U.S. Department
of Justice
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:
Homicides and Murders for Hire
- Maine Man Charged with Participation in a Murder-For-Hire Scheme: In March 2023, Hyunkook Korsiak was arrested for participating in a plot to commit murder for hire in Midtown Manhattan. Unbeknownst to Korsiak, he had plotted with undercover FBI agents and the intended victim was fictitious. The FBI began its investigation after the Bureau of Prisons intercepted communications Korsiak sent expressing his desire to kill a person for money. Upon his arrest, agents seized four firearms, a bullet resistant vest, hundreds of rounds of various caliber ammunition, a latex mask, rifle scopes, high-capacity magazines, and latex gloves. Korsiak pled guilty in April 2024 and will be sentenced in September 2024.
- Trinitarios Gang Member Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murdering a Confidential Informant: In May 2024, William Jones, a/k/a “Principe,” was sentenced to life in prison following his October 2023 conviction for participating in the Trinitarios racketeering conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, and firearms offenses. On December 28, 2019, Jones murdered Frederick Delacruz in Suffolk County, New York, because Jones and fellow gang members had learned that Delacruz was acting as a confidential informant for law enforcement. Jones was a high-ranking member of the Trinitarios gang, which has engaged in a pattern of murder, attempted murder, drug trafficking, fraud, and witness tampering and retaliation.
- Latin Kings Leader Sentenced to Life Plus Seven Years in Prison for the 2017 Murder of Joshua Flores: In October 2021, Jonathan Garcia, a/k/a “Jayo,” a leader in the violent Black Mob Tribe of the Latin Kings gang, was charged with the murder of Joshua Flores as well as racketeering, firearms, and narcotics offenses. On May 18, 2017, Garcia brought a firearm to a meeting with other Latin Kings members with whom he had been arguing and who intended to revoke Garcia’s membership in the Latin Kings. During the meeting, next to a park and playground in Queens, Garcia shot at gang members as they fled, killing Joshua Flores. Garcia was convicted at trial in June 2023 and sentenced to life plus seven years in prison in April 2024.
- 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 two brothers, Price Tunstall and Malik Tunstall, on August 31, 2021, and a non-fatal shooting of a 16-year-old on April 4, 2021. Both shootings occurred near the James Monroe Houses in the Bronx.
Violent Gangs and Racketeering Enterprises
- 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 23, 2013, murder of Michael Beltre and the November 17, 2013, murder of Rafael Alam.
- Prosecution of the Mac Ballers Gang: In October 2022, four members of the “Mac Ballers” subset of the national Bloods gang in the Bronx, New York, were charged with racketeering conspiracy, attempted murder, robbery, narcotics, and firearms offenses. In April 2024, Glenn Carwell, a/k/a “Tink,” was sentenced to 18 years in prison for these offenses, and Corey Batchelor, a/k/a “Corey Balla,” was sentenced to 52 months in prison. Charges against the remaining defendants are pending.
- Prosecution of the 59 Brims Gang: In February 2020, 18 members and leaders of the 59 Brims subset of the Bloods street gang were charged with racketeering, narcotics, and firearms offenses, including two murders and five attempted murders. Four additional members were later charged for their participation in the gang’s crimes. In April 2024, Willie Evans, a/k/a “Mills,” the former godfather of the gang, was sentenced to 20 years in prison, and all other 21 defendants have been convicted and sentenced for their participation in shootings, robberies, assaults, drug trafficking, and other crimes in connection with the 59 Brims.
- 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, and in March 2024, she was sentenced to 70 months in prison, based on her obstruction of a federal grand jury investigation into the Shooting Boys gang, including the investigation of a murder committed by gang member Andrew Done, a/k/a “Caballo.” For his part, Done pled guilty to the November 5, 2020, murder of Angel Barreiro, and in February 2023, he was sentenced to 35 years in prison. In 2022, the Office brought charges against 10 individuals for their roles in the “Shooting Boys” gang and an associated narcotics conspiracy.
- Bloods Gang Member Convicted for Violent and Extortionate Takeover of the New York City Fire Mitigation Industry: In February 2024, Jatiek Smith was convicted of racketeering and extortion conspiracies in connection with his leadership of the violent takeover of the New York City fire mitigation industry. Smith joined an EMS company, First Response, and recruited members of the Bloods gang to help him take control of the company. Smith and his associates used violence, threats of violence, and extortion to terrorize and dominate the fire restoration industry in New York City, ousting any competitors and imposing rules to favor First Response. In June 2024, Smith was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Shootings, Armed Robberies, and Firearms Trafficking
- Two Charged in Drug-Related Shooting on Bronx Street That Hit an 11-Month-Old Baby in the Face: In August 2023, Ahmed Altorei, a/k/a “AK,” and Samuel Bautista, a/k/a “Sammy,” were charged with distributing narcotics and carrying firearms in connection with a drug trafficking operation based on the Grand Concourse and East 198th Street in the Bronx, New York. In connection with those crimes, Altorei and Bautista were alleged to be involved in a street shooting on January 19, 2022, that targeted a rival drug dealer but resulted in an 11-month-old baby being shot in the face. The charges against Altorei and Bautista are pending.