Leader of Brooklyn-Based “Bully Gang” Sentenced to 60 Years in Prison

Today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Moeleek Harrell, also known as "Moe Money," was sentenced by United States District Judge Brian M. Cogan to 60 years in prison for his crimes as the leader of the Bully Gang, a violent street gang based in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. Harrell was one of 53 defendants charged and convicted in connection with the Eastern District of New York's case against the Bully Gang. Harrell and three other high-ranking members of the gang were convicted by a jury in July 2024 following a 13-week trial. Harrell was convicted of racketeering, two murder conspiracies, two assaults, two instances of using a gun during a crime of violence, two drug trafficking conspiracies, and two money laundering conspiracies.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Bryan DiGirolamo, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New York Field Division (ATF), Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), and Nadia I. Shihata, Commissioner, New York City Department of Investigation (DOI), announced the sentence.

"Moeleek Harrell learned today that there is a heavy price to pay for leading a gang responsible for extensive criminal conduct, and his sentence should serve as a warning to those underlings who foolishly obeyed the defendant's orders. They too will learn that following Harrell's footsteps will lead a path straight to federal prison for a very long time," stated United States Attorney Nocella. "His sentence ensures that our neighborhoods will remain protected from Harrell's criminal conduct and demonstrates our Office's commitment to prosecuting the leaders of violent criminal organizations."

"This case exposed a ruthless criminal organization responsible for murder conspiracies, brazen violence in public, and large-scale drug and weapons trafficking that stretched from New York to Maine," stated ATF Special Agent in Charge DiGirolamo. "This 60 year sentence ensures that a dangerous individual who directed countless acts of violence will never again threaten our communities. The men & women of ATF/ NYPD Joint Firearms Task Force will continue working alongside our law enforcement partners to dismantle violent criminal organizations and protect the public.

"The Bully Gang carried out a series of brutal crimes that spread violence through Brooklyn and beyond, and today's sentencing ensures that its leader, Moeleek Harrell, will never again threaten our communities," said NYPD Commissioner Tisch. "This case reflects the NYPD's focus on dismantling violent gangs and taking illegal guns off our streets. I thank the U.S. Attorney's Office and the ATF for their partnership in bringing Harrell to justice."

"Moeleek Harrell and his gang sowed terror and fear through their violent crimes, and trafficked drugs into the City's jails, undercutting the security and safety of these facilities," stated DOI Commissioner Shihata. "There is no outcome that can repair the deep and destructive impact of this gang in New York City and Maine. But today's decades-long sentence for the gang's leader, and the dozens of convictions associated with this prosecution, demonstrate that New York City has zero tolerance for these crimes and will hold those who perpetrate them accountable. I thank the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, the ATF and the NYPD for their partnership on this significant investigation."

Harrell, along with deceased gang member Charles Williams, was the founder and leader of the Bully Gang. Harrell directed and oversaw the gang's many crimes, including the gang's violent rivalries. In connection with these rivalries, Harrell was personally involved in two murder conspiracies, targeting Christopher King and members of a rival gang known as the Stukes Crew. Harrell and the Bully Gang targeted King because King had killed Williams. Over the course of several weeks, Harrell tracked dates on which King would be going to court (including for a case related to Williams's killing) and confronted King at one of his court appearances. On one occasion, Harrell and his co-conspirators went to King's house to try to find King. Harrell's efforts to find King culminated in a shooting on October 1, 2017, in which King and an innocent bystander were both shot and wounded.

Harrell's violent rivalry with the Stukes Crew lasted at least five years. During this time, Harrell and his co-conspirators made multiple attempts to murder members of the Stukes Crew. On October 1, 2017, the same day that Harrell committed the King shooting, Harrell also targeted members of the Stukes Crew in another shooting in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. No one was injured in this shooting. In March 2018, while at a gender reveal party for Harrell's child, fellow Bully Gang member and co-defendant Derrick Ayers shot and killed Jonathan Jackson, an associate of the Stukes Crew. Harrell praised Ayers for committing this murder, and taunted his rivals for allowing their associate to be killed. Harrell then shot at members of the Stukes Crew on two consecutive days in June 2018. These shootings again took place in Crown Heights, and the second resulted in a car crash that injured multiple people. Throughout the time that Harrell was targeting members of the Stukes Crew, he took extraordinary steps to learn personal information about his targets, including their addresses, Social Security numbers, license plates, phone numbers, and family members. Harrell then used this information to locate and try to kill his targets.

Harrell was also deeply involved in the gang's drug trafficking schemes. Harrell ran the day-to-day operations of the gang's Rikers drug smuggling scheme. In connection with this scheme, from 2019 to 2021, Harrell and his co-conspirators arranged for papers and comic books soaked in synthetic cannabinoids, also known as "K2," to be delivered to Rikers. Once inmates received the K2-soaked papers, they sold smaller quantities to other inmates at a substantial profit. Harrell made hundreds of thousands of dollars from this scheme. To get drugs into Rikers, Harrell and his co-conspirators sent drugs through the mail, had visitors to the jail bring in drugs, and bribed corrupt corrections officers to bring drugs in themselves.

Harrell also had a leadership role in the gang's scheme to sell heroin and cocaine base in Maine. As part of this scheme, the Bully Gang and its associates transported large quantities of drugs, including cocaine base, heroin, and fentanyl, from New York and New Jersey to Maine, where they sold the drugs out of multiple stash houses spread throughout the state. The gang made millions of dollars from these drug sales. Harrell directed others who sold and transported drugs in connection with conspiracy and personally profited from the drug sales. He also ensured the discipline of the conspiracy, including by orchestrating the violent punishment of co-defendant Tyquan Lane when Lane violated the rules of the drug conspiracy.

The government's case is being handled by the Office's Organized Crime and Gangs Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Nicholas J. Moscow, Lindsey R. Oken, Joy Lurinsky, and Victor Zapana and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Drew Rolle and Michael J. Castiglione are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Lead Legal Administrative Specialist Samantha Ward, and Paralegal Specialist Kavya Kannan.

The Defendant:

MOELEEK HARRELL (also known as "Moe Money")
Age: 36
Brooklyn, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 20-CR-239 (S-8) (BMC)