishonda Walker, 26, all of Asbury Park; Imere Meredith 21, of Neptune; Anthony Esdaile, 32, of Neptune City; Bilaal Scurdy, 21, of Long Branch; Quiana Robinson, 20, of Tinton Falls; Ayres Gray, 18, of Manalapan; Anthony Long, 33, of Freehold Township; and Deron Anglin, 27, of Newark. In addition to firearms offenses, these individuals were charged with racketeering conspiracy for their association and involvement in the criminal enterprise.

Tyan Harvey, 22, of Newark, and Alvin Durham, 26, of Union, were also charged with firearms offenses arising from a gun recovered by the police during a motor vehicle stop.

Throughout the investigation, members of the criminal organization attempted to avoid detection or apprehension through the use of coordinated tactics to direct police activity away from particular areas of Asbury Park, which included calling in reports of false emergencies and attempting to fire shots into the air.

Additionally, Patrolman Keith German, 46, of Tinton Falls, a 16-year veteran officer of the Asbury Park Police Department, assisted the members of the criminal organization in avoiding detection and prosecution by providing them with confidential law enforcement information, including on one occasion unlawfully accessing a law enforcement database.  German also sought and obtained Fair’s help in the course of stalking a victim, which at various times occurred while German was on duty as a police officer.

On one particular occasion in December 2013, law enforcement officers intervened just prior to a targeted shooting of a rival gang member that Fair had planned and directed outside of a business in Asbury Park.  On a separate day in December 2013, Walton, Haneef Walker, Jackson, and Strickland assisted Fair in shooting at a different victim’s house while the victim and his family were inside.  Similarly, in January 2014, Leonard directed Butler and Gray, who were both 17 years old at the time, to assist him in obtaining a firearm for the purpose of shooting at several rival gang members who were on the porch of a house in Asbury Park.

Fair and Haneef Walker also committed an armed robbery outside of a Neptune Township business in September 2013 and attempted to commit another armed robbery in Asbury Park in December 2013.  In January 2014, Fair assisted Wallace and Esdaile in the commission of a home invasion armed robbery in Asbury Park.  On several other occasions in late 2013, Fair burglarized residences in Asbury Park.  During one of those burglaries, he was assisted by Jackson.  On other occasions in December 2013 and February 2014, Fair and Mack planned and committed several thefts involving victims who were drug buyers or addicts.

Members of the criminal enterprise also developed a relationship with Frederick K. Ecke, 3rd, 28, and Eric J. Fitzgerald, 28, both of Toms River, who are the owners/managers of Cash It In, a pawn shop located in Neptune City.  Over the course of the investigation, members of the criminal organization, including Fair, Haneef Walker, Jackson, Tishonda Walker, Shayvon Raynor, 21, of Asbury Park, and Tyasia Williams, 24, of Neptune Township, acted together to shoplift from area stores and sell the merchandise to Ecke and Fitzgerald at Cash It In.  Ecke and Fitzgerald then sold the stolen merchandise on eBay through their business eBay account.  For their roles in this organized shoplifting scheme, Ecke, Fitzgerald, Raynor, and Williams were charged with racketeering conspiracy, as well as other theft-related offenses.

Fair and Leonard also conspired with other members of the criminal organization to distribute heroin, crack cocaine, oxycodone, and “molly” in the Asbury Park area.  Those other members include: Latoya Tatum, 28, Jacquil Jones, 25, Eugene Wilmore, 25, all of Asbury Park, Amanda Howland, 22, of Neptune City; Sammie Curtis, 58, of Neptune, and Rogerio Pereira, 30, of Eatontown, who were also charged with racketeering conspiracy for their involvement in the criminal enterprise, as well as Long, Clayton, Haneef Walker, Jackson, Howard, Mack, Berry, Scurdy, Robinson, Lanier, and Hammond.

Several other defendants were charged with conspiracy to possess a controlled dangerous substance and possession of a controlled dangerous substance for purchasing narcotics from members of the criminal enterprise, including the following individuals: Frank C. Vanness, 56, and Jane Brown, 63, both of Neptune Township; Roccal Gilmore, 42, of Spotswood; Brittany Collora, 24, of Ocean Grove; Jammara Kemp, 25, of South River, Justice T. Sharpe, 20, of Ocean, and Tysana Taylor, 46, and Rashan Bragg, 34, both of Asbury Park.

To-date, law enforcement has seized five firearms, two vehicles used in support of the criminal enterprise, and quantities of cocaine, heroin, oxycodone, and “molly.”

Alexander Walton, 19, of Asbury Park, Richard Hammond, 32, of Asbury Park, Anthony Long, 33, of Freehold Township, and Justice T. Sharpe, 20, of Ocean remain fugitives at-large.

The charges brought as a result of Operation “Dead End” carry the following state prison sentences:

1st degree crimes – up to 20 years

Racketeering Conspiracy

Attempted Murder

Conspiracy to commit murder

Armed robbery

Use of a juvenile to commit a crime

Promoting organized street crime – consecutive 15 to 30 years in State Prison

2nd degree crimes – up to 10 years

Unlawful possession of a firearm

Possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose

Possession of a community gun

Certain persons not to possess weapons

Armed burglary

Theft

Shoplifting

Endangering the welfare of a child

Official misconduct

Unauthorized access of a computer database and disclosure

Computer theft

Possession of a CDS with intent to distribute

Possession of a CDS with intent to distribute with 500 feet of public housing

Distribution of a CDS within 500 feet of public housing

3rd degree crimes – up to 5 years

Burglary

Theft

Fencing

Receiving stolen property

Hindering apprehension of another

False public alarms

Possession of a CDS with intent to distribute within 1000 feet of school property

Distribution of a CDS within 1000 feet of school property

Possession of a CDS with intent to distribute

Distribution of a CDS

Possession of a CDS

4th degree crimes – up to 18 months

Stalking

Aggravated assault by pointing a firearm

Possession of a defaced firearm

Obstruction

Despite these charges, every defendant is presumed innocent, unless and until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, following a trial at which the defendant has all of the trial rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and State law.

Acting Prosecutor Gramiccioni credited numerous law enforcement agencies for their assistance in this investigation, including the: Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office; Asbury Park Police Department; Neptune Township Police Department; Neptune City Police Department; Brielle Police Department; Hazlet Township Police Department; Tinton Falls Police Department; Long Branch Police Department; Deal Police Department; Atlantic Highlands Police Department; Ocean Township Police Department; Marlboro Township Police Department; Freehold Township Police Department; Howell Township Police Department; Wall Township Police Department; Avon-by-the-Sea Police Department; Sea Bright Police Department; West Long Branch Police Department; Toms River Police Department, Freehold Borough Police Department, Shrewsbury Police Department, United States Marshal’s Service; United States Drug Enforcement Administration; and United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Matthew Bogner of the Major Crimes Unit and Assistant Prosecutor Michael Costanzo of the Narcotics and Criminal Enterprise Division.

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