There are “Bad Barbies” in the Bronx, but they aren’t playing around.
The Feds busted 40 accused Bronx Trinitarios gang members — including the leader of the all-female “Bad Barbies” faction — charging them with a whopping nine murders and 24 attempted murders.
Maria Mejia, 24, was charged in connection with the gunning down of a rival gang member in 2005. The chubby 5-foot-3 defendant wore red knee-high boots and black nail polish to her arraignment Wednesday.
She pleaded not guilty and was ordered held without bail.
“We weren’t surprised to learn that the Trinitarios were up to no good in the Bronx,” NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly said Wednesday. “But the Bad Barbies? Who knew? Maybe it’s a sign of the times that gender is no bar when it comes to murder, robbery and other crimes.”
Meanwhile, Brooklyn authorities smashed up a Bushwick gang Wednesday, collaring 41 alleged members on charges that include murder and attempted murder.
The True Bosses Only crew collected dues from members during weekly meetings that were used to pay bail and buy weapons and buy credit at the Rikers commissary, authorities said.
The Brooklyn bust came after a detective friended 24 of the alleged gangsters on Facebook, Kelly said. Some True Bosses Only members are as young as 12.
Authorities said 14 of the 40 accused Bronx Trinitarios were already in federal custody on previous charges, while 26 were new defendants. The feds have nabbed 119 alleged Manhattan and Bronx Trinitarios since 2009.
Mejia was the only woman charged Wednesday for her involvement in the Dec. 11, 2005 murder of 20-year-old Dominicans-Don’t-Play gang member Miguel Perez. But the alleged femme fatale is one of about 100 women who run with the Bronx Trinitarios, Kelly said.
“The violence among men and women alike is frequently directed at rival gangs including the Crips and Dominicans-Don’t-Play,” he said.
Meijia and other Trinitarios charged with murder could face the death penalty if convicted.
Outside court, her sister said Mejia is not a Bad Barbie.
“She’s taking care of my sick mother,” the sister said. “It’s not true she’s in a gang.”
The Trinitarios takedown was part of “Operation Patria,” a long-term effort by the Feds and local cops to break up the notorious gang, authorities said.
More than half of 50 accused Bronx gangsters charged in 2011 and all but three of 43 Manhattan goons nabbed in 2009 and 2010 have already copped pleas.
The effort is “paying off,” with Bronx shooting incidents and victims down 6% from last year and murders down 23%, Kelly said.
The new charges unsealed Wednesday include narcotics conspiracy and firearms offenses in addition to the murder counts.
“These charges remind us that the gangs of New York are alive and well, but we are dedicated to extinguishing them one by one,” said Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, calling the Trinitarios an “endangered species.”
