Audrey Strauss, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Dermot Shea, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), and Peter C. Fitzhugh, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), announced the unsealing of a Superseding Indictment charging three members of the 59 Brims gang with racketeering, narcotics, and firearms offenses.
Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “As alleged, Robert Baley, Augustus Ingram, and Quaveon Ross participated in the activities of a violent gang, conspired to sell significant quantities of heroin, fentanyl, and crack cocaine, and unlawfully possessed firearms. Now they face significant charges in federal court. We commend our partners at the NYPD and HSI for their outstanding work on this ongoing investigation. This Office, working with our law enforcement partners, continues its efforts to prosecute gun violence in New York City.”
NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said: “Gang violence puts all of us in peril – not simply the vicious gang members. I commend our NYPD detectives and our law enforcement partners for using all of our lawful tools to ensure that the New Yorkers we serve can live free from the threat of it.”
HSI Special Agent-in-Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh said: “HSI and NYPD continue to relentlessly dismantle violent gangs in the New York Metro area. The gangsters we take off the street are responsible for numerous murders, deadly drug distribution, and senseless violence throughout our communities. As alleged, we cut the 59 Brims at their roots, arresting the ‘Godfather’ of New York. This was the culmination of the systematic and successful indictment of the entire 59 Brims’ top leadership across all 5 boroughs. Our agents and officers have done outstanding work during the course of this investigation and I applaud their tireless commitment to public safety.”
As alleged in the Superseding Indictment unsealed today in Manhattan federal court[1]:
ROBERT BALEY, a/k/a “Dead Eye,” AUGUSTUS INGRAM, a/k/a “Elevator,” and QUAVEON ROSS, a/k/a “Bullet,” are members of the 59 Brims gang, a criminal organization whose members engaged in, among other activities, acts involving murder, robbery, fraud, and the distribution of controlled substances.
The 59 Brims operate in and around Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn, New York. Members of the 59 Brims engaged in a series of violent disputes with rivals of the 59 Brims, including those within the 59 Brims who were deemed disloyal. During these disputes, members and associates of the 59 Brims committed multiple murders, shootings, robberies, and assaults against their rivals and against fellow members of the 59 Brims. Members of the 59 Brims sold heroin, fentanyl, crack cocaine, and marijuana, and committed, or attempted to commit, acts of violence to protect and expand their narcotics business.
Today’s Superseding Indictment follows initial charges brought in February 2020 against 18 members and associates of the 59 Brims gang, who were charged with racketeering, narcotics, and firearms offenses, including murder and attempted murder.
BALEY, 43, of Brooklyn, New York, was arrested on October 15, 2020, in Scranton, Pennsylvania. INGRAM, 49, of New York, New York, was arrested on October 14, 2020, in New York, New York. ROSS, 23, of New York, New York, remains at large. This case is assigned to United States District Judge George B. Daniels.
A chart containing the charges and maximum penalties for the defendants is set forth below. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.
Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding investigative work of the NYPD and HSI. Ms. Strauss also praised the New York City Department of Correction, Correction Intelligence Bureau, and the Bronx District Attorney’s Office for their assistance in the investigation. Ms. Strauss also thanked the Pennsylvania State Police - Bureau of Criminal Investigations - North East and South Central Drug Enforcement Divisions and Blooming Grove Barracks for their assistance in the arrest of Baley.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Michael D. Longyear, Jacob Warren, Adam S. Hobson, and Peter J. Davis are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Superseding Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
| | MAX. TERM OF IMPRISONMENT |
Count One: Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering (18 U.S.C. § 1962(d)) | | |
Count Two: Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances (21 U.S.C. § 846) | | Life imprisonment; Mandatory Minimum Sentence of 10 years |
Count Three: Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime (18 U.S.C. §§ 924(c)(1)(A)(i) and 2) | | Life Imprisonment; Mandatory Minimum Sentence of 5 years |
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Superseding Indictment and the description of the Superseding Indictment set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
