Combatting Gun and Gang-Related Violence
The Office’s Violence and Organized Crime Unit as well as Prosecutors in the Office’s White Plains Division bring prosecutions focused on addressing gun and gang-related violence in communities within the Southern District of New York. These prosecutions, which often make use of the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (“RICO”), include the following:
- Prosecution of La Organizaion de Narcotraficantes Unidos: In April 2022, Julio Marquez-Alejandro, a/k/a “Chino” and Luis Blondet were convicted after a trial of racketeering conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, murder while engaged in a drug crime, and murder through the use of a firearm, relating to their participation in La Organization de Narcotraficantes Unidos, or La ONU, a criminal enterprise that engaged in dozens of murders, the bribery of corrupt police officers in Puerto Rico, and the distribution of thousands of kilograms of cocaine, including the shipment of cocaine from Puerto Rico to New York. Cocaine supplied by La ONU was distributed in New York City, including out of a children’s daycare center in the Bronx. In January 2023, Marquez-Alejandro was sentenced to life in prison, and Blondet was sentenced to 50 years in prison.
- Prosecution of Stevenson Commons Crew Member for Double Homicide and Shooting of 16-Year Old: In September 2023, Kai Johnson was sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to a racketeering conspiracy, among other offenses. Johnson, a member of a gang known as the Stevenson Commons Crew, was charged for his participation in the murders of Price Tunstall and Malik Tunstall in the vicinity of the James Monroe Houses in the Bronx on August 31, 2021, and a non-fatal shooting of a 16-year old in the vicinity of the James Monroe Houses in the Bronx on April 4, 2021.
- Prosecution of Sunset Trinitarios Leadership: In February 2023, Ediberto Santana, a/k/a “Flaco Veneno,” the longtime leader of the Sunset Trinitarios, was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to racketeering conspiracy that included the October 2013 murder of Michael Beltre and the November 17, 2013, murder of Rafael Alam.
- Prosecution of “Shooting Boys” Gang Members and Former NYPD Officer: In December 2023, former NYPD officer Gina Mestre pled guilty to accessory after the fact to murder, relating to Mestre’s alleged involvement in obstructing a federal grand jury investigation into the Shooting Boys gang and serving as an accessory after the fact to the murder of Angel Barreiro. The charges against Mestre followed charges the Office brought in 2022 against 10 individuals for their roles in the “Shooting Boys” gang and an associated narcotics conspiracy. Among other crimes, Andrew Done, a/k/a “Caballo” was charged with the November 5, 2020, murder of Angel Barreiro in the Bronx. Done pled guilty and was sentenced to 35 years in prison in February 2023. Mestre is scheduled to be sentenced on March 29, 2024.