Violent New Haven Gang Member, 23, Pleads To Racketeering Charge: Feds

NEW HAVEN, CT —Jaedyn Rivera, 23, of New Haven, pleaded guilty in federal criminal court to a racketeering charge stemming from his role in a violent New Haven street gang, according to U.S. Attorney for Connecticut Vanessa Roberts Avery.

Avery was joined by 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 in the announcement Wednesday.

According to Avery, court documents and statements made in court, to confront gang violence in New Haven, local cops, federal law enforcement and state and federal prosecutors began investigating an ongoing gang war. Avery said the conflict was 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, she 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, prosecutors noted

According to Avery, the investigation revealed that Rivera 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 of the state, and used those stolen vehicles when committing acts of violence., she said.

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, prosecutors said.

"Rivera admitted (Wednesday) that he took part in four shootings of rival gang members in May 2021," Avery said, adding, three people were injured during those shootings: May 14, 2021, one victim was shot in the leg and torso; May 20, 2021, one victim was shot in the leg; and another victim was shot in the back.

Rivera pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. Detained since May 21, 2021, sentencing date for Rivera has not been set, Avery said.