Acting Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck announced that a state grand jury today indicted 15 alleged members and associates of a drug ring run by a local set of the Crips who allegedly fueled gun violence involving rival gangs in the section of Paterson where they operated.
According to the Attorney General's office, the indictment returned today charges 15 members and associates of the “42-50” set of the Crips with first-degree racketeering for allegedly trafficking heroin and crack cocaine in open-air drug markets in the area of Godwin Avenue and Auburn Street in Paterson.
The Attorney General's office said that two defendants—Marvin Goodwin, 30, who allegedly ran the drug set, and Terike Gass, 41, who allegedly managed the drug set with him—are also charged with first-degree promoting organized street crime.
In addition, all defendants are charged with second-degree conspiracy to distribute narcotics, and most face other drug charges.
The Division of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau and the Paterson Police Department Narcotics Unit arrested Goodwin, Gass, and 10 other alleged members and associates of the 42-50 set in October 2020 as gun violence between rival gangs escalated in that section of the city.
According to the Attorney General's office, Goodwin suffered non-fatal injuries in a drive-by shooting on August 6, 2020, near Hamilton Avenue and Auburn Street, and another 42-50 member was struck and wounded by gunfire in a shooting at Godwin Avenue and Auburn Street on October 14, 2020, the day before arrests began.
The Attorney General's office said Heroin seized by detectives and sold by the drug ring was packaged in wax folds stamped with the same brand names that were linked to eight fatal and 14 non-fatal overdoses in New Jersey.
“The people of Paterson deserve to live in safety, without the fear of gun violence or the dangers associated with open-air drug markets,” Acting Attorney General Bruck said.
“We’re focused on dismantling the criminal organizations that fuel violence in our communities, and indictments like this one play an important role in our broader public safety agenda. By pairing criminal prosecutions with innovative, community-based violence prevention programs, we can improve lives and expand prosperity in Paterson and across the state.”
“In addition to fueling gun violence in the section of Paterson where they operated, this local set of the Crips street gang allegedly sold heroin bearing the same brand stamps that were linked to eight fatal overdoses,” Director Lyndsay V. Ruotolo of the Division of Criminal Justice said.
“Working with the Paterson Police Department, we have locked up the alleged leaders of this dangerous drug set and charged a total of 15 defendants with first-degree racketeering, which carries a prison sentence of 10 to 20 years, 85 percent of which must be served without parole.
During the investigation, investigators seized over 21,000 single-dose wax folds of heroin—some of which also contained fentanyl—and more than a kilo of crack cocaine. The gang is believed to have been distributing approximately 50,000 doses of heroin and a kilo of crack cocaine per week.
The indictment charges the following defendants with first-degree racketeering, second-degree conspiracy to distribute narcotics, and other offenses:
- Marvin Goodwin, 30, of Paterson
- Terike Gass, 41, of Paterson
- Arikia Goodwin, 33, of Paterson
- Andre Anderson, 37, of Paterson
- Jerome Blair, 39, of Paterson
- Shomahree Brown, 37, of East Orange
- Javon Cook, 29, of Paterson
- Steven Godbolt, 48, Paterson
- William Herrington, 40, of Paterson
- Brian Johnson, 38, of Paterson
- Kenneth McKinney, 22, of Paterson
- Eric Pena, 29, of Paterson
- Jakheem Rutter, 21, of Paterson
- Andre White, 44, of Paterson
- Christopher Younger, 20, Paterson
When search warrants were executed in Paterson, investigators uncovered a heroin mill inside a building in the first block of North York Street where the gang cut and packaged heroin for sale, as well as a crack cocaine mill inside an apartment in the 300 block of Summer Street and a heroin and cocaine mill inside a residence in the first block of 12th Avenue.
Five defendants face charges of first-degree maintaining or operating a narcotics production facility: Herrington in connection with the North York Street location; Gass, Anderson, and Johnson in connection with the Summer Street location; and Gass and Arikia Goodwin in connection with the 12th Avenue location.
Marvin Goodwin, Arikia Goodwin, Gass, Anderson, and White were ordered detained in jail pending trial. The other defendants were released subject to monitoring conditions.
The investigation was conducted in partnership with the Paterson Police Department Narcotics Unit, under the leadership of Captain Bert Ribiero, Chief Ibrahim Baycora, and Public Safety Director Jerry Speziale.
The New Jersey State Police Intelligence Section assisted in the investigation.