Lorenzo Carter, known as “Zo” and “Skiii,” has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for his role in a violent Bridgeport street gang. U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley handed down the sentence in Bridgeport, which also includes three years of supervised release.
The announcement was made by David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; Joseph T. Corradino, State’s Attorney for the Fairfield Judicial District; Bridgeport Police Chief Roderick Porter; P.J. O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Bryan DiGirolamo, Acting Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division; Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England; and Acting U.S. Marshal John Iverson.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Carter was a member of the Original North End (“O.N.E.”) gang based in Bridgeport’s Trumbull Gardens area. The gang engaged in violence against rival groups such as the East End gang, East Side gang, and PT Barnum gang. Members were involved in narcotics trafficking, robberies, car thefts both inside and outside Connecticut—often using stolen vehicles to commit crimes—and used social media to promote their activities.
In August 2018, O.N.E. members stole a Jeep Grand Cherokee from Newburgh, New York and brought it back to Bridgeport. They planned to use it against rivals but instead shot Len Smith on August 13 after mistaking him for an East End member and wounded his companion while they sat parked at Stratford and Union Avenues. Afterward, they burned the vehicle at Indian Well State Park in Shelton to destroy evidence.
O.N.E members posted videos online brandishing firearms and referencing violence against rivals who had been killed.
Carter has remained detained since May 21, 2021. He was convicted on November 21, 2023 after trial for racketeering conspiracy.
His criminal record includes previous state and federal firearm convictions including a 2016 sentence in New Haven federal court for unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
Authorities report that approximately 47 individuals linked to various Bridgeport gangs have been convicted through this investigation which has resolved eight murders and about twenty attempted murders.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including FBI’s Safe Streets and Violent Crimes Task Forces, ATF, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service along with several local police departments from Connecticut and New York as well as forensic support units.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen L. Peck, Jocelyn C. Kaoutzanis, Stephanie T. Levick and Rahul Kale prosecuted the case.
“This prosecution is part of Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), Project Longevity and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) programs.”
