Vermont Man Sentenced To 24 Years In Prison For Murder In Lower Manhattan

Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that FRANK JENKINS was sentenced today 24 years in prison for shooting and killing Rashaun Nicholson on December 28, 2014, in furtherance of a narcotics distribution conspiracy.  JENKINS pled guilty on February 14, 2017, before U.S. District Judge John G. Koeltl, who imposed today’s sentence.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “Frank Jenkins murdered Rashaun Nicholson while operating a New York-to-Vermont drug trafficking network, and it is fitting that he will be sentenced just a few short blocks from where he committed that terrible crime.  We thank our law enforcement partners, both in New York and in Vermont, for their tireless efforts to bring Jenkins to justice.”

As alleged in the charging document, other documents previously filed in Manhattan federal court, and in statements made during court proceedings:

On December 28, 2014, in furtherance of a narcotics trafficking conspiracy, JENKINS shot and killed Rashaun Nicholson in the vicinity of 78 Catherine Street, New York, New York.  The conspiracy involved the sale of crack cocaine, heroin, and marijuana.  Specifically, between 2014 and 2015, JENKINS, together with other members of the conspiracy, obtained crack cocaine and heroin from locations in New York City, including Manhattan and the Bronx, and then transported the crack and heroin to Vermont, for distribution in and around Bennington, Vermont.

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In addition to the prison term, JENKINS, 24, of Bennington, Vermont, was sentenced to five years of supervised release. 

Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the New York City Police Department, the United States Marshals, the Vermont State Police, and the Bennington Police Department.  Mr. Berman also thanked the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont for its assistance.

This case is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hadassa Waxman, Michael Gerber, Andrew Adams, and Margaret Graham are in charge of the prosecution.