NEWARK -- An associate of a violent city street gang admitted in federal court Tuesday to his role in the killing of a 32-year-old man during a home-invasion robber, authorities said.
Jahad Lemons, who authorities described as an associate of the Grape Street Crips gang, was one of five men who robbed three occupants of a Sanford Avenue apartment at gunpoint on Aug. 18, 2015, fatally shooting a man and wounding another, authorities said.
Lemons, 26, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark to charges of murder, robbery, robbery conspiracy and using a firearm during a crime of violence, according to a statement from the office of U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman.
Federal prosecutors say the men targeted the man because they believed he was a heroin trafficker who kept drugs and proceeds from drug sales in his home.
Lemons, Papayaw Mack and Aaron Terrell were initially charged by the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, but later indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2016.
The two other co-conspirators are mentioned in the federal indictment, but aren't named or charged.
Terrell was arrested by Newark police a week after the shooting, while Lemons was arrested two months later in Georgia.
Mack remains at large, authorities said.
Terrell is also facing racketeering charges under a separate federal indictment resulting from an investigation of the Grape Street Crips by the FBI, which first announced charges against 71 alleged members of the gang in May 2015.
Authorities have said gang members controlled sales of crack cocaine, cocaine and heroin in downtown Newark, using violence and intimidation to maintain control of their territory.
Lemons faces between 17 and 22 years in prison, with five years of supervised release, under the terms of the plea agreement, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. His sentencing has been scheduled for June 12, 2017.
Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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