Accused gang leader faces renewed felony indictments | Crime

MANCHESTER — Accused gang leader Brandon Griffin faces 77 felony indictments on drug, gun, murder solicitation and other violent charges handed up by a Hillsborough County grand jury late last week.

The latest charges include resubmitted and new indictments. Many indictments filed last year against Griffin were potentially tainted by a conflict of interest; the spouse of an employee with the Hillsborough County Attorney’s office had served on the grand jury.

Last fall Nicole Schultz-Price, the Hillsborough County prosecutor handling the case, had said these indictments would be reissued early in 2019.

At the end of 2018, county prosecutors had said Griffin, 31, a resident of 285 Concord St., Apt. 7, in Manchester, wouldn’t go on trial until the spring.

Late last fall, county prosecutors had withdrawn a charge that Griffin was a “drug enterprise leader” because a government request to delay the trial had been denied.

That charge was the most serious offense brought against Griffin. It carries a term of 25 years to life in prison.

The latest indictments include the restoration of the drug enterprise leader charge along with 33 separate felonies for criminal mischief, 22 for reckless conduct, 11 for possession of a gun by a convicted felon, and four for first-degree assault, among other charges.

Griffin also faces two charges of solicitation to commit first-degree murder with the claim that he ordered associate John Gebo to shoot Joshua Vasquez, aka Six Mosley, in May 2016.

He was also charged with first-degree assault for having struck Gebo in the head with a gun because Gebo had “refused to shoot a rival gang member,” according to court documents.

Prosecutors and law enforcement maintain that Griffin tried in 2015 and 2016 to engage in a reign of violent intimidation to take over drug and prostitution rackets in the city.

One of the indictments is for “trafficking of persons,” a felony. It refers to an attempt by Griffin to forcibly enslave women to perform as prostitutes for Griffin’s gang.

Griffin is also accused of ordering subordinates in “The Squad” to shoot up the homes of rival drug dealers, ordering hits and cutting the faces of women who failed to meet Griffin’s demands.

Hillsborough County Attorney Michael Conlon, who has been on the job less than a month, brought the charges forward.

The indictments allege that Griffin conspired with, asked or helped two members of his gang — Kelvin Reddick and Gebo — to fire shots at six different residential buildings in Manchester.

The indictments identified six addresses where the shots were fired in May 2016: 253 Spruce St.; 271-273 Cedar St.; 395 Lake Ave.; 21 Dubuque St.; 18 Auclair St.; and 91 West St.

The documents state Griffin was guilty of felonies for having possessed guns after a conviction in Massachusetts on a felony count of possessing cocaine with intent to distribute. He is also accused of possession with the intent to sell heroin, fentanyl and crack cocaine.

klandrigan@unionleader.com

Union Leader reporter Mark Hayward contributed to this report.