Four Paterson “4K” Gang Members Indicted for Racketeering and Shooting Rival Gang Members

Avent, Roberts, Moody, and Johnson face federal charges for a 2022 shooting tied to gang violence as part of a long-running FBI and ATF investigation.

Four members and associates of the Paterson-based street gang known as “4K” have been indicted for their alleged roles in a November 2022 shooting targeting rival gang members, Acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

The superseding indictment charges Jatrail Avent, also known as “Curry”; Shequan Roberts, also known as “Shingy”; Jahmir Moody, also known as “Jahdi”; and Wizair Johnson, also known as “Wababy,” with one count of committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering and one count of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. Each defendant also faces individual firearms charges that were previously filed.

Prosecutors allege that Avent, Roberts, Moody, and Johnson are members or associates of the “4K Enterprise,” a neighborhood gang that operates in Paterson’s Rosa Parks Boulevard area near Lyon, Keen, and Mercer Streets. According to court documents, the group has been linked to shootings, robberies, homicides, and drug trafficking.

On November 6, 2022, the defendants allegedly opened fire on members of a rival gang known as the “230 Boyz,” who were inside a van during an ongoing dispute between the two groups.

If convicted, each defendant faces up to 20 years in prison for the violent crime in aid of racketeering charge and a mandatory minimum of 10 years, with a maximum of life in prison, for the firearm offense. Both charges carry maximum fines of $250,000, and any firearm sentence must run consecutively to other penalties.

Acting U.S. Attorney Habba credited the FBI, ATF, New Jersey State Police, Passaic County Sheriff’s Office, and Paterson Police Department with the investigation. The case is part of the Paterson Violent Crime Initiative (VCI), a federal-state-local partnership formed in 2020 to reduce violent crime in the city.

The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.