A former Connecticut gang member has been sentenced to life in prison after being indicted on dozens of charges, officials said.
Julian Scott, 26, was sentenced Friday in Bridgeport to life in prison, and a mandatory consecutive term of 30 years, for his involvement in the 960 gang, a violent Waterbury street gang, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Connecticut.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in an effort to address drug trafficking and related violence in Waterbury, the FBI, ATF, and Waterbury police have been investigating the 960 gang. On Sept. 14, 2021, a federal grand jury in Hartford returned a 36-count indictment charging Scott, Gabriel Pulliam, and 14 other 960 gang members with several offenses including racketeering, murder, attempted murder and assault, firearm possession, narcotics trafficking, and obstruction of justice.
According to the evidence presented during Scott and Pulliam’s trial, it was found the pair committed several acts of violence around Waterbury, including participating in a drive-by shooting that killed 30-year-old Fransua Guzman, a mother with four children, in 2018.
On Oct. 6, 2018, in a drive-by shooting in the area of Bank Street and Porter Street, Scott and other gang members reportedly attempted to murder individuals believed to be members of a rival gang, which resulted in gunshot wounds to an innocent bystander. Just days later, on Oct. 11, 2018, in an effort to murder rival gang members in retaliation for the murder of a fellow 960 member, Scott, Pulliam, and other 960 members shot into a crowd of people and killed an innocent bystander, 30-year-old Fransua Guzman, and paralyzed a second victim.
On Nov. 18, 2018, Scott and other gang members participated in a drive-by shooting of rival gang members in the area of Bank Street and Porter Street, which resulted in gunshot wounds to two individuals.
Scott has been detained since his arrest on state charges on May 23, 2019, according to police.
On May 10, 2024, a federal jury found Scott and Pulliam guilty of conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity, murder in violation of the violent crimes in aid of racketeering statute, causing death through the use of a firearm and in relation to a crime of violence, attempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, and carrying and using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Pulliam was also found guilty of conspiracy to possess, with intent to distribute, and to distribute, controlled substances.
On Nov. 5, 2025, Pulliam was sentenced to life in prison and a mandatory 10-year consecutive term in prison.
This investigation also helped identify at least 10 violent acts committed by 960 members in 2017 and 2018. All 16 individuals charged have been convicted and sentenced, officials say. In addition to Scott and Pulliam, Zaekwon McDaniel, Tahjay Love, and Malik Bayon have all received life sentences.
Stephen Underwood can be reached at [email protected]