Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Ivan J. Arvelo, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), and Keechant L. Sewell, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), announced the unsealing today of an Indictment charging BRUCE SILVA, a/k/a “Brucie,” BRUCE MELVIN, a/k/a “BG,” JORDAN BENNETT a/k/a “Billy Bandz,” a/k/a “J Bills,” ELIJAH POUGH, a/k/a “Eli,” SHADELL MCBRIDE, a/k/a “Deli,” JUSTIN BALLESTER, a/k/a “J-Gunz,” ALZUBAIR SALEH, a/k/a “Sammy,” GIOVANNI RODRIGUEZ, a/k/a “Karrot,” GABRIEL VALDEZ, a/k/a “Wolf,” and EMMANUEL PEREZ, a/k/a “Manny,” a/k/a “Haven,” with racketeering conspiracy, narcotics conspiracy, firearms charges, and other crimes related to their membership in “Dub City,” a street gang based in the Bronx, New York. SILVA, MELVIN, POUGH, and MCBRIDE are also charged with attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon in aid of racketeering in connection with their participation in multiple shootings in the Bronx. The case is assigned to United States District Judge Lorna G. Schofield.
SILVA and MCBRIDE are currently in federal custody in connection with related federal charges. VALDEZ is in state custody. MELVIN, BENNETT, POUGH, SALEH, RODRIGUEZ, and PEREZ were arrested this morning in the Bronx and are expected to be presented later today before Magistrate Judge Jennifer E. Willis. BALLESTER is currently at large.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, over a span of several years, the members of the Dub City Gang enriched themselves through repeated frauds, poured drugs into the Bronx, carried firearms, and terrorized Bronx neighborhoods by repeatedly shooting at other people. Through these charges, we will hold Dub City members responsible for their gun violence and other criminal activity that makes our communities less safe for innocent residents.”
HSI Special Agent in Charge Ivan J. Arvelo said: “As laid out in this indictment, these ten individuals engaged in a variety of violent crimes that terrorized the community in furtherance of their Dub City gang enterprise. Their alleged crimes include robberies, narcotics distribution, racketeering, attempted murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, and eight shootings, one of which radically changed an innocent bystander’s life by permanently paralyzing the individual. This is yet another example of HSI’s commitment to a continued collaboration with the New York City Police Department to ensure a safer community.”
NYPD Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell said: “Today’s charges highlight the commitment of the NYPD and our law enforcement partners to identify, arrest, and prosecute anyone who takes part in illegal gang activities. This indictment is another step toward making New York City safer for all the people we serve by ridding our streets of violence and fear. I thank and commend our NYPD detectives, the HSI investigators, and everyone from the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District for their tireless efforts on this important case.”
According to the allegations in the Indictment and court filings:[1]
The “Dub City” gang is a criminal organization based in the Mt. Hope and Morris Heights sections of the Bronx, New York. A map of Dub City’s territory is below:
Since at least 2019, gang members sold drugs, committed robberies, committed financial frauds, used guns, and committed numerous acts of violence in furtherance of the Dub City Gang, including shootings against members of rival gangs and against other Dub City gang members. The violence committed by the defendants included shootings where innocent bystanders were hit, in one case causing permanent paralysis.
The following chart contains the dates of the charged shootings and the defendants charged in connection with those shootings:
Date of Shooting | Defendant(s) |
August 13, 2019 | BRUCE SILVA, a/k/a “Brucie” |
March 16, 2021 | ELIJAH POUGH, a/k/a “Eli” |
June 2, 2021 | BRUCE MELVIN, a/k/a “BG” |
May 9, 2021 | BRUCE SILVA, a/k/a “Brucie,” and BRUCE MELVIN, a/k/a “BG” |
August 12, 2021 | ELIJAH POUGH, a/k/a “Eli” |
October 13, 2021 | BRUCE SILVA, a/k/a “Brucie,” and JORDAN BENNETT a/k/a “Billy Bandz,” a/k/a “J Bills”[2] |
May 9, 2022 | BRUCE MELVIN, a/k/a “BG” |
June 20, 2022 | SHADELL MCBRIDE, a/k/a “Deli” |
The following photographs depict Dub City members SILVA, MELVIN, and POUGH firing their weapons at rival gang members on Bronx streets:
A chart containing the names of the defendants who are charged today, the charges, and minimum and maximum penalties they face is below. All of the defendants are residents of the Bronx, New York.
