The 57-count indictment comes after a multi-year investigation by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office and other local and federal agencies into the "48 Gang" in the Town of Riverhead. The investigation alleges that 18 members and associates were part of a violent criminal street organization operating primarily in the area. The alleged gang used violence to establish "geographical dominance" over the Riverhead area and funded their activities through armed robberies, firearms sales, narcotics sales, and financial frauds. The indictment also includes 16 defendants charged in a long-term conspiracy to illegally possess weapons, eight in long-time conspiracy to commit murder, and 11 in a conspiracy to conduct armed robberies. The defendants are accused of using violence as a means of establishing "geographic dominance".