1<\/sup><\/p>\nThe BPF street gang was a criminal enterprise that operated principally in and around the City of Mount Vernon, New York, from at least in or about 2007 up to and including 2014. BPF members and associates sought to enhance the gang\u2019s power, protect and expand its territory, and enrich its members through a wide array of criminal activities, including murder, attempted murder, larceny, arson, and the distribution of cocaine and marijuana. BPF members and associates expressly acknowledged and celebrated their gang affiliation through various means, including by wearing clothing emblazoned with \u201cBoss Playa Family\u201d and \u201cBPF,\u201d and by creating and posting on the Internet rap videos that promoted BPF.<\/p>\n
One of BPF\u2019s principal objectives was to maintain and exercise control over its territory, the area of Seventh Avenue and Sandford Boulevard in Mount Vernon. To that end, BPF sought to assert its dominance over rival gangs, particularly the \u201cGoonies,\u201d a gang based in a neighboring area of Mount Vernon. During the time period relevant to the Indictment, BPF members and associates were responsible for numerous acts of violence targeting members of the rival Goonies gang, including multiple murders and many other shootings. In furtherance of such violence, firearms were maintained in stash locations by certain BPF members and associates for shared use by other members and associates of the gang when guns were needed to strike or retaliate against the Goonies.<\/p>\n
The violence perpetrated by BPF turned deadly on two occasions in 2008. On or about August 13, 2008, JAMEL UPSON, one of BPF\u2019s lead enforcers or \u201cshooters,\u201d aided and abetted by others known and unknown, murdered Shomari Knox, a member of the Goonies, by shooting Knox in the area of Ninth Avenue and Third Street in Mount Vernon. Several months later, on or about December 14, 2008, UPSON, again aided and abetted by others known and unknown, murdered another member of the Goonies, Cory Cabiness, by shooting him in the vicinity of the Ebony Gardens apartment complex in Mount Vernon. As alleged in the Indictment, UPSON committed these murders in order to maintain and increase his position in the BPF gang.<\/p>\n
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Counts One and Two of the Indictment charge all seven defendants, JAMEL UPSON, SHAWN EVANS, ANTOINE LITTLE, TYRONE McCALLUM, PORTLAND RAMSEUR, GORHAM VALENTINE, and JASON WHITE, with a BPF racketeering conspiracy and firearms offenses in connection with that conspiracy. As alleged, various combinations of those defendants committed, among other acts of racketeering, at least eight shootings in furtherance of the BPF conspiracy. Counts Three and Four of the Indictment charge UPSON with murder in aid of racketeering activity and a related firearms offense in connection with the August 2008 murder of Shomari Knox, and Counts Five and Six charge UPSON with murder in aid of racketeering activity and a related firearms offense in connection with the December 2008 murder of Cory Cabiness. Finally, Count Seven of the Indictment charges UPSON, RAMSEUR, and WHITE with conspiring to distribute cocaine and marijuana in and around BPF territory.<\/p>\n
Charts containing the names, ages, residences, charges, and maximum penalties for the defendants are set forth below. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.<\/p>\n
Mr. Bharara praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI and the Mount Vernon Police Department. He also thanked the Westchester County District Attorney\u2019s Office for its participation and support in this ongoing investigation.<\/p>\n
The prosecution is being handled by the Office\u2019s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys George Turner and Daniel Filor are in charge of the prosecution.<\/p>\n
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.<\/p>\n
1<\/sup>As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation. -FBI<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEW YORK — The Federal Bureau of Investigation (\u201cFBI\u201d), announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging seven members and associates of a Mount Vernon-based street gang, \u201cBoss Playa Family\u201d or \u201cBPF,\u201d with participation in a racketeering conspiracy and firearms offenses, and charging certain of those BPF members and associates with murder in aid of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5409,"featured_media":47586,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[1],"tags":[2443],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n
NEW YORK: Members of 'Boss Playa Family' Gang Charged with Murder, Racketeering - Breaking911<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n