NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A member of New Haven’s violent Exit 8 gang was sentenced in the city on Tuesday to 15 years and two months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
Prosecutors said that Jaedyn “Jae Honcho” Rivera, 23, of New Haven, and other Exit 8 gang members, trafficked drugs, used and shared guns and, since June 2018, have committed at least three murders and attempted 16 murders.
Exit 8 members and associates also stole vehicles, some from out of state, and used them when committing acts of violence, according to prosecutors, who said gang members promoted, coordinated, facilitated and celebrated their drug distribution and acts of violence through next messaging and by posting on social media applications and websites such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube.
Rivera has been detained since May 21, 2021, prosecutors said. On Jan. 24, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity and admitted that he took part in four shootings of rival gang members in May 2021.
Prosecutors said three individuals were injured during those shootings.
According to prosecutors, one victim was shot in the leg and torso on May 14, 2021, while one victim was shot in the leg, and another was shot in the back, on May 20, 2021.
To address violence in New Haven, prosecutors said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the New Haven Police Department have worked closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office to investigate an ongoing war between members and associates of the Exit 8 gang and rival gangs in the Hill section and other areas of New Haven.
Prosecutors said that the Exit 8 gang is named after the geographic area accessed by exiting Interstate 91 at Exit 8 in New Haven.
Recently, younger members of the gang are calling themselves “Honcho” in memory of an Exit 8 gang member who was murdered on Quinnipiac Avenue in February 2020.
This year, multiple Exit 8 gang members have pleaded guilty to racketeering offenses, including Antwan “Bandz” Hill, 21, Samuel “Blamm” Douglas, 25, and Tyjon “TJ” Preston, 21.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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