FBI Statement at Operation Blood Drive Press Conference
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Special Agent in Charge Diego Rodriguez
| FBI New York September 13, 2011 |
Early this morning, FBI agents, police officers and detectives, and state police investigators carried out arrests in the City of Newburgh in the latest phase of an investigation initiated nearly three years ago. Operation Blood Drive resulted in a massive arrest operation in May 2010 against 60 members and associates of the Newburgh Bloods on narcotics conspiracy charges.
The superseding indictment outlined by the U.S. Attorney charges nine of the original defendants and 11 additional defendants with racketeering, weapons charges, and crimes of extreme violence, including murders and attempted murders.
The investigation that began in January 2009 using undercover operations, cooperating witnesses, and court-authorized wiretaps, first uncovered evidence of a broad narcotics distribution conspiracy.
Subsequent investigation, building on that foundation, confirmed that the Newburgh Bloods are a racketeering enterprise whose purpose is selling crack cocaine and committing armed robberies. Violence was used to enforce discipline within their ranks and to seize and protect turf. And we’re not talking about beatings; we’re talking about guns and murder.
The FBI’s Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force and all of its component agencies made a commitment several years ago to address the problem of gang violence in Newburgh. As we said at the May 2010 sweep, that was not the end-game; it was the culmination of a single phase of a long-term campaign. So too, with today’s indictment and arrests.
Today’s charges are a significant step, but in no way do they mark the end of our commitment. They should be taken as a sign of our continuing commitment.
I want to thank all of our partners on the Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force, as well as the other agencies that provided important assistance with the investigation and today’s arrests.
I want to thank Preet Bharara, Boyd Johnson, and Rich Zabel for their ongoing commitment to bringing the power of federal prosecution—and the institutional expertise of the Southern District—to bear on an issue that affects everyone in this city.
Thanks also to Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mike Maimin, Amie Ely, and Harris Fischman, who are prosecuting the case.
As always, I commend the leadership of FBI Senior Supervisory Resident Agent Jim Gagliano for his ongoing personal and professional commitment to making the City of Newburgh a safer place.
And finally, kudos to FBI Special Agent Jim Lazarski, Detective Steve Bunt of the City of Newburgh Police Department, Sgt. Paul Arteta of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and Investigator Michael Panico of the New York State Police, for spearheading the investigation.