“2fly” Gang Leader Pleads Guilty To Racketeering And Firearms Charges

   Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that LAQUAN PARRISH, a/k/a “MadDog,” a/k/a “Quanzaa,” pled guilty today to racketeering and firearms charges in connection with his leadership of the “2Fly YGz” (“2Fly”) gang, a violent street gang that operated in and around the Eastchester Gardens public housing development (“ECG”) in the Bronx. As part of his guilty plea, PARRISH admitted his involvement in a shootout with rival gang members on August 7, 2012, during which three victims – including a 14-year-old girl caught in the crossfire – were shot in a Bronx park. PARRISH faces a maximum term of life in prison, and will be sentenced before United States District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan on May 10, 2017, at 3:00 p.m.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “For far too long, Laquan Parrish and his cohorts with the 2Fly street gang terrorized the Bronx with violence, robberies, and drug dealing. Today’s guilty plea by one of 2Fly’s leaders, Laquan Parrish, to federal firearms and racketeering charges, including an admission to a shootout in which a 14-year old girl and two others were shot in a Bronx park, makes the community around Eastchester Gardens safer. That is why we bring these cases – to make our neighborhoods free from gang violence and drugs – and that is what today’s plea helped achieve.”

According to the Indictment and other documents filed in the case, as well as statements made during the plea proceedings:

PARRISH was a leader of 2Fly, a subset of the “Young Gunnaz,” or “YGz” street gang, which operates throughout New York City. 2Fly is based in the Bronx, within and around ECG and in an area called the “Valley” or the “V,” which is in the vicinity of Gun Hill Road. ECG is a rectangular complex of residential buildings bordered by Burke, Adee, Yates, and Bouck Avenues, in the middle of which is a playground. The gang war between 2Fly and rival street gangs has led to an enormous amount of fatal and non-fatal violence between 2007 and 2016 in the Northern Bronx, including shootings, stabbings, slashings, beatings, and robberies. Members and associates of 2Fly controlled the narcotics trade at ECG, which took place in the open air at the playground and in apartments at ECG. 2Fly primarily sold marijuana and crack cocaine, but also sold powder cocaine and prescription pills, such as oxycodone. 2Fly members and associates stored guns at the playground or in nearby apartments or cars in order to protect the narcotics business and for protection against rival gangs.

As part of his involvement in 2Fly, PARRISH participated with other 2Fly members in a shootout with rival gang members on August 7, 2012, in a public park in the Bronx. Three victims were shot, including a 14-year-old girl caught in the crossfire.

PARRISH was arrested in this case as a result of a multi-year investigation by the New York City Police Department’s Bronx Gang Squad (the “Bronx Gang Squad”), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Violent Gang Unit (“HSI”), the New York Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), and the Joint Firearms Task Force of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”) into gang violence in the Northern Bronx. On April 27, 2016, the Indictment was unsealed, charging 57 members and associates of 2Fly with racketeering conspiracy, narcotics conspiracy, narcotics distribution, and/or firearms charges. To date, 42 of these defendants have pled guilty.

PARRISH, 27, of the Bronx, New York, was brought from state custody into federal custody on April 27, 2016. PARRISH pled guilty today to one count of racketeering conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, and one count of firearms possession, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison. The mandatory minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Bharara praised the outstanding work of the NYPD’s Bronx Gang Squad, HSI, DEA, and ATF.

Statement Of U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara On The Conviction Of Arizona Man Charged With Providing Material Support To ISIS

   “Once again, we have shown that terrorists and terrorist enablers can be brought to justice fairly, openly, and swiftly in the crown jewel of our justice system -- civilian courts. Today, a jury in federal court in Manhattan convicted Ahmed Mohammed El Gammal of material support of terrorism. To grow their brand of hate-filled violence and radicalization, terrorist organizations like ISIS need facilitators and promoters around the world. And the jury found today that Ahmed Mohammed El Gammal was one such terrorist facilitator. An Ambassador for ISIS right here in America, El Gammal actively touted and glamorized ISIS online, ultimately recruiting and helping a New York college student travel to an ISIS camp in Syria for military training. That New Yorker died waging jihad, and for El Gammal’s active role in sending him down that trail to terror, he now stands convicted of federal terrorism crimes.”

