BRIDGEPORT, CT – Jamar Traylor, 23, known on the streets as “J-Hop,” will spend the next 14 years in federal prison after being sentenced for his role in a brutal wave of violence orchestrated by the Original North End (O.N.E.) gang. U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley handed down the 168-month sentence, followed by three years of supervised release, on Monday, February 6, 2023.
Traylor and other O.N.E. members were at the heart of a reign of terror in Bridgeport’s Trumbull Gardens, engaging in narcotics trafficking, car theft, and targeting rival gangs – including the East End, East Side, and PT Barnum gangs – with deadly force. The investigation, a joint effort by the FBI, ATF, DEA, U.S. Marshals, and Bridgeport Police, revealed a pattern of racketeering activity stretching back to 2018.
The most shocking act linked to Traylor involved the August 13, 2018, murder of Len Smith, 25. Traylor and his crew stole a Jeep Grand Cherokee in Newburgh, New York, and used it to hunt down members of the East End gang. They located Smith and a female companion in a parked car on Stratford and Union Avenues, mistaking them for rivals, and opened fire, killing Smith and seriously wounding his companion. The Jeep was later burned in Indian Wells State Park in Shelton in a desperate attempt to erase evidence.
Beyond the murder, Traylor’s criminal activity included a violent robbery of a marijuana dealer on October 22, 2018. But the feds didn’t just rely on the 2018 crimes. When Bridgeport Police raided Traylor’s residence on June 1, 2021, while he was already on state probation for a weapons conviction, they uncovered an arsenal: five Glock handguns, 14 magazines (including a 50-round drum), speed loaders, laser attachments, ammunition, body armor, and bags of marijuana. Authorities also found materials used for processing and packaging narcotics.
Traylor pleaded guilty on June 10, 2022, to conspiring to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery, Fairfield State’s Attorney Joseph T. Corradino, Bridgeport Police Chief Roderick Porter, FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Jean Pierre Njock, ATF Special Agent in Charge James Ferguson, DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian D. Boyle, and Acting U.S. Marshal Lawrence Bobnick. This case is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods, Project Longevity, and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) programs.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen L. Peck, Rahul Kale, Jocelyn C. Kaoutzanis, and Tara E. Levens are prosecuting the case. The investigation remains ongoing, with multiple agencies continuing to dismantle Bridgeport’s violent gangs and hold those responsible for the bloodshed accountable. Traylor has been detained since his arrest and will now face a lengthy stretch behind bars, hopefully disrupting the O.N.E.’s operations.
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Key Facts
- Agency: ATF
- Category: Organized Crime|Weapons|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Press Release
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