A member of the Rollin’ 60s Neighborhood Crips admitted his role in the Essex County gang this week, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of New Jersey.
Jason Franklin, a/k/a “Freak,” pleaded guilty Friday to Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, conspiracy and now faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, federal prosecutors said.
Franklin, 41, was a member of the gang from at least 2015 through Sept. 22, 2022, the office said.
Members and associates of the Rollin’ 60s engaged in, or controlled, drug trafficking and other criminal activities in various neighborhoods and public-housing complexes in and around Newark and Irvington, officials said.
He was one of the leaders of the group and ordered others to kill, often for retaliation, investigators said.
In one case, on March 20, 2019, in Irvington, Franklin ordered other gang members to murder another person, in retaliation for the murder of a member of the Rollin’ 60s, authorities said.
In early April 2021, Franklin ordered other Crips to retaliate against rival gang members, which resulted in the April 5, 2021 attempted murder of another person who survived the shooting, the office said.
He was indicted in 2021 along with two other members of the Neighborhood Crips but was not caught until later, authorities said.
Stories by Chris Sheldon
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Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.