Bridgeport Gangster ‘Yaya’ Sentenced to 78 Months for Racketeering Conspiracy

Bridgeport, CT – Jauwan Edwards, a 26-year-old Bridgeport gang member, was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison for his involvement in a violent Bridgeport street gang, the Original North End (O.N.E.), U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery announced today.

Edwards, also known as ‘Yaya’, pleaded guilty on June 30, 2023, to one count of racketeering conspiracy. According to court documents and statements made in court, the FBI, ATF, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, Connecticut State Police, and Bridgeport Police have been investigating multiple Bridgeport-based gangs, including the O.N.E., whose members were involved in narcotics trafficking, murder, and other acts of violence.

Analysis of numerous social media posts and text messages revealed that Edwards possessed firearms, and that he sold a variety of drugs, including fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, crack, Percocet pills, and marijuana. Edwards also participated with other O.N.E. members in the theft and possession of stolen vehicles, including a Lexus Rx350 that was stolen from Rye, New York, and used in a homicide.

In early December 2019, O.N.E. members were involved in multiple shots-fired incidents in Bridgeport. In one incident, the mother of two East End gang members was shot outside of her Bridgeport home. In another incident, on December 8, 2019, O.N.E. members used the stolen Lexus in a shooting incident at the P.T. Barnum Housing Complex, and then drove it to Newfield Avenue in Bridgeport, considered the turf of the East End/East Side gang, where they shot and killed Ty’Quess Moore, also known as ‘Breezo’, 18.

Edwards was arrested on July 27, 2021. A search of his residence on that date revealed fentanyl, crack cocaine, and cocaine packaged for distribution, and a loaded Glock handgun with an extended magazine and a laser sight. Edwards has been detained since his arrest.

This investigation has been conducted by the FBI’s Safe Streets and Violent Crimes Task Forces, ATF, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, Bridgeport Police Department, Connecticut State Police, and the Bridgeport State’s Attorney’s Office, with the assistance of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory, Waterbury Police Department, and Naugatuck Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen L. Peck, Tara E. Levens, Patrick J. Doherty, Rahul Kale, and Jocelyn C. Kaoutzanis.

This prosecution is a part of the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), Project Longevity and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) programs. PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts, aimed at reducing violent crime and improving public safety.

Approximately 47 members and associates of the East End, O.N.E., and the GHB/Hotz gangs have been convicted of federal offenses stemming from this investigation, which has solved eight murders and approximately 20 attempted murders. Edwards’ sentencing marks another significant milestone in the ongoing effort to dismantle and disrupt violent gangs in Bridgeport and beyond.