United States Drug Enforcement Administration

NEW YORK CITY – Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, John B. DeVito, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New York Field Division, Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New York Division, and Glenn Scott, Commissioner of the Mount Vernon Police Department, announced the unsealing of a federal Indictment charging JAMES BAZEMORE, a/k/a “TJ,” with the broad daylight murder of Tasheen Williams on April 30, 2018 in Mount Vernon, New York.  The Indictment also charges JARED MUJAAHID, a/k/a “Jay,” with aiding and abetting assault with a deadly weapon by providing BAZEMORE with the gun BAZMORE used to commit the murder. The Indictment also charges BAZEMORE and MUJAAHID with racketeering conspiracy. BAZEMORE is detained pending trial on other federal charges brought by this Office and MUJAAHID is serving a sentence from a prior federal conviction in this District. The defendants will be brought to the federal courthouse in White Plains, New York to be presented before a United States Magistrate Judge.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said:  “In April 2018, Tasheen Williams was shot dead in broad daylight just as a local school was letting out, the victim of senseless gang-related violence. As alleged in the Indictment, James Bazemore is responsible for that murder, and Jared Mujaahid gave him the murder weapon. Thanks to the work of our remarkable law enforcement partners, Bazemore and Mujaahid now stand charged in federal court for this terrible crime.”

ATF Special Agent in Charge John B. DeVito said:  “ATF’s top priority is investigating and apprehending those who commit firearms violence and those who provide  firearms for use in violent crimes. This indictment demonstrates the commitment of ATF and our great partners at DEA and the Mount Vernon Police Department to relentlessly pursue justice for victims of violent gun crime and hold those responsible accountable no matter how long it takes.”

DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III said:  “This cold-blooded murder is another example of drug-related violence plaguing our cities. DEA’s priority is making our communities safer through investigations and arresting members of criminal organizations responsible for drug-related overdoses, drug trafficking, and violent crime. I thank the ATF and US Attorney's Office Southern District of New York for their partnership and diligent work on this investigation.”

MVPD Commissioner Glenn Scott said:  "This arrest again shows that Mount Vernon continues to benefit from the partnership the MVPD has formed with its Federal Law Enforcement partners. The ATV, NY Field Office has shown how dedicated they are to assisting the MVPD with closing violent crime investigations. Mount Vernon Police has had Detectives assigned as Task Force Officers with the ATF for several years and this is just one of the many violent crimes that has been solved as a result of the hard work.   In cases of this magnitude the MVPD always strives to bring justice to the families affected by violence and we will utilize any and all resources and partnerships that we can do to achieve that goal."   

 According to the allegations in the Indictment[1]:

BAZEMORE and MUJAAHID were members or associates of a racketeering enterprise known as Big Paper. In order to fund the enterprise, protect and expand its interests, and promote its standing, members and associates of Big Paper committed, conspired, attempted, and threatened to commit acts of violence against rivals, including murder and assault; conspired to distribute and possess with intent to distribute narcotics; and obtained, possessed and used firearms, including by brandishing and discharging them.

On or about April 30, 2018, BAZEMORE acquired a gun from MUJAAHID, and then BAZEMORE stalked and shot Tasheen Williams dead in Mount Vernon, New York.

BAZEMORE is charged with one count of racketeering conspiracy, which carries a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison, one count of murder in aid of racketeering, which carries a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison, and a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison; and one count of murder through use of a firearm, which carries a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison, and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison.

MUJAAHID is charged with one count of racketeering conspiracy, which carries a statutory maximum sentence of twenty years in prison, one count of aiding and abetting assault with a deadly weapon in aid of racketeering, which carries a statutory maximum sentence of twenty years in prison; and one count of aiding and abetting the discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, which carries a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison.

The statutory maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants would be determined by the judge.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Administration, New York Division; and thanked the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office and the Mount Vernon Police Department for their assistance with the investigation.

This case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division.  Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher Brumwell and Benjamin A. Gianforti are in charge of the prosecution.

[1] As the introductory phase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth below constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.