By LINDA MOSS
moss@montclairlocal.news
A Montclair man, described by authorities as a soldier “of the Sex Money Murder set of the Bloods street gang,” was sentenced Monday to 264 months — 22 years — in prison for his role in a racketeering conspiracy that involved attempted murder and conspiracy to distribute heroin.
Laquan Reed, 28, also known as “Drama,” had previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Susan Wigenton to one count of a 14-count superseding indictment charging him with racketeering conspiracy, according to a press release from Acting U.S. Attorney William Fitzpatrick.
Wigenton sentenced Reed in Newark federal court.
The Bloods street gang is organized into subgroups, called “sets,” that operate in specific geographic locations, according to documents filed in the case and statements made in court. Sex Money Murder is the set that operates primarily in Essex County, the press release said.
Reed, a ranking member in the Sex Money Murder set, admitted that from 2007 to 2011 he committed a series of crimes to advance the gang’s objectives.
“He admitted that he conspired with set members to murder a rival gang member on Aug. 3, 2011, identified in the indictment as ‘Victim 6,'” the press release said. “Reed admitted he and others engaged in a shootout in an effort to kill the rival gang member in and around Newark. Reed also admitted conspiring to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin in and around Newark.”
In addition to the prison time, Wigenton sentenced Reed to five years of supervised release.
Fitzpatrick credited special agents of the FBI and the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Timothy Gallagher in Newark; the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert Laurino; the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Armando Fontoura; and the Newark Department of Public Safety, under the direction of Anthony Ambrose, with the investigation leading to the sentencing.