Keith Young, Violent New Haven Street Gang Member, Connecticut 2014

NEW HAVEN, CT – Keith Young, also known as ‘Capo,’ ‘Bapo,’ and ‘Poncho,’ a 28-year-old man from Hamden, has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for his role in a violent New Haven street gang.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Young was a member and leader of the Red Side Guerilla Brims (RSGB), a sect of the Bloods street gang based in New Haven. The investigation, known as ‘Operation Red Side,’ revealed that members and associates of the RSGB were engaged in narcotics trafficking and related acts of violence, including murder, attempted murder, assaults, and armed robberies.

Young had a role in three gang-related murders in 2011. On June 24, 2011, Donell Allick was shot and killed as he stood in his New Haven home. The investigation revealed that, on that date, Jeffrey Benton, Young, Luis Padilla, and Kavon Rogers drove in a car searching for a rival gang leader that Benton intended to murder. Instead, Benton encountered Allick, with whom Benton was angry over a drug transaction.

In September 2011, RSGB leadership ordered Robert Short, also known as ‘Santana,’ to murder Darrick Cooper, who was a leader of a rival gang and seen as a threat. In the early morning hours of September 19, 2011, Short lured Cooper to a location in Hamden and shot Cooper in the back of the head as Cooper walked up a staircase. The investigation revealed that Young had offered to help Short kill Cooper.

Young was arrested on September 30, 2015, and had been detained ever since. On February 13, 2017, he pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in a pattern of racketeering activity, and one count of money laundering related to the transferring of drug proceeds from Maine to Connecticut through Western Union.

As a result of this investigation, 21 members and associates of the RSGB were convicted of federal charges in Connecticut and Maine. The investigation has resolved seven murder cases, four attempted murders, and four armed robberies that occurred in 2011 and 2012.

Young will serve 180 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for his role in the violent New Haven street gang. The investigation was led by the ATF and the New Haven Police Department, and was assisted by other law enforcement agencies.

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