Mocobizscene- Thirty-eight-year-old Brown was a boxing prodigy hailing from the South Ward. Two decades ago, he accomplished the remarkable feat of becoming a Golden Glove champion at a young age.
After graduating from Weequahic High School, he spent 14 years working as a custodian for the Newark Board of Education. However, in 2018, he took a leap and ventured into the music industry by establishing his own record label, 100 Percent Pure Ent.
In 2018, Brown established the Exclusive Notes studio in Fort Lee, where he attracted renowned artists such as Jim Jones from Dipset and Treach from Naughty by Nature.
He also said that he had enlisted Bandman Rill, a popular TikTok artist, before officially signing MC Vertt, a music producer from Newark known for his hit track “Just Wanna Rock,” and later Jay Hood, the talented creator of the New Jersey Club Sound.
Not long after that, Brown found himself in the company of Newark battle rapper Tsu Surf and notorious New York Blood gang rapper Cassanova 2x, but this time it was inside prison walls.
In December, Surf, who authorities identified as a prominent figure in the violent Rollin’ 60s Neighborhood Crips Newark street gang, was sentenced to five years in federal prison following his plea of guilty on conspiracy charges.
Now it’s Brown’s chance to shine. According to the FBI, he was involved in the distribution of a significant amount of illegal substances.
Federal authorities have reported that during raids in June 2021, agents were able to seize two kilos of heroin, with half of it being mixed with fentanyl, as well as pure fentanyl itself. These raids took place at Brown’s home in Cliffside Park and an additional stashhouse apartment he maintained in Harrison.
According to an FBI complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Newark, some of the approximately 4½ pounds remained in its raw form.
According to the complaint, the majority of the product was packaged into 122 “bricks” for sale. Each brick contained 6,100 folds, with 50 folds per brick tied together in bundles of 10.
The authorities also confiscated $169,000 in cash, with $44,000 of it found in a safe along with drugs. The complaint states that there were several diamond necklaces, gold watches, and a gold ring, along with five cell phones and safety deposit keys.
During the investigation, agents discovered several items that are commonly associated with drug trafficking. These included a ledger, a safe, scales, a grinder, ink pads, stamps, zip locking bags, a vacuum sealer, razor blades, and glassine folds.
Brown, who had a previous criminal record, made a calculated decision to avoid the potential repercussions of a guilty verdict from a federal jury. Instead, he opted for a deal offered by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark, confessing last month to participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy. U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger stated that as part of the agreement, Brown has also agreed to forfeit $436,616 in proceeds.
Sellinger has not provided any indication regarding the duration of federal prison time that the government is seeking. According to federal sentencing guidelines, the minimum sentence in this case is five years. U.S. District Court Judge Brian R. Martinotti has scheduled the sentencing for June 12.
Special agents from the FBI, along with members of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Harrison and Cliffside Park police departments, were credited by Sellinger for their role in the investigation that led to the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert L. Frazer secured the plea from the Organized Crime/Gangs Unit, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Dong Joo Lee from the Narcotics/Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force Unit in Newark.
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