Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Janell Johnson, 22, of Shirley, was sentenced to 13 years in prison and five years of post-release supervision after pleading guilty to Conspiracy, Assault, and Weapons related charges spanning two separate gang take-downs and three total indictments. Johnson was one of 18 defendants who were convicted following the District Attorney’s long-term investigation into violence committed by the No Fake Love Gang.  Johnson was also one of 31 defendants indicted in February 2024 following the long-term investigation into violence committed by the Bloodhound Brim street gang. 

“This sentence is evidence of my commitment to dismantle violent criminal enterprises in Suffolk County,” said District Attorney Tierney. “Public safety can only be safeguarded if law enforcement holds offenders responsible for the crimes they actually commit and through the hard work of my office and our partners, every defendant from the 'No Fake Love' gang takedown has now been brought to justice.” 

All 18 defendants from the “No Fake Love” gang indictment were convicted of felony offenses. 15 of those defendants have been sentenced to substantial prison sentences. The remaining three defendants are pending sentence but have received court commitments of equally lengthy terms of incarceration. All of the defendants charged with violent felony offenses were convicted of violent felony offenses and 13 of the defendants were convicted of the top counts on the indictment.

As established by the investigation and his guilty plea allocution, from August 23, 2021, through February 7, 2024, Johnson was a prominent member of the violent criminal street organization known as the Bloodhound Brims and committed violence to gain status within the organization. Johnson then used his high-ranking status within the Bloodhound Brims to order members of the No Fake Love gang to commit violence while Johnson was incarcerated.    

During his guilty plea allocution, Johnson admitted to committing several shootings at rival gang members in furtherance of his membership within the Bloodhound Brims. Notably, Johnson admitted to committing a broad daylight shooting on October 3, 2021, in Patchogue in which Johnson and others shot at a rival gang member. The rival was standing next to a vehicle parked in front a home where a number of small children were playing in the front yard; nobody was injured during this incident. Johnson also admitted to committing several other shootings including a January 12, 2022 shooting in Mastic in which a rival gang member was shot in the leg. 

In addition to the gang motivated shootings committed by Johnson, alongside his various associates, Johnson continued to instruct and carry out gang violence while incarcerated. Beginning in 2022, while incarcerated for the October 3, 2021 shooting, Johnson began communicating and recruiting fellow gang members over the telephone from inside various jail facilities. Johnson further began using his high-ranking status within the Bloodhound Brims to direct young No Fake Love gang members – some as young as fifteen years old – how to steal cars, get access to guns, and commit acts of violence in order to secure a place within the hierarchy of the gang.  Johnson also fought rival gang members that were incarcerated alongside him. 

On October 17, 2024, Janell Johnson pleaded guilty to the following charges, under three separate indictments, before Acting Supreme Court Justice Anthony S. Senft, Jr.:

• Two counts of Conspiracy in the Second Degree (Conspiracy to Commit Murder in the Second Degree), Class B felonies;
• One count of Attempted Assault in the First Degree, a Class C violent felony;
• Three counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, Class C violent felonies; and
• One count of Assault in the Second Degree, a Class D violent felony.

On December 12, 2024, Justice Senft sentenced Johnson to 13 years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision.  He was represented by Ian Fitzgerald, Esq. 

These cases were prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Martha Duffy, Donald Barclay, Elizabeth Moran, and William Richards of the Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau. The investigation into the No Fake Love gang was conducted by District Attorney Investigator Jean Graf of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Gang Task Force and Detective Sean Manning of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Criminal Intelligence Section. The investigation into the Bloodhound Brims was led by Special Investigator Daniel Crerend of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Gang Task Force and Detective Christopher Marksberry of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Gun Crime Reduction Unit.

Criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusatory instruments. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. No one is above the law.