Crime & Safety

Gang Leader Who Ordered Student Thefts Sentenced

Darius Michael Newman ordered young Bloods initiates to target Lehigh students for thefts.

 

A member of the Bloods gang who led an effort by younger gang members to target Lehigh University students for burglaries and robberies was sentenced to 3½ to 12 years in a state prison Friday, according to The Express-Times.

Darius Michael Newman, 22, of 538 Hayes St., Bethlehem, pleaded guilty to burglary, five counts of receiving stolen property and possession of marijuana in September. The sentencing was issued Friday by Northampton County Judge Michael Koury.

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According to police, Newman and gang initiates to steal from Lehigh students or suffer a “beatdown” as a consequence of failing to act.

The crimes put on a state of alert a year ago as students were warned not to walk around the neighborhood at night alone.

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Police seized a number of electronics items that had been stolen when they searched Newman’s house. Co-defendants in the case told police that they had orders to bring the items back to Newman who would take them for personal use or sell them to fund gang activity.

Officers also seized 16 bags of marijuana from Newman’s home.

According to The Morning Call, Newman told Koury that he had the drugs to make extra money.


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