The statutory minimum and maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencings of the defendants would be determined by a judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the NYPD and HSI and thanked the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office for its assistance.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Violent & Organized Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael R. Herman, Matthew J. King, Jacob R. Fiddelman, and Mathew Andrews are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Defendant | Age | Charges | Minimum and Maximum Penalties |
BRUCE SILVA, a/k/a “Brucie,” | 28 | Racketeering Conspiracy Attempted Murder and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Aid of Racketeering Narcotics conspiracy Use, brandishing, and discharge of a firearm in connection with a violent crime and a drug trafficking crime Use and possession of a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking crime | Maximum: Life in prison Minimum: 35 years in prison, which must be consecutive to any other term imposed |
BRUCE MELVIN, a/k/a “BG,” | 25 | Racketeering Conspiracy Attempted Murder and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Aid of Racketeering Narcotics conspiracy Use, brandishing, and discharge of a firearm in connection with a violent crime and a drug trafficking crime Use and possession of a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking crime | Maximum: Life in prison Minimum: 35 years in prison, which must be consecutive to any other term imposed |
JORDAN BENNETT a/k/a “Billy Bandz,” a/k/a “J Bills,” | 30 | Racketeering Conspiracy Accessory After the Fact to Attempted Murder and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Aid of Racketeering Narcotics conspiracy Use and possession of a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking crime | Maximum: Life in prison Minimum: Five years in prison, which must be consecutive to any other term imposed |
ELIJAH POUGH, a/k/a “Eli,” | 28 | Racketeering Conspiracy Attempted Murder and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Aid of Racketeering Narcotics conspiracy Use, brandishing, and discharge of a firearm in connection with a violent crime and a drug trafficking crime Use and possession of a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking crime | Maximum: Life in prison Minimum: 25 years in prison, which must be consecutive to any other term imposed |
SHADELL MCBRIDE, a/k/a “Deli,” | 29 | Racketeering Conspiracy Attempted Murder and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Aid of Racketeering Narcotics conspiracy Use, brandishing, and discharge of a firearm in connection with a violent crime and a drug trafficking crime Use and possession of a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking crime | Maximum: Life in prison Minimum: 15 years in prison, which must be consecutive to any other term imposed |
JUSTIN BALLESTER, a/k/a “J-Gunz,” | 29 | Racketeering Conspiracy Narcotics conspiracy Use and possession of a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking crime | Maximum: Life in prison Minimum: Five years in prison, which must be consecutive to any other term imposed |
ALZUBAIR SALEH, a/k/a “Sammy,” | 33 | Racketeering Conspiracy Narcotics conspiracy Use and possession of a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking crime | Maximum: Life in prison Minimum: Five years in prison, which must be consecutive to any other term imposed |
GIOVANNI RODRIGUEZ, a/k/a “Karrot,” | 25 | Racketeering Conspiracy Narcotics conspiracy Use and possession of a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking crime | Maximum: Life in prison Minimum: Five years in prison, which must be consecutive to any other term imposed |
GABRIEL VALDEZ, a/k/a “Wolf,” | 25 | Racketeering Conspiracy Narcotics conspiracy Use and possession of a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking crime | Maximum: Life in prison Minimum: Five years in prison, which must be consecutive to any other term imposed |
EMMANUEL PEREZ, a/k/a “Manny,” a/k/a “Haven,” | 24 | Racketeering Conspiracy Narcotics conspiracy Use and possession of a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking crime | Maximum: Life in prison Minimum: Five years in prison, which must be consecutive to any other term imposed |
[1] 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.
[2] BENNETT is charged with being an accessory after the fact to this shooting.
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