Brooklyn Real Ryte gang members sentenced to over a decade in prison

June 26, 2024 Robert Abruzzese, Courthouse Editor

Semaj Smith, also known as "Bam Bam" and "Real Ryte Sport," 30, a member of the Real Ryte gang, sentenced to 132 months in prison for racketeering conspiracy and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of gang-related violence. Photos courtesy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York

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Three members of the Brooklyn-based Real Ryte gang, including their leader, have been sentenced to over a decade in federal prison for their involvement in violent racketeering offenses.

The sentences were handed down by U.S. District Judge Hector Gonzalez in federal court in Brooklyn on Monday.

Semaj Smith, also known as “Bam Bam” and “Real Ryte Sport,” received a sentence of 132 months for racketeering conspiracy and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Mark Waiters, also known as "Telly," 26, a member of the Real Ryte gang, sentenced to 149 months in prison for participating in violent acts as part of the gang's activities and involvement in a high-speed chase that resulted in the shooting of an innocent person. — Mark Waiters, also known as “Telly,” 26, a member of the Real Ryte gang, sentenced to 149 months in prison for participating in violent acts as part of the gang’s activities and involvement in a high-speed chase that resulted in the shooting of an innocent person.

His co-defendants, Dajahn McBean, also known as “Jeezy Mula,” the leader of Real Ryte, and Mark Waiters, also known as “Telly,” were sentenced to 150 months and 149 months, respectively.

The three had pleaded guilty to charges related to Real Ryte’s gang war with the Breadgang crew of the 5-9 Brims, a subset of the Bloods.

Dajahn McBean, also known as "Jeezy Mula," 28, the leader of the Brooklyn-based Real Ryte gang, sentenced to 150 months in prison for racketeering conspiracy and directing violent retaliations against rival gang members. — Dajahn McBean, also known as “Jeezy Mula,” 28, the leader of the Brooklyn-based Real Ryte gang, sentenced to 150 months in prison for racketeering conspiracy and directing violent retaliations against rival gang members.

“The defendants have dedicated themselves to committing violent crimes on behalf of their gang without any regard for endangering the public,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace. “We will not tolerate our communities being turned into scenes out of video games with gang warfare, reckless shootings and car chases.”

Real Ryte, known for its violent activities in Brooklyn, committed numerous crimes, including murder, assault, bank fraud and wire fraud, from 2015 to 2018. The gang was embroiled in a violent conflict with the Breadgang, resulting in a series of retaliatory shootings, including the murder of Real Ryte member Sean Peart by Breadgang member Marvin Pippins.

On January 3, 2017, in an attempt to retaliate for Peart’s murder, McBean directed Smith, Waiters, and another conspirator to locate and kill a Breadgang member in lower Manhattan. This led to a high-speed chase through Manhattan, where the defendants mistakenly shot and injured an innocent person before fleeing the scene.