Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that JAQUAN MCINTOSH, a/k/a “BJ,” pled guilty today to participating in a racketeering conspiracy in connection with his membership in the “2Fly YGz” (“2Fly”), a violent street gang that operated in and around the Eastchester Gardens public housing development (“ECG”) in the Bronx. As part of his guilty plea, MCINTOSH admitted to his participation in the murder of Donville Simpson on or about October 5, 2013 – Simpson’s 17th birthday – at ECG. MCINTOSH faces a maximum term of life in prison, and will be sentenced next year by United States District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan.
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “In today’s plea, Jaquan McIntosh admitted to killing a 17-year-old boy as part of his membership in 2Fly, a violent street gang, that has been terrorizing the Eastchester Gardens public housing development in the Bronx. Gang violence continues to threaten the safety and security of too many New Yorkers, particularly those in public housing. Thanks to the work of the NYPD, HSI, DEA and ATF, one more source of gang violence in the Bronx has been brought to justice.”
According to the Indictment and other documents filed in the case, as well as statements made during the plea proceedings:
MCINTOSH was a member of 2Fly, a subset of the “Young Gunnaz,” or “YG” street gang, which operates throughout New York City. 2Fly is based in the Bronx, within and around ECG and in an area called the “Valley” or the “V,” which is in the vicinity of Gun Hill Road. ECG is a rectangular complex of residential buildings bordered by Burke, Adee, Yates, and Bouck Avenues, in the middle of which is a playground. The gang war between 2Fly and rival street gangs has led to an enormous amount of fatal and non-fatal violence between 2007 and 2016 in the Northern Bronx, including shootings, stabbings, slashings, beatings, and robberies. Members and associates of 2Fly controlled the narcotics trade at ECG, which took place in the open air at the playground and in apartments at ECG. 2Fly primarily sold marijuana and crack cocaine, but also sold powder cocaine and prescription pills, such as oxycodone. 2Fly members and associates stored guns at the playground or in nearby apartments or cars in order to protect the narcotics business and for protection against rival gangs.
As part of his involvement in 2Fly, MCINTOSH shot and killed Donville Simpson at ECG on or about October 5, 2013 – Simpson’s 17th birthday – during a shootout with a rival street gang.
MCINTOSH was arrested in this case as a result of a multi-year investigation by the New York City Police Department’s Bronx Gang Squad (the “Bronx Gang Squad”), the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Violent Gang Unit (“HSI”), the New York Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), and the Joint Firearms Task Force of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”) into gang violence in the Northern Bronx. On April 27, 2016, 57 members and associates of 2Fly were charged in the Indictment with racketeering conspiracy, narcotics conspiracy, narcotics distribution, and firearms charges. To date, 19 of these defendants have pled guilty.
Mr. Bharara praised the outstanding work of the NYPD’s Bronx Homicide Task Force, the NYPD’s 49th Precinct Detective Squad, the Bronx Gang Squad, HSI, DEA, and ATF.
He also thanked the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office for their support in this case.
