- Federal authorities announced charges Wednesday against dozens of members of the Heath Street Gang.
- Charges include drug trafficking, targeted attacks on rival companies, recruitment, and organized retail theft.
- The members are also accused of fraud totaling more than $900,000 due to unemployment and COVID-19 infections.
Dozens of gang members who operated out of public housing in suburban Boston are accused of dealing drugs, targeting rivals with gunfire, and recruiting young people to appear in songs and videos. federal authorities announced Wednesday.
Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy said the charges against more than 40 members and associates of the Heath Street Gang include unemployment and COVID-19 fraud totaling more than $900,000. They are also charged with organized retail theft for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars in merchandise from stores in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, including Nordstrom and Victoria’s Secret.
“One of the core missions of the Department of Justice is to keep our communities safe, and the cases we are announcing today align with exactly that fundamental priority,” Levy told reporters Wednesday. It added that nearly 20 members of the gang were arrested in the morning. More than 60 firearms were also seized as part of the two-year investigation.
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“The defendants charged with racketeering conspiracy are suspected of involvement in three separate murders and multiple shootings,” he said. “There were also innocent victims in the shootings, including a 9-year-old girl who was seriously injured while attending a family gathering.”
Boston Police Chief Michael Cox said the incident shows the department is listening to the concerns of the Mildred C. Haley Apartments in Jamaica Plain and the surrounding community. He hoped the charges and arrests would help build trust with residents.
Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy speaks at a federal courthouse in Boston on February 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Casey)
“The villains we targeted today took advantage of young people,” Cox said.
“They used fear, intimidation and violence for personal gain. They took advantage of the youngest among us,” he said. “They took advantage of the sons and daughters of these communities and turned them into a life of crime. This is a high-impact investigation. This will impact our city for some time to come.”
Many of the gang members are scheduled to appear in court later Wednesday on charges including attempting to murder rival gang members, trafficking drugs such as cocaine and fentanyl, and recruiting juveniles to act as lookouts and possess guns and drugs. has been charged with the crime. Engage in shooting. ”
“That’s an issue we’re hearing from city police chiefs across Massachusetts and, frankly, across the country,” Levy said. “The honest, law-abiding people who live in Haley’s Apartments want the same thing we all want: They don’t want their kids getting hurt or being recruited into gangs.” We want to be able to send our kids to school and go out to play without fear.”
The gang is also accused of widespread pandemic aid fraud, including one defendant applying for unemployment aid in 10 states and Guam. The gang is also accused of submitting nearly 20 fraudulent employment letters to a company called Married 2 The Mop and bragging about purchasing more than 100 guns using pandemic funds.
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“We’re seeing gang activity taking advantage of the situation we’re all in during the pandemic and the rush to get funds to people who need it. There’s also been a lot of fraud,” Levy said. Ta. “What we’re seeing happening in this violent crime space is people are taking advantage of loopholes and the fog of war to perpetrate massive amounts of fraudulent claims.”