Arizona Man Convicted In Manhattan Federal Court For Material Support To ISIS

Ahmed Mohammed El Gammal Helped Samy El-Goarany Travel from New York City to Syria, where El-Goarany Joined, Trained with, and Died Fighting for ISIS

  Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that AHMED MOHAMMED EL GAMMAL, a resident of Arizona, was convicted today of multiple terrorism offenses in connection with his efforts to help Samy El-Goarany join and train with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, a/k/a the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, a/k/a the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (“ISIS”), a designated foreign terrorist organization. EL GAMMAL was convicted of providing and conspiring to provide material support to ISIS, aiding and abetting the receipt of military-type training from ISIS, and conspiring to receive such training. EL GAMMAL was convicted following a three-week jury trial presided over by U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “Once again, we have shown that terrorists and terrorist enablers can be brought to justice fairly, openly, and swiftly in the crown jewel of our justice system – civilian courts. Today, a jury in federal court in Manhattan convicted Ahmed Mohammed El Gammal of material support of terrorism. To grow their brand of hate-filled violence and radicalization, terrorist organizations like ISIS need facilitators and promoters around the world. And the jury found today that Ahmed Mohammed El Gammal was one such terrorist facilitator. An Ambassador for ISIS right here in America, El Gammal actively touted and glamorized ISIS online, ultimately recruiting and helping a New York college student travel to an ISIS camp in Syria for military training. That New Yorker died waging jihad, and for El Gammal’s active role in sending him down that trail to terror, he now stands convicted of federal terrorism crimes.”

According to documents publicly filed in this case and evidence presented at trial:

Beginning in at least April 2014, EL GAMMAL was an outspoken supporter on social media of ISIS and ISIS’s Caliphate, or Islamic government, in Syria. Among other things, EL GAMMAL announced that he was with “[t]he State of Iraq and the Levant,” referring to ISIS; celebrated ISIS’s achievements in battle and announcement of the establishment of a Caliphate; proclaimed that he “support[s] jihad everywhere”; and declared that “[b]eheadings have a magical effect.” EL GAMMAL additionally announced that “[i]f Daesh [i.e., ISIS] gets to Egypt, I will go join them, so I can torture the Egyptians, and whip them.”

As of at least August 2014, a 24-year-old New York City resident named Samy El-Goarany began to express his support for ISIS on social media as well. On August 14, 2014, El-Goarany heard that EL GAMMAL had made comments supportive of ISIS. Minutes later, El-Goarany contacted EL GAMMAL and they communicated via an encrypted communications platform. Less than an hour after this online conversation, EL GAMMAL sent El-Goarany a documentary on life in the Islamic State that outlined the type of training ISIS provides. Over the next several months, EL GAMMAL and El-Goarany continued corresponding over the Internet, although EL GAMMAL and El-Goarany deleted almost all of these exchanges.

In the midst of these communications, in October 2014, EL GAMMAL traveled to New York City, where El-Goarany was enrolled in college, and met with El-Goarany. During this October 2014 trip, EL GAMMAL provided El-Goarany with the phone number for EL GAMMAL’s contact in Turkey, Ateia Aboualala, who would be responsible for helping El-Goarany travel from Turkey across the border to ISIS in Syria. While in New York City, EL GAMMAL also contacted Aboualala in Turkey regarding El-Goarany’s plans to travel. EL GAMMAL later provided El-Goarany with social media contact information for Aboualala. Thereafter, in a coded conversation, EL GAMMAL assured Aboualala that he had vetted El-Goarany and El-Goarany could be trusted.

In late January 2015, El-Goarany left New York City for Istanbul, Turkey. Upon arriving in Turkey, El-Goarany immediately reached out to Aboualala. While El-Goarany was in Turkey, EL GAMMAL continued to communicate with El-Goarany over the Internet, providing advice on traveling toward Syria and on meeting with Aboualala. After arriving in Syria, El-Goarany received religious training and advanced military-type training from ISIS throughout 2015. On May 7, 2015, in the midst of his training with ISIS, El-Goarany reported to EL GAMMAL that “everything [was] going according to plan.” A few months later, on July 16, 2015, El-Goarany wrote to EL GAMMAL: “Life has changed a lot for me at this new job but I love it and I don’t regret taking up the offer,” and “May God reward you with goodness,” to which EL GAMMAL responded, “Great.”

In May 2015, El-Goarany’s father traveled to Turkey and met with Aboualala, in an attempt to locate his son. Upon learning of this, EL GAMMAL instructed Aboualala, “Don’t ever ever mention me. Not even my name[,]” and urged Aboualala not to meet with El-Goarany’s father. On May 5, 2015, Aboualala reported back to EL GAMMAL, assuring EL GAMMAL that, when Aboualala met up with El-Goarany’s father, “I covered up for you.”

