Brooklyn-Based Gang Associate Convicted of Racketeering, Drug Trafficking, and Committing a July 2020 Shooting

Earlier today in federal court in Brooklyn, a federal jury convicted Demetrius Johnson on all counts of an indictment charging him with racketeering, narcotics trafficking, and firing a gun in connection with those crimes.  The defendant was an associate of a Brooklyn-based gang known as the “Bully Gang,” a violent street gang that operated in and around Bedford Stuyvesant. Today’s verdict followed a two-week trial before United States District Judge Brian M. Cogan.  When sentenced, the defendant faces a mandatory minimum of twenty years in prison and a maximum sentence of life.

John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Bryan Miller, Special Agent-in-Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New York Field Division (ATF); and Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the verdict.

“Today’s verdict holds the defendant accountable for teaming up with a dangerous criminal enterprise that—in the defendant’s own words—was known for money and violence,” stated United States Attorney Durham.  “Along with other members and associates of the Brooklyn-based Bully Gang, the defendant trafficked massive quantities of deadly drugs up and down the East Coast between New York and Maine, where they were sold for substantial profit.  And when conflict arose during the drug operation, the defendant resorted to near-deadly violence, firing almost a dozen shots towards a playground and injuring two victims.  As a result of this investigation, more than 50 members and associates of the Bully Gang have been convicted for their crimes, showing that my Office and our law enforcement partners will not rest until violent criminal enterprises are fully dismantled.”

“These convictions put an end to the reign of terror committed by this gang, shattering the myth that criminals can commit atrocious acts without consequence,” stated ATF Special Agent-in-Charge Miller.  “This is the result of a multi-year investigation involving multiple law enforcement agencies spanning multiple jurisdictions.  I commend our law enforcement partners—NYPD, NYC Department of Investigations, and our law enforcement partners in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maine, and prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office—for their relentless efforts in making our communities safer.  In particular, I am proud of the men and women of ATF NY and the ATF/NYPD Joint Firearms Task Force, who fight every day to prevent violence in any form, and are committed to dismantling and disarming violent gangs that plague our streets.  ATF once again reaffirms its unwavering commitment to protecting the public from violent offenders.”

“These convictions represent the culmination of an extensive investigation combined with a vigorous prosecution,” stated NYPD Commissioner Tisch.  “The stakes could not have been higher because these gang members were responsible for an assortment of despicable crimes, including murder, robbery, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, and bribery. A powerful message has been sent: Our city will not tolerate such criminal activity, and the NYPD and our law enforcement partners will keep working tirelessly to identify and investigate these enterprises and bring the individuals involved to justice.” 

Johnson was convicted of participating in the Bully Gang’s years-long narcotics trafficking scheme, in which large quantities of drugs, including cocaine base and heroin, were transported from New York and New Jersey to Maine.  There, members and associates of the gang sold the drugs out of a rotating series of stash houses.  As proven at trial, the conspiracy was responsible for trafficking thousands of kilograms of narcotics and generating hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash.  Johnson personally sold drugs in connection with this Bully Gang racket and recruited other participants to join the scheme.  

One of those participants was a former fellow gang member (“John Doe”), who Johnson enlisted to travel from Brooklyn to Maine to sell drugs.  In 2020, after John Doe returned from Maine, a dispute arose between the two over payment owed to John Doe in connection with the drug scheme.  On July 18, 2020, Johnson attempted to murder John Doe, who was seated on a bench at a Brooklyn playground with his one-year-old child. Johnson hit and injured both John Doe and a bystander.

Since 2020, 53 defendants have been publicly charged with a variety of crimes in connection with this investigation.  To date, 52 of those defendants have pled guilty or been convicted at trial.  One remains a fugitive.            

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Joy Lurinsky, Victor Zapana, and Michael J. Castiglione are in charge of the prosecution with the assistance of Special Agent Rebecca Sidhu and NYPD Detective Brian Hilt from the Office’s Criminal Investigations Unit and Paralegal Specialists Elizabeth Reed and Amara Mayo.

The Defendant:

DEMETRIUS JOHNSON (also known as “Q”)
Age:  29
Brooklyn, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No.: 20-CR-239 (BMC)