United States Drug Enforcement Administration

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Michael J. Ferguson Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England and Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Christopher Graham, also known as “Ugg,” 28, of New Haven, pleaded guilty yesterday before Chief U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to one count of assault in aid of racketeering and one count of possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine.

On September 30, 2015, a federal grand jury in New Haven returned a 34-count indictment against Graham and five co-defendants charging various racketeering, violent crimes in aid of racketeering, firearms, money laundering and narcotics distribution offenses.  The indictment described a criminal enterprise known as the Red Side Guerilla (“RSGB”), a sect of the Bloods street gang that operated in New Haven from 2011 through 2015, which was engaged in narcotics trafficking and related acts of violence, including murder, attempted murder, assaults and armed robberies.  In pleading guilty, Graham admitted that he was a member of the RSGB in 2014.  As part of his gang membership, on December 23, 2014, he committed a violent assault of an individual over a .40 caliber pistol that the victim allegedly stole from him.  Graham also admitted that he committed the assault along with another RSGB member whom he had called to the scene after realizing the victim had stolen the gun.  Graham further admitted that, on October 10, 2014, he possessed 34 baggies of crack cocaine that he intended to distribute, and on multiple occasions in December 2014, either distributed or possessed with the intent to distribute quantities of crack cocaine.  Graham has been detained since his arrest on October 6, 2015.  He is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Hall on April 15, 2016 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years of imprisonment and a $250,000 fine on the assault count, and 20 years of imprisonment and a $1 million fine on the drug count.

This ongoing investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and (ATF), the New Haven Police Department, the Connecticut Department of Correction, the Connecticut State Police, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Hamden Police Department.  The New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office also provided critical assistance in the investigation.  An instrumental component of the investigation has been the work of the Connecticut State Crime Laboratory in utilizing the National Integrated Ballistic Information (NIBIN) to analyze ballistics evidence.