Two Bronx men tied to a violent street gang have been sentenced to federal prison for a series of armed carjackings across Long Island and Queens, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Jaquell Blackwell, 21, was sentenced to 63 months in prison, while Abdoul Azika, 21, received 87 months. Both were sentenced in federal court in Brooklyn before U.S. District Judge Dora L. Irizarry after pleading guilty to multiple carjacking offenses.
Federal prosecutors said the two were members of the “5zzly” crew, a subset of the Bronx-based Blood Hounds Brims gang, and took part in a pattern of violent carjackings targeting victims over more than a year.
According to authorities, one of the incidents took place in Garden City in the early morning hours of March 19, 2023. Prosecutors said the defendants approached a parked vehicle, opened the doors, and threatened the driver with a knife and a gun, ordering him out before stealing the car.
Azika also admitted to two additional armed carjackings on June 5, 2022. In South Farmingdale, prosecutors said he and others pulled a victim from his vehicle at gunpoint, assaulted him, and drove off with the car. Later that day in Massapequa, the group entered another vehicle, displayed a firearm, attacked the victim, and stole the vehicle.
Blackwell admitted to separate incidents on June 26, 2022, and June 7, 2023. In the 2022 case in Garden City, prosecutors said he and others forced their way into a vehicle at gunpoint, beat the driver, and drove him to multiple ATMs in an attempt to withdraw money. During that incident, one co-conspirator allegedly suggested killing the victim.
In the June 2023 incident in Elmont, authorities said Blackwell and others opened a vehicle door, dragged the victim out, assaulted him, and fled with the car.
Federal officials said the crimes involved threats, weapons, and physical violence, with victims targeted in residential areas across Nassau County and nearby communities.
The case was investigated with assistance from the Nassau County Police Department and the Garden City Police Department, along with the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force.
Both defendants have now been sentenced and will serve their prison terms in federal custody.
