15 Passaic Co. Gang Members Indicted In Gun-Trafficking Conspiracy: AG

PATERSON, NJ — Fifteen members of a Paterson gun-trafficking ring were indicted for their roles in a scheme that brought more than 120 guns from South Carolina to New Jersey for illegal sales, according to state authorities. The indictments include nine Paterson middlemen, along with six South Carolina residents, the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General announced Thursday.

The 39-count indictment, dated Oct. 21, charged all 15 defendents with first-degree racketeering, ­second-degree conspiracy to transport guns into the state for unlawful sale or transfer, and various other offenses related to illegal weapons trafficking. The actions occurred from December 2018 to December of last year, according to the AG's office.

Travis Thomas, 41, of Lamar, South Carolina, was the pointman of the operation, authorities said. He was additionally charged with first-degree leading of a firearms trafficking network, first-degree promoting organized street crime and more than two dozen weapons offenses.

Thomas directed several people in South Carolina to procure guns for him to transport and sell in New Jersey, according to the AG's office. The man would reach out to suppliers to ask what firearms they could obtain for him, which they would obtain through street buys, authorities said.

He would then send photos of the guns to middlemen in Paterson and tell them how much he would charge for each gun, according to court documents. Thomas routinely sold guns in New Jersey for triple what he paid for them in South Carolina, the AG's office said.

The middlemen would then shop the photos around Paterson for buyers, increasing the prices to ensure their own profit, according to state authorities.

"Trafficked guns undermine the strong laws New Jersey has enacted to keep its residents safe from the carnage of gun violence," said Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin. "It didn’t take long for weapons allegedly trafficked into Paterson by these defendants to make their way into the hands of individuals engaged in criminal conduct, including an armed robbery."

The following gun suppliers in South Carolina were indicted, according to court documents:

• Jaquon McCoy, 32, of Lamar
• Christopher Johnson, 41, of Lamar
• Ralph Antonio Ervin, 31, of Lamar
• Dontrel Nashon Scott, 23, of Timmonsville
• Vinson M. Ervin, 32, of Lamar

Indictments also included the following middlemen — all Paterson residents — according to the AG's office:

• Yaquin Perry, 37
• Marquetta Wilson, 33
• William Thomas, 40
• Kamar Walker, 21
• Tyquan Evans, 38
• Kyziek McCaskill, 33
• Karie Washington, 28
• Neilzhon Williams, 23
• Kyeem Dowell, 26

New Jersey State Police and local law enforcement recovered 12 guns Thomas trafficked to the Garden State: an AR-15 assault rifle, six semiautomatic pistols, three revolvers and two handguns, authorities said. Evidence recovered from Thomas's phone suggests he trafficked more than 120 firearms into New Jersey, according to court documents.