Fugitive Captured in Hampton Roads Sentenced to Prison

NORFOLK, Va. – A North Carolina man was sentenced today to five years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, in January 2018, witnesses allegedly saw Japree Lortez Brooks, 36, Ahoskie, shoot two people, killing one, outside a club in Gates, North Carolina. Brooks, who is a Bloods gang leader, fled the state and was arrested on a fugitive warrant hiding out in Hampton Roads in possession of a handgun that he had traded for the murder weapon. Brooks is a convicted felon and therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm. During his arrest, Brooks attempted to bribe several of the arresting officers, offering $100,000 to cut him loose. The bribe was recorded on one of the arresting officer’s body-worn cameras.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Robert Schurmeier, Director of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation; Martin Culbreth, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; and Larry D. Boone, Chief of Norfolk Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar. Assistant U.S. Attorney William B. Jackson prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:19-cr-139.