Narik Wilson, Emil Rutledge Admit Bloods Gang Racketeering

Two top leaders of the Sex Money Murder set of the Bloods street gang in Newark, New Jersey, have admitted to orchestrating a violent racketeering conspiracy that included murder, attempted murder, and large-scale heroin distribution. Narik Wilson, a/k/a “Spaz,” 32, and Emil Rutledge, a/k/a “Diddy,” 27, both of Newark, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy in connection with a brutal campaign of violence spanning from 2007 to 2011.

Wilson, identified as the gang’s leader or “O.G.,” admitted in federal court to directing the attempted murders of seven rival gang members and the actual murder of an eighth. The attacks, carried out across Essex County, were acts of gang warfare meant to solidify Sex Money Murder’s control. Among the attacks: a drive-by shooting on February 4, 2007, targeting a rival; another on February 16, 2007; and a deadly barrage on July 14, 2011, which killed a rival gang member known as Victim 8.

Rutledge, serving as a “captain” or “shot-caller” in the gang, admitted to personally participating in multiple drive-by shootings ordered by Wilson. He confirmed his role in the attacks on Victims 3 through 7 in 2010 and 2011, and directly admitted to taking part in the murder of Victim 8. Both men confessed to conspiring to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin in and around Newark, funneling drugs through the same violent network used to eliminate rivals.

The guilty pleas were entered before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton in Newark federal court, as part of a 14-count superseding indictment. Under binding plea agreements, Wilson and Rutledge are each set to receive 30-year federal prison sentences, minus time already served on related charges, followed by five years of supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled for February 15, 2017.

The investigation was a joint effort by the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, the Newark Department of Public Safety, the DEA, and the ATF. U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman praised the agencies for dismantling a key faction of the Bloods, calling the admissions a major strike against organized street violence in northern New Jersey.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Mahajan. Wilson was represented by Michael N. Pedicini, Esq. of Chatham, New Jersey. Rutledge was represented by Timothy R. Anderson, Esq. of Red Bank, New Jersey. The Sex Money Murder set, a violent offshoot of the Bloods, had terrorized Newark neighborhoods for years before the federal crackdown.