In coded messages in mid-2015, EL GAMMAL reached out to El-Goarany to inquire about the possibility of his (EL GAMMAL’s) traveling to ISIS in Syria. On July 13, 2015, El-Goarany, again in a coded message, responded that he needed to ask his “supervisors at work first,” but commented that “it’s risky because the parking lot these days is going under a lot of renovation, especially in the north side,” alluding to military operations occurring in northern Syria at the time.

On November 23, 2015, El-Goarany’s brother received a message from a member of ISIS with an attached letter from El-Goarany. The letter read: “if you’re reading this then know that I’ve been killed in battle and am now with our Lord, inshaAllah. Remember what I told you . . . we will win this war one day, this war between Iman (Belief) and Kufr (Disbelief) between Good and Evil. . . .”

EL GAMMAL, 44, of Avondale, Arizona, was convicted of one count of providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and one count of conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; one count of receiving military-type training from a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a mandatory sentence of 10 years in prison or a fine; and one count of conspiring to receive military-type training from a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by Judge Ramos. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

Mr. Bharara praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (“FBI”) New York Joint Terrorism Task Force – which principally consists of agents from the FBI and detectives from the New York City Police Department. Mr. Bharara also thanked the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, and the Phoenix Field Office of the FBI for their assistance.

New York Man Found Guilty On Narcotics Trafficking Charges

  Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that STEVEN WILLIAMS was found guilty Friday of conspiring to distribute kilogram quantities of heroin and cocaine. WILLIAMS was convicted after a one-week jury trial before U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “As the jury swiftly found, Steven Williams used his music business as a front to traffic in massive quantities of cocaine and heroin. For pumping 100 kilograms of cocaine and more than 40 kilograms of heroin into New York City streets, Williams now stands convicted of federal narcotics conspiracy.”

According to the evidence introduced at trial, other proceedings in this case, and documents previously filed in Manhattan federal court:

Between 2009 and August 2015, WILLIAMS conspired with others to traffic in excess of 100 kilograms of cocaine and 40 kilograms of heroin from California to New York. WILLIAMS held himself out to be in the music business, and used his music business as a front to ship multi-kilogram quantities of heroin and cocaine across the country via industrial freight shipping companies, with heroin and cocaine hidden in speakers, amplifiers, and copy machines.

WILLIAMS, 46, of New York, faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, and a maximum sentence of life in prison. The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled before Judge Schofield.

Mr. Bharara praised the outstanding investigative work of the DEA’s New York Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Strike Force, which comprises agents and officers of the DEA, the New York City Police Department, Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the New York State Police, the U. S. Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Marshal Service, New York National Guard, the New York Department of Taxation and Finance, the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office, the Clarkstown Police Department, the Port Washington Police Department, and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. The Strike Force is partially funded by the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), which is a federally funded crime fighting initiative.

A.G. Schneiderman Announces $20K Agreement With Pet Store Chain Owner Who Abused Animals And Falsified Documents To Make Them Appear Healthy Enough To Sell

Richard Doyle Performed Surgery Without Veterinary Training; Falsified Documents In Order To Sell Sick Dogs To Unsuspecting Consumers; Left Sick Animals To Die

Doyle Barred From Dealing Pets; Will Pay $20K In Fees And Penalties

Schneiderman: Shutting Down Abusive Operations Like This Sends The Message That This Disturbing Behavior Won't Be Tolerated

   Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced that pet store owner Richard Doyle has entered into an agreement with the Attorney General’s office permanently barring him from working as a pet dealer and imposing significant fines and penalties for repeated animal cruelty.

Doyle owned and operated three retail pet stores in Westchester and the Hudson Valley:  American Breeders, Inc. in Wappingers Falls, NY; Puppies and Kittens in Mohegan Lake, NY; and Best Breeds, Inc. in Larchmont, NY.  The Office of the Attorney General initiated an investigation into Doyle’s businesses in 2015 after receiving numerous complaints from consumers who purchased pets from Doyle’s stores only to discover shortly after purchase that the animals were sick.

Despite Doyle’s certification that his pets were healthy and free of disease, consumers reported that their own veterinarians found the animals to be suffering from serious health conditions such as parvo, giardiasis, pneumonia, intestinal parasites and kennel cough. In addition, the investigation revealed that Doyle falsified the names and license numbers of his suppliers in order to make it appear as though he purchased animals from reputable sources.

“By shutting down stores that mistreat animals – and sell sick animals - we can help ensure that consumers are purchasing healthy pets, while protecting the animals themselves from those who break the law to turn a profit,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “Disturbing cases like these reaffirm my commitment to encouraging those in search of a new pet to adopt from a local shelter, rather than purchasing an animal. This gives an animal in need a home, and gives the consumer the peace of mind that they are receiving a healthy pet.”

