Two Members of Jersey City Gang Indicted for Racketeering Conspiracy for Roles in Murder, Shooting, and Drug Trafficking

NEWARK, N.J. - Two members of the Jersey City gang associated with the Wilkinson neighborhood were charged by indictment with Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) conspiracy, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.

Kenneth Harrigan, aka "Kenny," aka "Kenny OGM," 27, and Darion Canary, aka "Goon," 31, both of Jersey City, New Jersey, are charged with a racketeering conspiracy that included a murder, a shooting, and narcotics distribution. Harrigan and Canary are both in federal custody on previously filed federal charges. Both had their initial appearances and arraignments on April 16, 2024, before the U.S. District Judge Julien X. Neals in Newark federal court and were detained.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Harrigan and Canary are both members and associates of the neighborhood street gang associated with the Wilkinson neighborhood. Since 2019, they have committed multiple acts of violence. On July 20, 2019, Harrigan, Canary, and at least one other gang member traveled to the territory of a rival gang in Jersey City and shot three victims, killing one of them.

On Jan. 1, 2024, Canary, along with other gang members, attended a night club in Newark where a rival gang member was performing. At the night club, Canary brandished a firearm and shot a rival gang member before fleeing the nightclub with his fellow gang members and returning to the Wilkinson neighborhood in Jersey City. At this time, Canary was staying at a halfway house as part of his sentencing on a related federal narcotics conviction.

Investigators observed and documented dozens of narcotics transactions in and around the Wilkinson neighborhood during the months-long investigation.

The investigation revealed that Harrigan and Canary were two of the highest ranking members of the Wilkinson neighborhood street gang and that Harrigan was a primary supplier of narcotics to the area.

In December 2021, Harrigan, Canary, and four other members and associates of the Wilkinson neighborhood street gang were charged by criminal complaint on drug trafficking offenses.

Harrigan and Canary face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for the racketeering conspiracy, as well as a maximum fine of $250,000.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited investigators of the Gang Intelligence Unit of the Major Case Division of the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Esther Suarez; investigators of the Jersey City Police Department, under the direction of Director James Shea; and special agents of Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge William S. Walker, with the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy.

This investigation was conducted as part of the Jersey City Violent Crime Initiative (VCI). The VCI was formed in 2018 by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey, the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office, and the Jersey City Police Department, for the sole purpose of combatting violent crime in and around Jersey City. As part of this partnership, federal, state, county, and city agencies collaborate to strategize and prioritize the prosecution of violent offenders who endanger the safety of the community. The VCI is composed of the U.S. Attorney's Office, the FBI, the ATF, the Department of Homeland Security (HSI), the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) New Jersey Division, the U.S. Marshals, the Jersey City Police Department, the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office, the Hudson County Sheriff's Office, New Jersey State Parole, the Hudson County Jail, and the New Jersey State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center/Real Time Crime Center.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kendall Randolph of the District of New Jersey's Organized Crime and Gangs Unit in Newark.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.