Bronx gang members convicted of racketeering and related offenses, including 2014 shooting of three individuals
NEW YORK – United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey S. Berman and DEA New York Division Special Agent in Charge Raymond Donovan announced that Christopher Howard, aka “Juju,” a member of a violent, Bronx-based street gang known as “Money, Bitches, Guns” (“MBG”), was convicted yesterday of racketeering conspiracy, assault with a deadly weapon in aid of racketeering, and a firearms offense. Howard was convicted following a one-week trial before U.S. District Judge Robert W. Sweet.
“Christopher Howard was a member of a violent street gang that operated in and around NYCHA’s Mill Brook Houses,” said U.S. Attorney Berman. “In August 2014, he shot into a crowd of people in the Mill Brook Houses, injuring three individuals. Now he stands convicted for his crimes. We thank the New York City Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration for their tireless efforts to secure this important conviction.”
As reflected in the indictment, documents previously filed in the case, and evidence introduced at trial:
From 2007 through October 2017, Howard was a member of MBG, a local street gang based in the Mill Brook Houses in the Bronx that was responsible for narcotics trafficking and several acts of violence. As part of his membership in MBG, Howard boasted about his gang membership on social media and shot at a rival gang member. Specifically, in the early morning hours of Aug. 17, 2014, Howard, aiming for a rival gang member who had previously broken Howard’s jaw, shot into a crowd of people gathering in a small courtyard in the Mill Brook Houses. Three people were injured as a result of the shooting, including Howard’s intended target.
Howard, 26, of Staten Island, faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum potential sentence of life in prison.
Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the DEA and the New York City Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by the office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Alexandra Rothman, Christopher Clore, and Jordan Estes are in charge of the prosecution.
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