Five Charged as Part of Ongoing Investigation of Bridgeport Murder, Other Violent Acts

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that an investigation of a Bridgeport murder in 2018 and other violent acts has resulted in federal charges against the following five individuals:

HENRY FLOY, a.k.a. “Mills,” 21, of Bridgeport
SHAKALE BRANTLEY, a.k.a. “Charlie Wilson,” “Kellz,” and “Man Man,” 20, of Bridgeport
ANTOINE SISTRUNK, 21, of Charlotte, North Carolina (formerly of Bridgeport)
TA’RON PHARR, a.k.a. “250,” 20, of Bridgeport
JAYLEN WILSON, a.k.a. “Jay-Dot,” 21, of Ansonia and Derby       

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in an effort to address escalating violence in Bridgeport, the FBI, ATF, DEA and Bridgeport Police are actively investigating members of the Original North End (“ONE”), a group based in the Trumbull Gardens area of Bridgeport whose members are involved in narcotics trafficking and numerous acts of violence, including murder.  In the early morning hours of August 13, 2018, a man was shot and killed and a woman was shot and seriously wounded while both were seated in a car parked on Union Avenue in Bridgeport.  Surveillance video showed that the shots were fired from a white Jeep Grand Cherokee that had pulled up next to the car and then fled the scene.  Approximately three hours later, a white Jeep Grand Cherokee was found burning in Indian Wells State Park in Shelton.  The vehicle had been reported stolen from Newburgh, New York, on August 9, 2018.  A purse belonging to the Jeep’s owner, which was in the Jeep at the time of the theft, was subsequently recovered on Grandview Avenue in Bridgeport, and the owner’s debit card was unlawfully used or attempted to be used at retail locations in Trumbull and Bridgeport.

It is alleged that Floy, Brantley, Pharr and Wilson stole the Jeep and drove it back to Bridgeport.  It is further alleged that ONE members murdered the male victim on August 13, 2018, and seriously wounded his female companion.  After the murder, Floy, Brantley and Sistrunk attempted to destroy the Jeep and other evidence used in the murder in order to hinder the investigation and prosecution of the murder.

On March 18, 2020, a federal grand jury in Bridgeport returned an indictment charging Floy, Brantley and Sistrunk with one count of accessory after the fact to murder, in violation of the Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering (VICAR) statute.  The defendants were subsequently arrested on this charge and the investigation continued.

The investigation revealed, as alleged, that Brantley and other ONE members planned and executed robberies of drug dealers.  Specifically, in October 2018 in Bridgeport, and in November 2018 in Stratford, Brantley and others attacked and stole marijuana from a marijuana dealer.  After Brantley was arrested in March 2020, and while he was incarcerated, Brantley attempted to solicit others to kill the victim of the marijuana robberies in order to prevent Brantley’s prosecution for those offenses.

On July 8, 2020, a grand jury in New Haven returned a superseding indictment adding Pharr and Wilson as defendants, and adding additional charges.  Pharr and Wilson were arrested on state charges on July 7 and are currently detained.

The superseding indictment charges Floy, Brantley and Sistrunk with one count of accessory after the fact to VICAR murder, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years.  In addition, Floy, Brantley, Pharr and Wilson are charged with one count of interstate transportation of stolen property, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.

The superseding indictment also charges Brantley with two counts of interference with commerce by robbery, one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, one count of solicitation of witness tampering, and one count of tampering with a witness by threat.  Each of these charges carry a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This ongoing investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Safe Streets and Violent Crimes Task Forces, ATF, DEA, Bridgeport Police Department, Connecticut State Police and the Bridgeport State’s Attorney’s Office, with the assistance of the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory and the Waterbury Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter D. Markle, Karen L. Peck, Rahul Kale and Jocelyn C. Kaoutzanis.

U.S. Attorney Durham noted that this prosecution is a part of the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program and Project Longevity.  PSN is a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Project Longevity is a comprehensive initiative to reduce gun violence in Connecticut’s major cities.  Through Project Longevity, community members and law enforcement directly engage with members of groups that are prone to commit violence and deliver a community message against violence, a law enforcement message about the consequences of further violence and an offer of help for those who want it.