A Bridgeport gang member has pleaded guilty to a federal racketeering charge stemming from his participation in a violent Bridgeport street gang. Jamar Traylor, also known as “J-Hop,” 22, of Bridgeport, pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in a pattern of racketeering activity, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
The FBI, ATF, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service and Bridgeport Police have been investigating multiple Bridgeport-based gangs whose members are involved in narcotics trafficking, murder and other acts of violence. Traylor was a member of the Original North End (“O.N.E.”), a gang based in the Trumbull Gardens area of Bridgeport that committed acts of violence against rival gang, including the East End gang, the East Side gang, and the PT Barnum gang.
According to court documents and statements made in court, O.N.E. members robbed drug dealers, sold narcotics, laundered narcotics proceeds, and stole cars from inside and outside Connecticut and used the cars to commit crimes. On August 8, 2018, Traylor and other O.N.E. members stole a Jeep Grand Cherokee in Newburgh, New York, and drove it back to Bridgeport.
In the following days, Traylor and others conspired to use the car to kill East End gang members and their allies who they had learned through social media were at a deli on Stratford Avenue in Bridgeport. Although that plan fell through, in the early morning hours of August 13, 2018, O.N.E. members drove the stolen Jeep to Union Avenue in Bridgeport where they shot and killed Len Smith, 25, who they mistook for a rival East End group member, and shot and seriously wounded Smith’s female companion, both of whom were seated in a parked car.
On October 22, 2018, Traylor and others committed a violent robbery of a marijuana dealer. On June 1, 2021, Traylor, who at the time was on probation after a state felony weapons conviction, possessed five Glock handguns and ammunition. Traylor has been detained since June 1, 2021.
This ongoing investigation is being 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 and the Waterbury Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen L. Peck, Rahul Kale, Jocelyn C. Kaoutzanis and Tara E. Levens. This prosecution is a part of the Justice’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. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.
Jamar Traylor, Defendant’s Name: Jamar Traylor, Real full name or legal entity name; Crime: Engaging in a pattern of racketeering activity; City and state: Bridgeport, Connecticut; Exact date: June 1, 2021; Sentence or outcome: Traylor pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in a pattern of racketeering activity, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years; Defendant has been detained since June 1, 2021.
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- Jauwan Edwards, Racketeering, Connecticut 2024 · Connecticut
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- Devin Suggs, Conspiracy to Engage in a Pattern of Racketeering Activity, Connecticut 2024 · Connecticut
- SAMUEL DOUGLAS, Conspiracy to Engage in a Pattern of Racketeering Activity, Connecticut 2024 · Connecticut
- Donell Allick, Jr. Racketeering, Murder, Connecticut 2022 · Connecticut
Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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