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Trevor Wright – aka “Taliban Glizzy” – was among 16 defendants named in an indictment unsealed by federal authorities in the nation’s capital on Aug. 30.
Mohammad Sheik had only just opened the Paradise Jewelry Store at the corner of Main Street and Delaware Avenue in Paterson several weeks earlier when the place was robbed last fall.
It was one of at least nine jewelry stores as far south as Florida that were targeted by members of the ring over the course of a full year, federal authorities said.
Most were family-owned and operated, they said.
These included two other jewelry dealers in New Jersey: Virani Jewelers in Iselin (on June 10, 2022) and Chintamanis Inc. in Franklin Park (Dec. 22, 2022).
Those charged “took part in take-over style armed robberies meant to terrify and overwhelm store owners and employees,” said James Dennehy, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Newark Field Office. “They gave no thought to the people who could have been seriously injured or even killed."
A female employee was entering Paradise using its security sensor system when one of the robbers rushed her from behind around 4 p.m. Oct. 25, 2022, Paterson police said.
Two other robbers then joined him in smashing display cases and grabbing as much bling as they could.
SEE: Armed Robbers Smash Cases, Get More Than $1M In Bling From Paterson Jewelry Store
The defendants also “committed multiple armed carjackings, armed robberies, money laundering, and firearms offenses” in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Florida, according to a release issued Wednesday by the office of U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew M. Graves.
“Disguised in dark clothing, masks, and gloves, armed with a gun, one or more of the defendants used various vehicles, including stolen vehicles, to commit and flee from the robberies,” the release says.
Arrested in addition to the robbers were ring members who handled various tasks, according to the federal indictment returned by a grand jury in Washington.
These include Wright (“Glizzy”), who’s accused of conspiring to launder the proceeds of the holdups.
AllHipHop broke the news of Wright's arrest last December. Federal agents apparently had been watching him for more than a year.
EXCLUSIVE: Shy Glizzy Affiliate Taliban Glizzy Busted By Secret Service With Arsenal Of Guns
A previously convicted felon, Glizzy was accused of leaving five guns in a Lyft, AllHipHop reported, citing government records.
The firearms included two AR-15-styled rifles – one of which had been reported stolen -- a semiautomatic Ruger and a Glock-styled ghost gun, the story says.
Federal agents also seized diamond earrings, a Rolex watch and more than $17,000 that Glizzy happened to be carrying at the time, according to a complaint filed by the government.
The complaint cites lyrics and images “glorifying gun violence and depicting firearms” in Glizzy tunes that included “Keltch,” “Suicide Bombers” and “Indictments.”
Wright’s co-defendants are mostly from Washington, D.C., in addition to two from Maryland and one each from Virginia and California.
SEE: 16 Indicted In Crime Ring Targeting Jewelers Across Mid-Atlantic: Feds
Eight of those named in the indictment were arrested early Wednesday. The rest had already been picked up, federal authorities said.
Warrants executed during the arrests turned up several guns, along with roughly $300,000 in alleged illicit proceeds found in a safe at one of the residences, they said.
Charges include conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce (known as Hobbs Act) robbery, interference with interstate commerce by robbery, using a firearm in a violent crime, conspiracy to commit carjacking, and money laundering conspiracy.
Graves formally announced the indictment along with Dennehy and a group of other federal officials.
Among those cited for their contributions to the case were police from Paterson, Jersey City, Franklin Township, South Brunswick and Woodbridge, as well as the prosecutor’s and sheriff’s offices from Passaic, Middlesex and Somerset counties and the office of U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger.
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