AUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC at 410-209-4885

FEBRUARY 3, 2006

MEMBER OF NORTH AVENUE BOYS SENTENCED TO 20 YEARS IN PRISON

BALTIMORE, Maryland - United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein announces that today U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz sentenced Corey Grant, age 27, of Baltimore to 20 years in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release in connection with his guilty plea on November 21, 2005 to using, carrying and discharging firearms in relation to a drug trafficking offense and carjacking.

According to the statement of facts presented at his guilty plea, from 1996 through June 2004 Grant and others operated or worked for a drug distribution network known as the North Avenue Boys (NABs), that was responsible for selling large quantities of heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine in the 2000 block of E. North Avenue and the 1800 block of N. Chester and Castle Streets in East Baltimore. Grant and his co-conspirators committed acts of violence against members of a rival neighborhood drug trafficking group known as the Project Boys, between November 2000 through May 28, 2001.

During the early morning of January 9, 2001, Grant and other NABs searched for members of the rival group in separate vehicles. A white Jeep Cherokee known to be used by Charles Byers, leader of the Project Boys, was located near his apartment in Baltimore County. Shawn Henry and Michael Lyle, members of the NABs, approached the Jeep and found the driver to be the wife of Charles Byers. She was forcibly removed from the Jeep, and taken in Henry’s vehicle to Grant’s home in the 1600 block of Normal Avenue, where the Jeep was also taken. The woman was threatened and questioned as to the whereabouts of her husband and other member of the Project Boys. She was later driven to another location in Baltimore County where Shawn Henry shot her in the neck. Mrs. Byers survived and reported the incident to the police who, within an hour of the shooting, located the white Jeep Cherokee being driven by Grant, who was taking the Jeep from his house to West Baltimore in order to burn it.

The feud between the North Avenue Boys and Project Boys ultimately resulted in the murder of a North Avenue Boys gang member on November 11, 2001 and that of the girlfriend of another on Memorial Day 2001. The feud also resulted in the murder of a Project Boys drug worker on January 5, 2001 and that of two persons believed to be members of the Project Boys group on February 18, 2001. The feud also involved several other non-fatal shootings that occurred between November 8, 2000 and May 2001 when members of the rival groups encountered each other.

Charles Byers, Shawn Henry and Michael Lyle all pled guilty to federal drug conspiracy and related gun charges and were sentenced to 35 years, over 29 years and over 12 years in prison, respectively. In addition, nine other North Avenue Boys and 12 members of the Project Boys have been convicted on federal drug conspiracy or related firearm charges in separate federal prosecutions by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and have received sentences of between 20 and 40 years in prison. Several other defendants from these two groups have entered guilty pleas in state court in prosecutions coordinated by federal prosecutors.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Baltimore City Police Department, the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office and the United States Attorney’s Office for their investigative work in this case. Mr. Rosenstein also praised Assistant United States Attorneys John Purcell and Jonathan Mastrangelo for prosecuting the case.