The gang members, who allegedly belong to a faction known as Bad Boys 7 (BB7), were charged in a 15-count federal indictment involving murder, assault, robbery, carjacking, narcotics trafficking and wire fraud allegedly committed between September 2023 and September 2025.
The charges also include the alleged gunpoint robbery of a prominent international recording artist.
“As alleged, the BB7 Trinitarios, operating from their historical headquarters in the Bronx, terrorised communities in New York City, Westchester, and northern New Jersey, night after night,” US Attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement.
Gang Members Charged Over Influencer’s Murder
Six alleged BB7 members — Justin Martha, Michael Mercedes Marte, Jose Peralta Gomez, Manuel Abad Rivas, Wilfren Carbuccia and Jeilin Portes Guaba — were charged in connection with the August 2025 killing of 32-year-old social media influencer Ariela Mejia-Polanco, popularly known as Ariela La Langosta.
Mejia-Polanco was reportedly shot multiple times and found dead inside her vehicle on the Cross County Parkway in Mount Vernon, New York.
The influencer, who had more than half a million followers on Instagram, was known for sharing fashion and modelling content and had previously appeared in Tekashi 6ix9ine's “Wapae” music video.
Federal prosecutors alleged that the six defendants attempted to carjack her black Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG SUV before she was killed.
Other Murders Linked to Alleged Gang Members
Darwin Martinez, an alleged member of the gang known as “Mole”, was separately charged with the July 2025 murders of Gabriel Alvarez and Adam Waldropt at a car gathering in the Bronx.
Federal authorities said the other killings covered by the investigation occurred in the Bronx and the New Jersey cities of Newark and Paterson.
The indictment forms part of a wider investigation into alleged violent activities carried out by the BB7 faction across the region.
Musician Bulin 47 Allegedly Robbed at Gunpoint
Some of the alleged Trinitarios members were also charged in connection with the June 2025 gunpoint robbery of Dominican musician Bulin 47.
According to prosecutors, the suspects allegedly used a GPS tracking device to follow the musician from Massachusetts to a hotel parking lot in Fort Lee, New Jersey.
They allegedly robbed him of high-value jewellery at gunpoint.
A 12th defendant, Jarol Ledesma, was separately charged with Hobbs Act robbery and interstate stalking in connection with the alleged attack.
Authorities Warn Violent Gangs
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the arrests and charges were the result of the department's “precision policing strategy” and its “relentless work targeting dangerous gangs and guns.”
Authorities said they hoped the latest crackdown would send a strong warning to other violent gangs operating in the region.
“Today's outcome sends a clear message: this type of violence will never be tolerated in New York,” FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle Jr. said.
“The FBI New York Safe Streets Task Force remains steadfast in our mission to dismantle violent gangs, protect the American public, and deliver justice for the victims.”
The defendants face the possibility of life imprisonment if convicted of racketeering conspiracy.
The charges remain allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.