Malden Gang Member Admits To Shootings In Somerville, Cambridge

MALDEN, MA — An admitted gang member from Malden is facing decades in prison after pleading guilty to his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy and his involvement in six shootings, the U.S. Attorney's office said.

Jaiir Coleman, 22, known as "Chino," identified himself as a member of the Tiny Rascals Gang, which federal authorities describe as "one of the largest and most violent criminal street gangs in the country." The gang operates on a decentralized structure via local "sets" and is involved in dealing cocaine, marijuana, ecstasy and methamphetamine at the street level, the USAO said.

Members are known for being involved in gun violence, including drive-by shootings at homes of rival gang members, federal authorities said.

Coleman took part in a conspiracy to deal large amounts of fentanyl, methamphetamine and crack cocaine locally and in the Bangor, Maine area, the USAO said. He was recorded several times discussing the dealing of controlled substances with a co-conspirator, including explicit instructions about how much to charge for fentanyl, federal authorities said.

Throughout the conspiracy, Coleman took part in six shootings, including four in Somerville and Chelsea on the same day in November 2019, the USAO said. A fifth shooting took place in May 2020 in Somerville, targeting people who were believed to be rival gang members. The sixth shooting, in which Coleman fired a machine gun at a group in response to a social media video, took place in Cambridge in July 2020, the USAO said.

Coleman was arrested in January 2021 on suspicion of driving with a suspended license. Federal authorities said the machine gun was found in his car, and he was seen holding the same weapon in a music video earlier that week.

Coleman pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to manufacture, distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and 280 grams or more of cocaine base, and other controlled substances; one count of conspiring to possess, use and carry firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking conspiracy; one count of possessing a machine gun; and one count of possessing a machine gun in furtherance of a drug trafficking conspiracy.

Under the terms of his plea deal, he faces a mandatory sentence of 40 years in prison.