On June 15, 2022, a federal grand jury sitting in Brooklyn, New York, returned a 14-count superseding indictment charging Marcus Ricketts, also known as “Blaise”, and Mark Goulbourne, also known as name of “Short Man”, of causing death by the use of firearms in connection with the murder of an individual on December 3, 2021 in Brighton Beach, New York. The replacement indictment, which was not sealed last night, also charges Ricketts, Mark Goulbourne and four other defendants – Jonathan Goulbourne, also known as ‘Bobcat’, Romeo Desmond Jonas, also known as the name “Tee”, Chevonne Williams, also known as “Chevy”. ” and Amari Webber, also known as “Smooth” – with robbery, drug trafficking and firearms offenses, and a defendant, Juvanie Crossgill, also known as “Geo”, who served accomplice to murder.
According to court documents, the defendants are members and associates of an armed robbery squad, operating since at least July 2020, targeting marijuana trafficking businesses in Brooklyn, Staten Island and the Bronx.
Ricketts, Jonathan Goulbourne and Jonas are in custody on the underlying indictment and will face trial at a later date. Crossgill was arrested on June 15, 2022, arraigned the next day, and released on bail. Yesterday, Williams and Webber were arrested in Georgia and will be moved to the Eastern District of New York to make their first appearances. Mark Goulbourne is still at large.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Michael J. Driscoll, Deputy Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Keechant L. Sewell, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the arrests and charges.
“As alleged, the robbery and drug trafficking activities of the defendants exploded into violence with three people shot, one fatally, demonstrating the deadly combination of firearms and narcotics that plagues our communities,” he said. said the U.S. peace attorney. “This office works tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to hold these drivers of violent crime accountable and take away the means to wreak havoc.”
“The violence on the streets of our city must be tackled by arresting the violent criminals who kill each other over illicit drugs. Innocent people are hurt by these rivalries, and fear now dictates how we live our lives. It has to stop. When the FBI New York and our law enforcement partners arrest and prosecute these criminals, we are one step closer to a safer community,” FBI Deputy Director Driscoll said.
“Today, New York City is safer thanks to the exceptional efforts and unwavering dedication of everyone involved in this investigation and indictment,” NYPD Commissioner Sewell said. “The NYPD and our law enforcement partners remain focused on the small number of people responsible for crime and disorder in our city, and we are working tirelessly to identify them and get them off our streets. As this case shows, the deadly combination of drug trafficking, illegal weapons and brutal violence is a grave threat to our communities – and will never be tolerated. I would like to thank the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, the FBI Field Office in New York, and everyone who assisted in this important investigation.
On December 2, 2021 and until the early morning of December 3, 2021, the defendants met at an Airbnb in Brighton Beach, which had been rented for one night by the victim and his nephew, with several of the defendants posing as buyers at a wholesale marijuana store. Shortly after midnight on December 3, the victim’s nephew and two male associates were carrying four very large duffel bags of marijuana, about the size of hockey equipment bags. Two hours later, a shootout ensues, leaving the victim fatally wounded and his nephew with a gunshot wound to the leg. During the exchange of gunfire, Jonas was also shot in the abdomen.
Mark Goulbourne and Ricketts fled the scene with guns in hand, and Ricketts with one of the sports bags, which he carried on the handlebars of a stolen Citi bicycle. Mark Goulbourne pulled out to a nearby intersection, where he called his brother Jonathan Goulbourne, moments before entering an approaching car. The car quickly backed up the street to the Airbnb. Mark Goulbourne ran for the door with a gun still in hand and looked inside, before getting into the car, which drove away.
Inside the Airbnb, the NYPD found the victim’s body and recovered two firearms, 15 casings, a money counting machine, a vacuum sealer, a bag containing change real and counterfeit American and a sports bag, inside which were smaller, empty -sealed bags of marijuana. In the vicinity, the NYPD recovered two additional firearms, as well as two duffel bags, inside which were smaller vacuum-sealed bags of marijuana. The approximate weight of the recovered marijuana is 140 pounds. The fourth sports bag was not recovered.
If convicted, Ricketts, Mark Goulbourne, Jonathan Goulbourne and Jonas all face life imprisonment. Ricketts, Mark Goulbourne and Jonathan Goulbourne face mandatory minimum sentences of 17 years in prison, and Jonas faces a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison. Williams and Webber each face up to 20 years in prison, and Crossgill faces up to 15 years in prison. The charges in the superseding indictment are allegations and the accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The charges are the result of an ongoing investigation by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the FBI. The primary mission of the OECDTF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, arms and money laundering organizations, as well as those most responsible for the country’s illegal drug supply. . The OECDTF employs a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for all. Under the program, U.S. prosecutors’ offices work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies and their local communities to develop effective, local strategies to reduce violent crime.
The government’s case is handled by the Bureau’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Tara McGrath and Chand Edwards-Balfour are leading the prosecution, with assistance from paralegal specialist Gwyneth Hochhausler.
The defendants:
MARCUS RICKETTS (also known as “Blaise”)
Age: 45
Jamaica
MARK GOULBOURNE (also known as “Short Man”)
Age: 48 years old
Jamaica
JUVANIE CROSSGILL
Age: 27 years old
Jamaica
JONATHAN GOULBOURNE
Age: 43 years old
Brooklyn, New York
ROMEO JONAS
Age: 34
Atlanta, Georgia
AMARI WEBBER
Age: 31
Douglasville, Georgia
CHEVONNE WILLIAMS
Age: 43 years old
Dallas, Georgia
EDNY File #22-CR-106 (LDH)
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