Members of the Bloods gang took over a Brooklyn-based fire clean-up company, using violence and extortion to profit off damaged buildings and inferno victims, federal prosecutors allege.
Their targets included a Queens apartment building where a 2021 blaze displaced nearly 500 people in Jackson Heights. Dozens of former tenants at that address have asserted their belongings were burglarized, as reported by THE CITY in March.
In an indictment late last month, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York alleged gang members first gained control of First Response Cleaning Corp. in 2019, and then used the company — which secures and cleans up buildings after blazes — to extort competitors and muscle the industry with violence and threats.
The fire company has worked on buildings across New York City.
Tenants there told THE CITY that residents had been barred from entering the building but later found jewelry, money and other valuables missing from their apartments when they were allowed a virtual tour via video conference.
The owners of the Jackson Heights building, Kedex Properties, hired First Response with a $24 million contract to clean up the building, the Queens Chronicle reported last year.
Kedex did not respond to calls for comment.
While the feds in their indictment called the alleged racket a “criminal enterprise,” none of the charges include burglary or theft of items from buildings.
Andrew Sokolof Diaz, is a resident of Jackson Heights building and president of the 89th Street Tenants Unidos Association, said that First Response presented themselves as both a security company and a fire restoration company, and prevented tenants from entering their homes.
“It was just a bad vibe,” he said. “It seemed like
something was going on — from the behavior with some of the tenants from
just the first night. They were very harsh and menacing with us.”
15 comments:
So they are now moving to more "organized crime"? That's a change.
Just when you think NYC can't be anymore of a crap whole things like this happen
Ah, back to the good old days of gangs, mafia, extortion and racketeering.
Thank you Henry Hudson for ruining these islands.
America is a third world country, complete with a figurehead President and mysterious forces running the show. Hey, WHO IS RUNNING THE COUNTRY?
Our esteemed media never asks that question.
How else could it turn out, the Democrat experiment, letting criminals out on the street, after they commit a crime is pure insanity. The Democrat Governors Mayors and DA's are a total failure to the people they are suppose to protect !
Just another day in the hood!
Maybe New York should pick up some of those “Chicago whistles “ that Lightfoot wants everyone to walk around with.
Hmm. Just another day in a blue city...
Good to see NPC doofus back spewing it’s usual nonsense.
@"Thank you Henry Hudson for ruining these islands"
TA Commie you’re all just walking around hating life because you have pee pee in your panties
How about putting gang members in jail? No, that would be mean. Much better they stay on the streets and NYC can put the innocent in jail.
I miss John Gotti.
So where were your elected officials (snicker) since you always act like children around them and they are totally clueless - nothing happened except you whimpering quietly in a corner.
Welcome to Queens. America's tomorrow.
Sad, very sad...
It’s good to be a Democrat.
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