NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Another member of New Haven’s notorious Exit 8 gang has been sentenced to prison, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
Devin “JB” Suggs, 20, of New Haven, was sentenced in the city on Thursday to 14 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, prosecutors said.
In the process of pleading guilty to conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity, Suggs specifically admitted to partaking in five shootings between April 2021 and January 2023, according to prosecutors. Suggs pleaded guilty to the racketeering charge on Feb. 20.
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, a victim was shot in the back and another victim was shot in the leg, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors added that on Jan. 20, 2023, Suggs and other Exit 8 members stole an SUV in Scarsdale, N.Y. Later that day, Suggs and Exit 8 member Nyzaire Barnes committed a drive-by shooting of a rival gang member in New Haven, hitting the victim in the head; the individual would survive the attack.
Suggs has been detained since Aug. 3, 2023, according to prosecutors, who said Barnes, also known as “Melo,” pleaded guilty and was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison on June 20.
The Exit 8 gang is named after the geographic area located after exiting Interstate 91 at Exit 8 in New Haven. Court documents and statements note that the ATF, FBI, DEA and New Haven Police Department are investigating an ongoing war between members and associates of the Exit 8 gang and rival gangs in the Hill section and other areas of the city.
Prosecutors note that younger members of the gang call themselves “Honcho” in memory of an Exit 8 member who went by that name and was killed on Quinnipiac Avenue in February 2020.
Since June 2018, Suggs and other Exit 8 members have trafficked drugs, used and shared firearms and committed at least three murders while attempting 16 murders, prosecutors said. Members of the gang also stole vehicles, some from out of state, and used them to commit acts of violence.
“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.
The prosecution is part of the Justice Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods, Project Longevity and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces programs. In some manner, each program brings together different levels of law enforcement and the community to reduce gun violence and disrupt drug trafficking and other criminal activity.
RELATED: Another Exit 8 gang member from New Haven admits to role in murder, pleads guilty to racketeering
RELATED: ‘Jae Honcho’ of New Haven’s violent Exit 8 gang is sentenced to more than 15 years in prison
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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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