Leaders of Bronx ‘6 Wild’ Gang Arrested

Gang posts photos of stolen goods from violent home invasions

NEW YORK—A photo showing wads of cash piled on the floor and another with “wild” written in $20 bills are among those posted to Facebook by members of the “6 Wild” gang in the Bronx. The cash and jewelry the gang flashes around allegedly came through a series of violent home invasions, and on Thursday, 11 leaders of the gang were arrested.

The gang would often use a young girl to gain entry to a targeted home, according to a press release. After gaining entry, they allegedly threatened the people inside with firearms, beat them with heavy objects, and choked them. They carried out around two home robberies a month for a two-year period between June 2011 and June 2013.

“This group carried out vicious assaults, robberies and drug dealing. Each and every activity they were involved in threatened the safety of the people in their community,” Bridget Brennan, Special Narcotics Prosecutor, said in a press release. “They swore allegiance to only one thing—the Gucci bags full of cash that they collected from committing their crimes.” 

The 6 Wild were also involved in at least a dozen shootings, which were part of turf battles with rival groups—particularly a gang known as “280” and its associated groups, “Clay Avenue Boyz” and “Morris Avenue Gunners.” They used juveniles to transport their communal firearms.

Among those arrested were the gang’s leader, Jameekga Joseph, his brother Wakimi Joseph, and two others, Dashawn Hill and Lionel Johnson. The ages of the 11 gang members arrested range from 19 to 24. The leader and his brother were already in police custody for other charges.

The defendants are facing a 58-count indictment for crimes that often left victims severely beaten. These include conspiracy to commit attempted murder, robbery, strangulation, assault, burglary, and other crimes.

The robberies were carefully planned to target people they believed had stashes of cocaine and heroin. They would send a girl to make friends with their intended victim to learn where the drugs were kept, where the money was kept, and what would be the best time to rob them. Some of their victims were not drug dealers, however, and were merely swept into their collection of targets.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said in the press release, “The ‘6 Wild’ crew thought that by using young women, juvenile boys and stashed guns they would evade police. They were wrong.”

Arrests were made after a long-term investigation by local law enforcement, including the Special Narcotics Gang Prosecution Unit. They used testimony from witnesses, surveillance from security cameras, and Facebook and text messages sent by the gang members.

The 6 Wild gang operated in the Morrisania section of the Bronx, somewhere between Clay Avenue to College Avenue, and from East 165th Street to East 167th Street. They operated out of two adjacent buildings at 1041 Findlay Ave. and 1055 Findlay Ave.

Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson said in the press release, “Our office has had many dealings with the decent, hard-working residents of Morrisania. Their message to us has always been a loud and clear desire for crime-free streets. We will never give up the effort to provide them with the quality of life they deserve.”