Gang Member Admits Racketeering and Firearms Charges
NEWARK, N.J. – A member of a New Jersey street gang admitted his role in a racketeering conspiracy and possessing firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Rahjon Cox, aka “Tsu Surf,” 32, of Newark, pleaded guilty by videoconference on April 27, 2023, before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton to two counts of a superseding indictment charging him with Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) conspiracy and possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From 2015 through Sept. 22, 2022, Cox was a member of the Rollin’ 60s Neighborhood Crips, a criminal enterprise responsible for acts of violence and the distribution of controlled substances in New Jersey and elsewhere. Cox held a leadership role within the enterprise. On March 18, 2017, Cox shot a firearm at a gang rival. On July 24, 2019, in Essex County, New Jersey, Cox, a convicted felon, knowingly possessed two loaded firearms.
The racketeering conspiracy count is punishable by a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; the charge of being a felon in possession of a weapon is punishable by a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Both counts are also punishable by a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 12, 2023.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Daniel J. Kafafian; special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Tammy Tomlins; and special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Bryan Miller, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea. He also thanked investigators of the U.S. Marshals Service, under the direction of Marshal Juan Mattos; the Irvington Police Department, under the direction of Police Division Director Tracy Bowers; the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II; the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director Fritz Fragé; the Bloomfield Police Department, under the direction of Director of Public Safety Samuel A. DeMaio; the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Armando B. Fontoura; the East Orange Police Department, under the direction of Chief Phyllis L. Bindi; the Elizabeth Police Department, under the direction of Police Director Earl J. Graves; the Edison Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Tom Bryan; the New Jersey State Police, under the direction of Col. Patrick J. Callahan; the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor William A. Daniel; the Spotswood Police Department, under the direction of Chief Philip Corbisiero; and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation Fugitive and Missing Person Task Force, which includes members of the FBI, for their assistance.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francesca Liquori of the Special Prosecutions Unit.
