BY KIRSTEN E. PAULSON
Four alleged gang members were convicted yesterday of conspiring to murder two members of a rival gang.
Justin Campbell, 19; Dane’e Cato, 23; Jahmarley Jones, 21; and Trevor Lucas, 23, are allegedly part of four affiliated gangs: SNOW, Loyalty Over Everything, Young Bosses and Mobbed Out Bosses, according to District Attorney Richard A. Brown. They reportedly operated out of Laurelton, Rochdale Village and Rosedale.
Jurors found the four suspects guilty Wednesday on second-degree conspiracy charges after a 10-week trial, and they are set to be sentenced next month. All four face up to 25 years in prison.
Between March 30 and April 1, 2014, prosecutors said, the defendants collaborated to kill two rival gang members in retaliation for the shooting death of a SNOW member in March 2014.
On April 1, 2014, Jones and Campbell met with other gang members in Montbellier Park in Springfield Gardens regarding the plot, and fled after being confronted by police. The two were quickly apprehended, with Campbell being arrested after running from a vehicle that had been stolen just hours earlier.
Following his arrest, law enforcement sources said, Jones lied to police about his name, date of birth and address in order to prevent them from finding out his real identity.
District Attorney Richard A. Brown said, “The convictions obtained in this case today strike at the heart of a unified and criminally active group of young people who threatened the lives and safety of innocent bystanders by conspiring to kill two purported members of a rival gang in retaliation for the shooting death of a SNOW gang member. As such, the imposition of lengthy prison sentences is more than warranted.”
Jones and Lucas are scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 9, while Campbell and Cato are scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 17.
