Teen Admits Gang Shootings Role, Pleads Guilty To Racketeering: Feds

NEW HAVEN, CT — Devin Suggs, 19, of New Haven, pleaded guilty this week in federal court to a racketeering offense stemming from his role in a violent New Haven street gang, according to the federal, state and local investigators.

to racketeering stemming from his role in the Exit 8 gang role in a violent New Haven street gang

US Attorney for Connecticut, Vanessa Roberts Avery; John P. Doyle, Jr., State’s Attorney for the New Haven Judicial District; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division; Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England; and New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson all were part of the announcement.

According to officials, "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," prosecutors 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 officials, court documents and statements made in court, the investigation revealed that "Suggs 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."

"Exit 8 members and associates also stole vehicles, at times from outside the state, and used those stolen vehicles when committing acts of violence," a news release from Avery reads. "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."

Suggs pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity, and specifically admitted that he took part in five shootings of rival gang members between April 2021 and January 2023, the US Attorney said. "As a result of these shootings, on April 27, 2021, a rival gang member was shot in the leg; on May 14, 2021, a rival gang member was shot in the leg and torso; and on May 20, 2021, one victim was shot in the back and another victim was shot in the leg."

Avery noted that on Jan. 20, 2023, "Suggs and other Exit 8 members stole an SUV in Scarsdale, New York, and, later that day, committed a drive-by shooting of a rival gang member in New Haven. The victim was shot in the head, but survived the attack."

Suggs faces a maximum of 20 years in prison; no sentencing date has been set, per Avery. He's been detained since Aug. 3, 2023.