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Atlantic City Kingpin Toye Tutis Gets 22 Years
CAMDEN, N.J. – Toye Tutis, 46, of Atlantic City, is headed to federal prison for two decades after being sentenced today to 264 months for running a large-scale drug trafficking operation and laundering millions of dollars in profits. U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced the sentence, marking a significant blow to the criminal underworld operating in Atlantic County.
Tutis previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine, crack cocaine, and heroin, as well as conspiracy to launder drug proceeds with his long-time partner, Jazmin Vega, 45. Vega also entered a guilty plea and is scheduled to be sentenced June 14, 2019. The pair operated with impunity for years, turning legitimate businesses into fronts for their illegal enterprise.
“Defendant Tutis laundered more than just clothing at his Atlantic City laundromat – he also laundered the proceeds of his significant heroin and cocaine drug trafficking ring,” Carpenito stated bluntly. “This sentence punctuates the end of both his drug trafficking and his money laundering activities, and is yet another example of our efforts to clean up the streets of Atlantic City and the towns surrounding it.” The investigation revealed a sophisticated scheme designed to disguise the source of Tutis’s illicit wealth.
Federal investigators detailed how, from 2010 through December 2014, Tutis moved between 150 to 450 kilograms of cocaine and approximately 26 kilograms of heroin through the Ta’Ja Laundromat. The operation generated between $1.5 million and $3 million in illegal profits, which were then funneled through a network of shell companies – Ta’Ja Construction I LLC; Ta’Ja Real Estate Investors LLC; and Integrity Heating and Cooling LLC – and used to purchase over 30 properties. FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Gregory W. Ehrie emphasized the scope of the damage, stating, “The magnitude of his crimes may never be fully known but his actions fed a deadly drug epidemic that claims countless lives.”
Susan A. Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Jersey Division, condemned Tutis’s greed, stating, “Mr. Tutis’ actions show his main concern was making a profit off the misery of others.” As part of the plea agreement, both Vega and Tutis are required to forfeit 20 properties, cash, and other assets acquired through their criminal activities. Judge Jerome B. Simandle also sentenced Tutis to five years of supervised release following his prison term.
Tutis wasn’t operating alone. Nine other individuals have already pleaded guilty to participating in the drug trafficking conspiracy or related offenses in Atlantic County. These include Kabaka Atiba (120 months), Tozine Tiller (235 months), TeJohn Cooper (96 months), Ronald Douglas Byrd (96 months), Kareem Taylor (sentencing scheduled for June 3, 2019), Talib Tiller (57 months), and John Wellman (details omitted for brevity). The dismantling of this organization represents a major victory for law enforcement in its ongoing fight against drug trafficking and money laundering in the region.
Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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