Burlington County Trafficker ‘Righteous’ Sentenced to 20 Years

A Burlington County man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in a large heroin trafficking conspiracy that distributed over a kilogram of the deadly drug in Trenton and the surrounding area.

Jerome Roberts, 53, also known as ‘Righteous,’ was convicted in October 2021 of conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin and distribution of 100 grams or more of heroin. Roberts was convicted following a three-week trial before former U.S. District Judge Freda L. Wolfson.

U.S. District Judge Georgette Castner imposed the sentence on June 13, 2024, in Trenton federal court.

According to documents filed in the case and the evidence at trial, Roberts and others engaged in a large narcotics conspiracy that operated in the areas of Martin Luther King Boulevard, Sanford Street, Middle Rose Street, Southard Street, Hoffman Avenue, and Coolidge Avenue in Trenton from October 2017 to October 2018.

The conspiracy sought to profit from the distribution of heroin and numerous other controlled substances. Roberts and his conspirator Jakir Taylor obtained regular supplies of hundreds of ‘bricks’ of heroin from conspirator David Antonio, whom they referred to as ‘Papi.’ Communications intercepted over court-authorized wiretaps showed that Taylor and Roberts agreed to obtain from Antonio what Roberts referred to as the ‘motherlode,’ a supply of as many as 1,500 bricks – approximately 1.5 kilograms of heroin – in a single delivery.

Taylor said that he intended to ‘flood the streets’ of Trenton with this large supply. And Antonio said that ‘as long . . . as I keep it flowing, we never gonna stop.’ Evidence in the case also showed that Roberts personally distributed large quantities of heroin to others during the conspiracy.

Roberts’ sentence is the latest in a series of convictions and sentences related to the large heroin trafficking conspiracy. Antonio pleaded guilty to his role and was sentenced in March 2020 to 204 months in prison. Taylor pleaded guilty to his role and was sentenced in January 2023 to 228 months in prison.

U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, Newark Division, Trenton Resident Agency, with the investigation leading to the sentencing. He also thanked officers of the Trenton Police Department, Princeton Police Department, Ewing Police Department, Burlington Township Police Department, Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, N.J. State Police, Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, Mercer County Sheriff’s Office, and N.J. State Board of Parole for their assistance in the case.