WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES SEPTEMBER 13, 2018 11
Alleged gangsters indicted for Queens & Brooklyn murders, drug dealing
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
RPOZARYCKI@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
@ROBBPOZ
They drove luxury sports
cars, rode yachts and wore
diamond-encrusted jewelry —
secured through millions of dollars
obtained from heroin sales, robbery,
extortion and murder in Brooklyn and
Queens.
Now, nine alleged members of a
Bushwick-based street gang find
themselves facing a federal grand
jury indictment revealed on Sept. 6
for a history of gang violence and drug
dealing.
Five of the indicted suspects were
arrested on Sept. 5 and 6: Brooklyn
residents Maurice Brown, 27, Jaquan
Cooper, 30, and Tyquan Griem, 28;
Norman Marrero, 35, who was arraigned
in his hometown of Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania; and Brooklyn
resident Lance Goodwin, 29, who was
picked up in North Carolina.
Four other alleged gang members
from Brooklyn were previously arrested
for their roles in the drug ring
and now face additional charges in
the indictment: Luis Lopez, 36, Jason
Pantojas, 30, Miguel Pantojas, 31, and
Peter Vasquez, 31.
According to U.S. Attorney Richard
Donoghue, the “Bushwick Crew” were
part of a massive heroin traffi cking
ring connected to Mexican drug cartels.
The suspects allegedly imported
Several indicted "Bushwick Crew" street gang members are pictured on a yacht in Florida in this social media
post obtained by federal agents.
and sold millions of dollars of the
potent powder as well as synthetic fentanyl,
then turned around and spent
the proceeds on luxury cars, yachts,
jewelry and more.
Donoghue said that the Bushwick
Crew members “beat, tortured and
killed in furtherance of their heroin
trafficking,” and to protect each
other.
In one instance, fi ve of the indicted
suspects — Brown, Vasquez, Lopez,
and brothers Jason and Miguel Pantojas
— participated in the March
5, 2013, murder of Gary Lopez and
Rudy Superville, both of whom had
Photo courtesy of U.S. Attorney's offi ce for the Eastern District of New York
attempted to rob a heroin distributor
in Brooklyn. Aft er killing the men,
the suspects brought their bodies to
Spring Creek Park on the Brooklyn/
Queens border, soaked them in gasoline
and set them on fi re.
In another incident, alleged gang
member Griem shot and killed Kelvin
Johnson aft er getting involved in a
fi ght that broke out on Sept. 20, 2014,
at a nightclub in Queens.
Along the way, the gang members
were proud to boast their luxurious
lifestyles on social media. Prosecutors
obtained numerous images from
Facebook and Instagram showing the
alleged gang members partying on
yachts or showing off Lamborghinis,
Rolls Royces and Mercedes Benzes
which they purchased.
One suspect posted a photo showing
him with his mother while standing
next to the Porsche Carrera he had
bought for her.
Brown, Goodwin, Griem, Lopez, Jason
and Miguel Pantojas and Vazquez
each face life sentences in federal prison
if convicted of the charges against
them; Cooper and Marrero could face
between 17 years to life behind bars
if they’re found guilty of the gun and
drug charges against them.
Longer platforms debut at Forest Hills & Kew Gdns. LIRR stops
BY RYAN KELLEY
RKELLEY@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
TWITTER @R_KELLEY6
Riders of the Long Island Rail
Road (LIRR) in Forest Hills
and Kew Gardens may see less
congestion and fewer delays aft er the
two stations recently opened extended
platforms.
According to the announcement
made on Sept. 12 by LIRR President
Phillip Eng, the work began on July
23 and was completed within seven
weeks. Each platform is now 50 percent
longer and able to board six train cars
at once instead of the previous four.
“I hope that this project demonstrates
the new sense of urgency
that the LIRR is bringing to bear
on projects that can improve our
customers’ commutes,” Eng said in
a press release. “This change will
have real benefi ts for our riders, and
we accomplished it in less than two
months by identifying a pinch-point
where we incur delays and quickly
marshaling our dedicated and capable
workforce to make a fi x.”
The extended platforms were built
on both the north and south sides of
the tracks at both stations. The railroad
extended the platforms by 200 feet to
the west by using a steel scaff olding
structure supporting a fi berglass deck.
“At Kew Gardens and Forest Hills, we
hope our trains will be less congested,
faster and more pleasant,” Eng said.
“With more doors to board from, we anticipate
more effi cient train operations
at both stations. We’re committed to
improving conditions for all our customers,
and this is a win not only for
Queens, but for customers who ride
from Nassau and Suff olk into Penn
Station, who we hope will experience
fewer delays through this area.”
The Forest Hills and Kew Gardens
stations are the 51st and 56th busiest
of the LIRR’s 124 stations respectively,
according to the press release, with
average weekday ridership at Forest
Hills of 1,967 passengers and 1,778 at
Kew Gardens.
The Forest Hills station has seen
an increase in traffi c in recent years,
likely due to riders attending concerts
at Forest Hills stadium.
Photo courtesy of MTA
The newly extended platform at the Forest Hills LIRR station.
link
link
