October 29, 2014

Hartford Crack Dealer Sentenced to Four Years in Federal Prison

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that TYRONE CRUMP, also known as “KT,” 29, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to 48 months of imprisonment, followed by one year of supervised release, for distributing crack cocaine.

This matter stems from “Operation Vinefield,” a joint law enforcement investigation headed by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force targeting narcotics trafficking and gang violence in Hartford’s North End. As a result of the nine-month investigation, 38 individuals were charged with various offenses related to the distribution of crack cocaine and the unlawful possession and dealing of firearms in and around Hartford.

According to court documents and statements made in court, one of the main targets of the investigation was Dementrius Nave, a member of the AVE street gang with a lengthy criminal history. Court-authorized wiretaps of Nave’s phones, coordinated motor vehicle stops and seizures, and physical surveillance, confirmed that Nave and his associates, including CRUMP, conspired to distribute crack cocaine and other narcotics in Hartford’s Northeast neighborhood. CRUMP is a member of the AVE.

CRUMP’s criminal history includes convictions for multiple firearm offenses, theft of motor vehicles, fleeing police, possessing narcotics and smuggling contraband into a correctional facility.

CRUMP has been detained since his arrest on May 8, 2012. On November 12, 2013, he pleaded guilty to one count of using a telephone to facilitate the distribution of crack cocaine.

Nave also pleaded guilty and, on August 21, 2014, was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment.

This matter has been investigated by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force, the Connecticut State Police, the Hartford Police Department, and the Connecticut Department of Correction. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian P. Leaming.