A ruthless member of the New Jersey Grape Street Crips has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for his role in a brazen racketeering conspiracy that left two innocent bystanders dead and a young man fighting for his life.
Ahmad Manley, a 32-year-old Newark native, was convicted of eight counts, including RICO conspiracy, attempted murder in aid of racketeering, and using firearms during crimes of violence and drug trafficking crimes. The jury returned the verdict on the fourth day of deliberations following a two-month trial before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo.
Manley’s crimes were part of a larger racketeering conspiracy that involved the murder of seven people, numerous attempted murders, and other violent and drug trafficking crimes committed by the Grape Street Crips. In 2016, 14 members and associates of the gang were charged in a 22-count indictment, and 13 of them have been convicted, with one awaiting trial.
According to prosecutors, Manley and other gang members targeted Almalik Anderson, the gang’s chief rival, for violence after Anderson refused to pay the gang’s extortion demands. In October 2013, the gang’s leader, Corey Hamlet, met with Anderson at the Short Hills mall to discuss the dispute. After the meeting, Hamlet used a social media account to post a report from the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, allegedly indicating that Anderson had provided a statement to law enforcement. Just three days later, Manley and other gang members shot and nearly killed Anderson and Saidah Goines, who was inside Anderson’s car.
After the attempt to kill Anderson failed, Hamlet ordered the murder of Maurice Green, the younger brother of Almalik Anderson. On March 3, 2014, Manley and Hamlet pulled up to a car being driven by Green and two other individuals. Although Hamlet aimed a firearm at Green and the car’s other occupants, Green pulled off before any shots were fired. A short time later, however, Manley found Green, and a car chase ensued. The chase ended when Green’s car crashed into other vehicles at the busy intersection of Irvine Turner Boulevard and Spruce Street in Newark, and Manley and others fired numerous shots in the direction of Green’s vehicle. Green was shot, and Wesley Childs, a passenger in Green’s car, was killed. Velma Cuttino, an innocent bystander who was a passenger in one of the vehicles involved in the crash, was shot and killed.
Manley also conspired with other gang members to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin. The case was investigated by the FBI and DEA, and prosecutors credited the agencies with helping to bring Manley to justice. The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, Newark Police Department, and Essex County Sheriff’s Office also assisted in the investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by Osmar J. Benvenuto, Chief of the Organized Crime and Gangs Unit, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard J. Ramsay of the Appeals Division in Newark. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark federal court.
Related Federal Cases
- Ricardo Reid, Mail and Wire Fraud Conspiracy, New Jersey 2024 · Virginia
- Jason Boyd, Cocaine Base Conspiracy, New Jersey 2024 · New Jersey
- Bridgette Williams, Identity Theft and Conspiracy, Macon GA, 2014 · Alabama
- James Postlethwaite, Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana, Seattle WA… · Washington
- Elmostafa Charif, Designer Drug Trafficking, New Jersey 2024 · Pennsylvania
Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Category: Organized Crime|Violent Crime|Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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