Geoffrey S. Berman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that JAMES FELTON was sentenced today to life plus 75 years in prison for the June 11, 2016, murder of Marvin Harris, whom FELTON shot 13 times, and the December 11, 2016, murder of Jose Morales, whom FELTON shot in the head. FELTON’s sentence also encompassed his participation in a drug conspiracy and firearms offenses. FELTON was convicted on June 19, 2019, after a jury trial before U.S. District Judge William H. Pauley III, who imposed today’s sentence.
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “James Felton murdered two people in cold blood and attempted to murder two others. The sentence imposed today is a just punishment for a brutal, unrepentant killer. We thank our partners at Homeland Security Investigations and the New York City Police Department for their outstanding work on this case and for their dedication in bringing Felton to justice.”
According to the allegations in the Indictment and evidence at trial:
Between 2010 and 2017, FELTON was a member of a long-running narcotics conspiracy centered around 240 East 175th Street in the Bronx, New York, as well as a criminal enterprise consisting of members of his family and other associates. On June 11, 2016, at the corner of East 175th Street and Monroe Avenue, FELTON shot Marvin Harris 13 times after Harris insulted FELTON and challenged FELTON’s status within the drug territory. Six months later, at the corner of East 175th Street and Weeks Avenue, one block away from the scene of the Harris murder, FELTON shot rival drug dealer Edwin Romero four times, attempted to shoot Romero’s girlfriend, and shot Jose Morales in the head, killing him.
In addition to the prison term, FELTON, 50, of the Bronx, New York, was sentenced to five years of supervised release.
Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and the New York City Police Department.
