Another Exit 8 Gang Member Pleads Guilty To Racketeering: Justice Dept

NEW HAVEN, CT —Samuel Douglas, 25, of New Haven, pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court in New Haven to a racketeering offense stemming from his role in a violent New Haven street gang, according to the Justice Department.

US Attorney for CT Vanessa Roberts Avery, and other local, state and federal authorities said in a news release that Douglas pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity.

"Specifically (Douglas) admitted that on June 16, 2018, he and another Exit 8 member shot at and attempted to kill a member and associate of a rival gang in the area of Fountain Street, Davis Street, and Lakeview Terrace in New Haven," a news release from Avery reads. "In the shooting, the intended victim’s associate suffered seven gunshot wounds, but survived the attack. Investigators found 15 spent ammunition casings at the scene."

According to Avery, court documents and statements made in court, in an effort to address violence in New Haven, the ATF, FBI, DEA and New Haven Police Department, working closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office, have been investigating an ongoing gang war between members and associates of the Exit 8 street gang and rival gangs in the Hill section and other areas of the city.

The Exit 8 gang is named after the geographic area accessed by exiting Interstate 91 at Exit 8 in New Haven, Avery said. Recently, younger members of Exit 8 are identifying themselves with the word “Honcho,” which is derived from the street name of an Exit 8 member who was murdered on Quinnipiac Avenue in February 2020, according to prosecutors.

"The investigation revealed that Douglas and other members of the Exit 8 gang engaged in drug trafficking, used, and shared firearms, and, since June 2018, have committed at least three murders and 16 attempted murders," Avery said. "Exit 8 members and associates also stole vehicles, at times from outside of the state, and used those stolen vehicles when committing acts of violence."

Federal authorities said that "Gang members also promoted, coordinated, facilitated, and celebrated their narcotics distribution and acts of violence through text messaging and the use of social media applications and websites including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube."

Douglas faces a maximum of 20 years when he's sentenced Aug. 6.