NEWARK, N.J. — A federal jury has convicted two Newark men tied to a Bloods street gang set of racketeering conspiracy and murder in the 2022 shooting death of a rival drill rapper, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey said Friday.
Tyler Shorter, 22, also known as “Money Bags” and “Bags,” and Amir Canty, 23, also known as “Blast,” were found guilty on all counts after a three-week trial, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced. The jury deliberated less than a day.
Both men were convicted of racketeering conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering and firearms offenses. Each faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole.
According to evidence at trial, Shorter is a member and Canty an associate of the Sex, Money, Murder set of the Bloods, which operates in Newark’s Bradley Court housing complex, known as “Munn Block” or “M-Block.” Prosecutors said the set is known for drug dealing, fraud, moving stolen property across state lines and violence against rival neighborhoods and gangs.
The two used social media and drill rap to promote the gang, prosecutors said. The set had an escalating feud with GBlock, a rival neighborhood gang tied to the Grape Street Crips that operates on Goodwin Avenue in Newark.
After the groups traded threatening music videos and songs, Shorter shot and killed a rival drill rapper who was a Grape Street Crips member on Nov. 8, 2022, on South Orange Avenue in Newark, according to the evidence. Canty drove the getaway car.
Prosecutors said the killing was part of a crime spree in which the two drove a stolen car to and from New York to try to carjack luxury vehicles. Canty later tried to burn the stolen getaway car.
“Having spent my career prosecuting violent gangs, I know firsthand the devastation they inflict on our communities,” Frazer said. He said the verdict holds the defendants accountable and brings justice to the victim’s family.
“Getting murderers off the streets of NJ communities is a priority for FBI Newark,” said Stefanie Roddy, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Newark office.
Sentencing before U.S. District Judge Michael E. Farbiarz is scheduled for March 30, 2027.
The case is part of Newark’s Violent Crime Initiative, formed in 2017 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and the city’s Department of Public Safety. The FBI, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations and several local and state police agencies investigated.
This report is based on information from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office press release
Leave a Reply