Update on Arraignment of Men in Connection with Carrying Firearms on I-95 Over Weekend

WAKEFIELD – The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and Massachusetts State Police have confirmed seven men were arraigned today in Malden District Court in connection with allegedly being in possession of improperly stored firearms without a license during an incident on interstate 95 in Wakefield this weekend. All defendants arraigned today by Judge Emily Karstetter in Malden District Court were ordered held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing scheduled for Friday, July 9, 2021. The prosecutor who handed today’s arraignment is Assistant District Attorney Graham Van Epps

Alban El Curraugh and John Doe 2 had their arraignments continued to tomorrow, July 7, 2021.

John Doe 1 was ordered held pending fingerprinting and positive identification. The next date in his case is Friday, July 9, 2021.

The juvenile will be arraigned at a later date

The defendants are identified as follows (two of the defendants continue to refuse to identify themselves),

  1. JAMHAL TAVON SANDERS LATIMER, a.k.a. JAMHAL TALIB ABDULLAH BEY, 29, of Providence, R.I.;
  2. ROBERT RODRIGUEZ, 21, of the Bronx, New York;
  3. WILFREDO HERNANDEZ, a.k.a. WILL MUSA, 23, of the Bronx, New York;
  4. ALBAN EL CURRAUGH, 27, of the Bronx, New York;
  5. AARON LAMONT JOHNSON, a.k.a. TARRIF SHARIF BEY, 29, of Detroit, Mich.;
  6. QUINN CUMBERLANDER, 40, of Pawtucket, R.I.;
  7. LAMAR DOW, 34, of the Bronx, New York;
  8. CONRAD PIERRE, 29, of Baldwin, New York;
  9. A male juvenile, age 17;
  10. John Doe #1, refusing to identify self;
  11. John Doe #2, refusing to identify self.

All defendants have been charged with:

  1. Unlawful possession of a firearm;
  2. Unlawful possession of ammunition;
  3. Use of body armor in commission of a crime;
  4. Possession of a large capacity weapon;
  5. Improper storage of firearms in a vehicle; and
  6. Conspiracy to commit a crime.

Additionally, Hernandez, Johnson, Dow, and the juvenile male are charged with furnishing a false name to police.

Based on the preliminary investigation all 11 males refer to themselves as a militia and state that they adhere to “Moorish Sovereign Ideology.” The group claimed that it was traveling from Rhode Island to Maine to conduct what it refers to as “training.” None of the men, who were dressed in military fatigues and body armor and were armed with long guns and pistols, has a license to carry firearms. The group was in possession of four pistols, a shotgun and four rifles, including three AR-15 style rifles in addition to thousands of rounds of ammunition. They were also in possession of binoculars and body armor.

This is an ongoing investigation being conducted by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, the State Police Crime Scene Services Section and State Police.