Two Bronx Men Sentenced For 2014 Harlem Murder

 

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that CARLOS LAUREANO was sentenced on May 23, 2024, to 30 years in prison for the murder of Luis Perez on August 12, 2014, and NNANDI BEN-JOCHANNAN was sentenced to 10 years for his role in the murder.  LAUREANO and BEN-JOCHANNAN were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman.  LAUREANO previously pled guilty in October 2023 to discharging a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking offense and possessing a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking offense.  BEN-JOCHANNAN pled guilty in December 2023 to possessing a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking offense, which was brandished, and aiding and abetting the same.  

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Carlos Laureano and Nnandi Ben-Jochannan participated in the murder of Luis Perez nearly 10 years ago in connection with a drug debt.  Thanks to the hard work of the DEA, the NYPD, and the career prosecutors of this Office, the defendants have been sentenced for this heinous crime.  We hope that these sentences bring some measure of comfort to the family of Luis Perez and make clear that this Office and our law enforcement partners will continue to be relentless in our pursuit of anyone who takes another person’s life.” 

According to Indictment, the Superseding Informations, other public filings, and statements made in Court:   

On or about August 12, 2014, in the vicinity of 501 West 147th Street in Harlem, New York, LAUREANO shot and killed Perez in connection with a conspiracy to distribute heroin and marijuana.  BEN-JOCHANNAN drove LAUREANO to the scene of the murder, knowing that LAUREANO was armed with a firearm and served as LAUREANO’s getaway driver after the murder.  After successfully fleeing from the police, LAUREANO and BEN-JOCHANNAN cleaned BEN-JOCHANNAN’s car and disposed of evidence linking them to the murder. 

In addition to their prison terms, LAUREANO, 35, and BEN-JOCHANNAN, 30, both of the Bronx, New York, were sentenced to three and five years of supervised release, respectively.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the New York City Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.  He also thanked the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for its assistance.