Lengthy Prison Sentence Handed Down To Bridgeport Man In Gang-Related Case: Feds

BRIDGEPORT, CT — A 24-year-old Bridgeport man was sentenced Friday to 40 years in federal prison for his role in a violent street gang linked to murders, attempted murders and drug trafficking, federal prosecutors said.

Joshua Gilbert, also known as "Lor Heavy," received the sentence last week from U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport. He was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release.

Gilbert was arrested in July 2021 and convicted by a jury last November of racketeering conspiracy.

According to prosecutors, Gilbert was a member of the Original North End, or O.N.E., a gang based in the city's Trumbull Gardens housing complex. Authorities said members of the gang carried out shootings against rivals, stole cars to use in crimes, and posted videos online that flaunted weapons and violent acts.

In December 2019, investigators said, Gilbert and other O.N.E. members used a stolen Lexus in a shooting at the P.T. Barnum housing complex before killing 18-year-old Ty'Quess Moore, known as "Breezo," on Newfield Avenue.

The case was part of a multi-agency investigation into Bridgeport gangs by the FBI, ATF, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, Connecticut State Police and local law enforcement. Officials said the investigation has led to convictions of about 47 people and helped solve eight murders and 20 attempted murders.