Member of Violent Bridgeport Gang Sentenced to 9 Years in Federal Prison

MICHAEL LOCKHART, also known as "Mikey RTN," 25, of Bridgeport, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 108 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for his involvement in a violent Bridgeport street gang.

Today's announcement was made by Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; Joseph T. Corradino, State's Attorney for the Fairfield Judicial District; Bridgeport Police Chief Roderick Porter; Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England, and Acting U.S. Marshal Lawrence Bobnick.

According to court documents and statements made in court, the FBI, ATF, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, Connecticut State Police and Bridgeport Police have been investigating multiple Bridgeport-based gangs whose members are involved in narcotics trafficking, murder, and other acts of violence. Lockhart was a member of the Original North End ("O.N.E."), a gang based in the Trumbull Gardens area of Bridgeport that committed acts of violence against rival gangs, including the East End gang, the East Side gang, and the PT Barnum gang. O.N.E. members also robbed drug dealers, customers, and others, sold narcotics, and stole cars from inside and outside Connecticut, often using the cars to commit crimes. They frequently used social media to promote and coordinate their criminal activities.

On June 1, 2021, Lockhart was arrested after a search of his Roberts Street residence revealed large bags of marijuana; numerous items used to process and package narcotics for street sale, including thousands of glassine bags typically used to package fentanyl and heroin; five Glock handguns; three empty boxes for other Glock handguns; and extended magazines, ammunition, body armor, and other gun accessories. Lockhart shared the residence with Jamar Traylor, also a member of O.N.E. Laboratory analysis of the seized items revealed that presence of Lockhart's DNA on one of the handguns and a magazine. Both Lockhart and Traylor were on state probation at the time of the search.

Lockhart has been detained since his arrest. On September 13, 2023, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

Approximately 47 members and associates of the East End, O.N.E. and the GHB/Hotz gangs have been convicted of federal offenses stemming from this investigation, which has solved eight murders and approximately 20 attempted murders.

Traylor, also known as "J-Hop," pleaded guilty to conspiring to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity and, on February 6, 2023, was sentenced to 14 years of imprisonment.

This investigation has been conducted by the FBI's Safe Streets and Violent Crimes Task Forces, ATF, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, Bridgeport Police Department, Connecticut State Police, and the Bridgeport State's Attorney's Office, with the assistance of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory, Waterbury Police Department, and Naugatuck Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen L. Peck, Tara E. Levens, Patrick J. Doherty, Rahul Kale, and Jocelyn C. Kaoutzanis.

This prosecution is a part of the Justice's Department's Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), Project Longevity and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) programs.

PSN is a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In May 2021, the Justice Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit www.justice.gov/psn.

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. If a group member elects to engage in gun violence, the focused attention of federal, state, and local law enforcement will be directed at that entire group.

OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.