Remarks Of U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger At The 2023 Newark Year-End Crime Stats Press Conference

The following are the remarks of U.S. Attorney Sellinger at the 2023 Newark Year-End Crime Stats Press Conference -

"Thank you Mayor Baraka and Public Safety Director Fragé for including us in today’s event and for your partnership and commitment to combatting and eradicating gun violence in Newark.

Keeping our communities safe is the most fundamental mission of law enforcement. We at the U.S. Attorney’s Office are truly honored to collaborate with the Newark Police Department and all of our other law enforcement partners up here today in support of this critical cause. We believe that this partnership, created through our Newark Violent Crime Initiative, which just entered its sixth year, has helped drive the historically low rates of homicides and shootings in Newark that the Mayor and Police Director mentioned. While every homicide and senseless shooting is tragic and is one too many, we believe this hard-earned, steady decline is a direct result of our VCI’s collaborative efforts.

Together, the Newark Police Department, my office, and our other federal, state, and local law enforcement partners in our VCI have spent years identifying and gathering intelligence about those who drive the violence in and around Newark. For our part, we’ve dedicated prosecutors to target those street gangs whose members and associates are responsible for the shootings that continue to harm this community, and we have prosecuted violent offenders associated with each and every one of them.

In the course of our partnership, we’ve charged hundreds of Newark offenders for shootings, gun trafficking and possession, and gang-related activities. We currently have two alleged Newark gang members facing mandatory life sentences for murder. We have at least two more facing potential life sentences for non-fatal violent crimes in furtherance of gang activity.

In October, we charged two alleged members of the Sex Money Murder (“SMM”) subset of the Bloods Street gang operating in the Bradley Court Housing Complex with the November 2022 murder of a rival. In November, we charged five additional alleged SMM members and associates for trafficking fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine in Newark, two of whom we also charged with firearms possession.

Following a series of retaliatory shootings between rival neighborhoods in Newark, we charged a member of a street gang operating in the area of Clinton Place and Weequahic Avenue for possessing a machinegun that was used in April to fire 28 rounds, hitting three victims at the Oscar Miles Housing Complex. He pleaded guilty in October.

Over the course of the year, 12 members and associates of the Grape Street Crips street gang operating in and around Oscar Miles pleaded guilty to running a drug trafficking organization distributing large amounts of fentanyl and crack cocaine.

These are but a few examples of the results of our VCI partnership with all of our law enforcement partners up here today. Thank you."