Lorenzo Carter, also known as “Zo” and “Skiii,” was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison on Monday for his involvement with the Original North End (O.N.E.) gang in Bridgeport. U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley handed down the sentence, which includes three years of supervised release after imprisonment.
The announcement was made by David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; Joseph T. Corradino, State’s Attorney for the Fairfield Judicial District; Bridgeport Police Chief Roderick Porter; P.J. O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Bryan DiGirolamo, Acting Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division; Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England, and Acting U.S. Marshal John Iverson.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Carter was a member of O.N.E., a gang operating from Trumbull Gardens in Bridgeport that engaged in narcotics trafficking and violent crimes against rival gangs such as East End, East Side, and PT Barnum gangs. Authorities said O.N.E. members committed robberies and sold drugs both within Connecticut and outside its borders, often using stolen vehicles to carry out crimes and using social media to coordinate activities.
On August 9, 2018, members of O.N.E., including Carter, stole a Jeep Grand Cherokee in Newburgh, New York. They returned with it to Bridgeport where they planned an attack on rival gang members at a deli on Stratford Avenue after learning their location via social media. That plan did not materialize but on August 13, 2018, Carter and others drove the stolen vehicle to Stratford and Union Avenues where they shot Len Smith—mistakenly believed to be a rival—and seriously wounded Smith’s female companion while both were seated in a parked car. Afterward, Carter and others burned the Jeep at Indian Well State Park in Shelton to destroy evidence.
Investigators noted that O.N.E. members had posted videos online displaying firearms and referencing violence against rivals who had been killed.
Carter has been held since May 2021. He was convicted by jury on November 21, 2023 for racketeering conspiracy charges.
His criminal record includes prior state and federal convictions related to firearms offenses; he previously served time following a conviction for unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
Authorities reported that about 47 people connected with various Bridgeport gangs have been convicted federally as part of this ongoing investigation into local gang activity—an effort that has resolved eight murders and around twenty attempted murders so far.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including FBI Safe Streets Task Force teams along with ATF agents, DEA officers, U.S Marshals Service personnel as well as local police departments from across Connecticut and neighboring New York communities.
“This prosecution is part of the Justice Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), Project Longevity and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) programs.”
