Drug Set Manager of Notorious Drug Gang Sentenced to Life plus 30 Years in Prison for Using Violence and Murder to Protect Drug Operations

CAMDEN – The manager of a drug “set” that was part of a major heroin and crack cocaine distribution ring in Camden was sentenced to life plus 30 years in federal prison today for his conviction on drug and weapons charges, U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie announced.

U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler also ordered Lorenzo Hardwick, 39, of Camden, a/k/a “FuQuan,” to pay a $25,000 fine, which is to be deducted from any earnings Hardwick has from a prison work program.

Judge Kugler sentenced Hardwick to the sentencing guideline prison term of life for his conviction on Count One of the Superseding Indictment, charging conspiracy to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin, in which the jury found that Hardwick and his co-defendants conspired to protect their drug operation through the use of violence that included the murders of Hiram Rosa, Kenneth Allen, and Troy James.

Judge Kugler sentenced the defendant to a mandatory minimum prison term of five years for his conviction on Count Five, which charges use of a firearm in furtherance of the overall drug conspiracy. Hardwick was sentenced to 25 years in prison for his conviction on Count Six, which is the statutory minimum penalty for Hardwick’s subsequent conviction for possession of a firearm in furtherance of the conspiracy, specifically the murder of Hiram Rosa. Judge Kugler ordered Hardwick to serve the sentences consecutively.

On Thursday, Judge Kugler sentenced co-defendant Jose Rodriguez, 24, a mid-level worker in the drug organization to 30 years in prison. Judge Kugler also ordered Rodriguez to pay a $10,000 fine and to serve five years of supervised release upon the completion of his prison sentence.

“These are harsh and well-deserved prison sentences for individuals who brought drugs, mayhem and misery to the streets of Camden,” said Christie. “These sentences should stand as a guarantee to others involved in Camden’s drug-gang culture. We will do our best to catch you, prosecute you under federal law and send you to a high-security federal prison far away from Camden for a very, very long time.”

On June 6, 2005, after eight hours of deliberations, the jury convicted two leaders of the Perez Organization, Allen Resto, 26, of Camden, a/k/a “Tito Allen,” and Bernard Murray, 28, of Camden, a/k/a “B-Nice,” Rodriguez, a heroin bagger and a drug-set manager, and Hardwick of one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin and crack cocaine.

The jury also convicted Murray, Hardwick and Resto of one count of possessing, brandishing and use of firearms, namely an AK-47 rifle and three handguns, in relation to a drug trafficking crime in the February 2001 shooting of Rosa, a Rutgers University student, as that murder related to the drug conspiracy.

Murray, Resto and Hardwick also were convicted of one count each of using a firearm in the furtherance of a drug crime – that being discharging, possessing and using firearms in the furtherance of the overall conspiracy.

Murray and Resto also were convicted of two counts of possessing, brandishing and use of firearms in relation to a drug trafficking crime. The charges are in connection with the use of a 9 millimeter handgun in the March 2001 murder of Allen; and using an AK-47 and a .22 caliber handgun in the October 2001 murder of James, as the killings relate to the drug conspiracy.

Resto’s sentencing is pending until new counsel can be appointed. Murray’s sentencing is not scheduled at this time.

According to the Superseding Indictment and trial testimony, Enrique Perez, 39, of Camden, was a partner with Murray and Resto in running the drug distribution organization. Perez pleaded guilty before Judge Kugler on Jan. 9, 2004, to one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin and crack cocaine and one count of possession of a firearm as a convicted felon. Perez’s sentencing has not been scheduled.

During the trial, Perez, along with others, testified that from January 1998 through September 2002 he, Murray and Resto controlled the flow of heroin in the areas of 5th and Grant Streets and 9th and Cedar Streets. Perez testified that they used managers to operate the drug sets on a daily basis. Hardwick managed the crack cocaine drug set located at 7th and Vine St., according to Perez’s testimony. According to Perez’s testimony, Rodriguez packaged the bulk heroin for street sales and performed other tasks for the organization. Perez also testified that he, Murray, Hardwick and Resto, were involved in the Rosa murder.

For more information on the conviction, a news release is available on the office website located at: www.usdoj.gov/usao/nj

In total, 12 individuals were charged in connection with the Perez Organization’s drug trafficking and violence. All defendants have either pleaded guilty to the charges against them or have been convicted by a jury following their trial.

In determining the actual sentence, Judge Kugler consulted the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide appropriate sentencing ranges that take into account the severity and characteristics of the offense, the defendant's criminal history, if any, and other factors. The judge, however, is not bound by those guidelines in determining a sentence.

Parole has been abolished in the federal system. Defendants who are given custodial terms must serve nearly all that time.

Christie credited Special Agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Brian W. Lynch, in Philadelphia; the Camden County Prosecutor's Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor James P. Lynch; the Camden City Police Department, under the direction of Robert L. Stewart, Camden Police Department Interim Supersession Executive; DEA, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gerard P. McAleer, in Newark; ATF, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Mark Potter in Philadelphia; the U.S. Marshal's Service, under the direction of U.S. Marshal James T. Plousis; the Camden County Sheriff's Department, under the direction of Sheriff Michael W. McLaughlin, and Rutgers’s University Police, under the direction of Chief Guy Still, with the cooperative investigation leading to today’s convictions.

The Government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Smith and Jason Richardson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Camden.

Defense Attorney:

Hardwick - Jerome A. Ballarotto, Esq. Trenton

Rodriguez - Catherine Brown, Esq. Morristown