DOJ: Exit 8 Gang Members Indicted On Murder, Drug Trafficking Charges

NEW HAVEN, CT —Six men, ranging in age from 19 to 25, all alleged to be members of the so-called Exit 8 gang of New Haven, were indicted on myriad violent crime charges, the Justice Department announced Monday.

The charges against the purported gang members include murder, attempted murder, racketeering and narcotics trafficking, according to Vanessa Roberts Avery, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut.

As a result of an investigation into gang-related drug trafficking and related violence in New Haven, a federal grand jury in Bridgeport returned the indictment charging six alleged members and associates of the street gang with "conspiring to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity, including drug trafficking, murder, and attempted murder, as well as related offenses," Avery said.

At a Monday news briefing, Avery was joined by members of the ATF, FBI, DEA, and New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson.

“On behalf of the New Haven Police Department and the New Haven community we value our continued collaboration with the federal law enforcement agencies and the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” Jacobson said. “The events of the last few days show us that partnerships matter and that we can get justice for families when we work together. It is alleged that the group “EXIT 8” and the individuals who have been indicted have been responsible for violence for the past several years. This case will help make our community a safer place to live.”

The following were indicted:

JAEDYN RIVERA, also known as “Jae Honcho,” 22

TYJON PRESTON, also known as “TJ,” 20

SAMUEL DOUGLAS, also known as “Blamm,” 24

QUAYMAR SUGGS, 19

KIVEON HYMAN, also known as “Tiny, ” 25

DONELL ALLICK, JR., also known as “D-Nice,” 24

The indictment was unsealed after Suggs and Hyman were arrested on March 24, Avery said. On that date, they appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Spector in New Haven and were ordered detained, Avery said. Preston has been detained in state custody since May 22, 2021, and Rivera, Douglas, and Allick have been detained in federal custody on previous charges, records show.

According to federal prosecutors, court documents and statements made in court, in an effort to "address violence in New Haven, including murders and attempted murders," the ATF, FBI, DEA and New Haven Police Department, working closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office, have been investigating an ongoing gang war between members and associates of the Exit 8 street gang and rival gangs in the Hill section and other areas of the city.

The Exit 8 gang is named after the geographic area accessed by exiting Interstate 91 at Exit 8 in New Haven, investigators noted. Recently, younger members of Exit 8 are identifying themselves with the word “Honcho,” which is derived from the street name of an Exit 8 member who was murdered on Quinnipiac Avenue in February 202o, federal prosecutors said.

The indictment alleges that members of the Exit 8 gang engaged in drug trafficking, used and shared firearms, and, since June 2018, have committed at least two murders and 10 attempted murders, the Justice Department alleges. Exit 8 members promoted, coordinated, facilitated, and celebrated their narcotics distribution and acts of violence through text messaging and the use of social media applications and websites including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube, according to Avery and other DOJ officials.

Among the violent acts committed by the Exit 8 gang, the indictment alleges, are:

• On June 16, 2018, Douglas and Hyman shot and attempted to kill a member and associate of a rival gang, and shot another individual in the vicinity;
• On January 24, 2019, members and associates of the gang shot and attempted to kill a member and associate of a rival gang;
• On July 14, 2019, members and associates of the gang shot and attempted to kill a member and associate of a rival gang;
• On April 27, 2021, Preston and others shot and attempted to kill an individual;
• On May 3, 2021, Rivera shot and attempted to kill two members and associates of a rival gang;
• On May 10, 2021, members and associates of the gang shot and attempted to kill a member and associate of a rival gang, and shot another individual in the vicinity;
• On May 11, 2021, members and associates of the gang shot and attempted to kill rival gang members;
• On May 19, 2021, Suggs and others shot and killed a member and associate of a rival gang;
• On May 20, 2021, Rivera and Preston shot and attempted to kill rival gang members, and Rivera and others shot and attempted to kill two other individuals;
• On June 30, 2021, Preston shot and attempted to kill an individual;
• On September 16, 2022, Allick and others shot and killed an individual.

“This investigation, and these charges, demonstrate the Justice Department’s ongoing commitment to provide substantial investigative resources and to work cooperatively with our local law enforcement partners to reduce gun violence in our cities,” Avery said. “Gun violence will not be tolerated. No child should have to live in a community overrun by gun violence, and no parent or other family member should have to live with the fear and trauma that such violence causes. That trauma is, needless to say, profound. The negative impact of gun violence on our cities is immeasurable."

Avery said that it's a "very small number of young men involved in gang activity are responsible for a large percentage of shootings and other mayhem that occur" in cities across the state, including New Haven.

" If you are engaging in gun violence in Connecticut, we will find you and bring you to justice,” she said.

The indictment charges each with racketeering conspiracy. If convicted, Suggs and Allick face a maximum of 60 years in prison, and Rivera, Preston, Douglas and Hyman face a maximum of 20 years, DOJ noted.

The indictment also charges Rivera and Preston with attempted assault with a dangerous weapon and attempted murder, in violation of the Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering statute, which carries a maximum of 10 years; Rivera with VCAR assault with a dangerous weapon and attempted murder, which carries a maximum of 20 years; Rivera with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, which carries a maximum of 10 years; and Douglas with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, which carries a maximum of 20 years.

Avery "stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt."

This prosecution is a part of the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods, Project Longevity and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces programs.

“The individuals indicated and arrested in this case must now face the consequences for their alleged reign of violent and destructive behaviors in our community,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Fuller said. “New Haven residents can rest assured that we are working to improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods.”