The Attorney General’s investigation also uncovered a number of disturbing practices carried out by Doyle and his staff in an effort to make sick animals appear healthy and maximize sales. For example, it was found that Doyle – who is not a veterinarian, regularly performed surgery on animals in the back rooms of his stores. Doyle also ordered high school aged employees to routinely administer injectable medications and intravenous fluids to mask rather than cure diseases and infections in sick animals. Doyle would then lie or ask his young employees to lie to the inspecting veterinarians regarding the illnesses so the veterinarians would not mark the animals unfit for sale. These procedures were not carried out in a sanitary environment and there was no veterinarian supervision or approval. Syringes were re-used and pre and post-operative infection control was not practiced.  In some cases, when Doyle was unable to “cure” an animal himself, he let the sick animal suffer and, in some cases left it to die, rather than paying for routine veterinary care.   

This investigation is the latest in the Attorney General’s ongoing Animal Protection Initiative, which launched in May 2013. The initiative seeks to help consumers and animals alike by cracking down on animal cruelty, shutting down criminal animal fighting rings and bringing to justice those who unscrupulously sell animals to unsuspecting consumers. The Initiative is comprised of Investigators and Assistant Attorneys General from around the state, the OAG's Regional Offices, the Consumer Fraud Bureau, the Criminal Enforcement and Financial Crimes Bureau, the Organized Crime Task Force and the Investigations Bureau.

Per the terms of the voluntary agreement, Richard Doyle is permanently barred from operating a pet sales business and must surrender all licenses relative to the sale of animals. Furthermore, he is required to pay $15,000 in restitution which will be distributed to the consumers who purchased sick animals from his stores and $5,000 in penalties and costs to the state.   

The Attorney General urges those interested in bringing home a dog or cat to adopt, not shop for their new best friend. By adopting from a local SPCA or shelter, an animal in need gets a home, and space and resources are freed up for the facility to take in more homeless dogs. In turn, the new owner can ensure that they are receiving a healthy pet, as these dogs have been fully vetted, immunized and given a clean bill of health. 

A.G. Schneiderman and 15 Other State A.G.'s Condemn President Trump's Un-American Executive Order, Vow Action

Joint Statement Issued By A.G.'s Of NY, CA, PA, WA, MA, HI, VA, OR, DC, CT, VT, IL, NM, IA, ME & MD

“As the chief legal officers for over 130 million Americans and foreign residents of our states, we condemn President Trump's unconstitutional, un-American and unlawful Executive Order and will work together to ensure the federal government obeys the Constitution, respects our history as a nation of immigrants, and does not unlawfully target anyone because of their national origin or faith.

Religious liberty has been, and always will be, a bedrock principle of our country and no president can change that truth.

Yesterday, multiple federal courts ordered a stay of the Administration’s dangerous Executive Order. We applaud those decisions and will use all of the tools of our offices to fight this unconstitutional order and preserve our nation’s national security and core values.

We are confident that the Executive Order will ultimately be struck down by the courts. In the meantime, we are committed to working to ensure that as few people as possible suffer from the chaotic situation that it has created.”

NYPD SERGEANT CONVICTED OF RAPE OF 13-YEAR-OLD GIRL

Defendant Found Guilty of Abusing Girlfriend’s Daughter Three Times 

  Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a New York City Police Department sergeant has been convicted by a jury of raping and sexually abusing a 13-year old girl, who was his then-girlfriend’s daughter. 

District Attorney Clark said “The defendant horrifically abused the trust of this family and engaged in sexual acts with a child. He now faces prison time for his depravity and I hope his conviction reinforces the message that we do not stop until we get justice for the most vulnerable of victims.” 

District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Vladimir Krull, 39, a NYPD Sergeant in the Midtown North Precinct in Manhattan, was convicted today after a four-week trial before Acting Bronx Supreme Court Justice Lester B. Adler. After five days of deliberations, a jury found Krull guilty of two counts of second-degree Rape, two counts of second-degree Criminal Sexual Act, three counts of second-degree Sexual Abuse and one count of Endangering the Welfare of a Child involving three incidents. He faces up to 7 years in prison for each incident when he is sentenced on March 6, 2017.

 

According to trial testimony, Krull was involved with the victim’s mother for two years. His abuse of the teen started in September 2013, when he kissed her on the mouth. The abuse escalated and the defendant was found guilty of having sexual intercourse with her on two separate occasions, once at her residence and another time in his vehicle. The jury also found him guilty of a third incident, in June 2014, when he directed the teen to perform oral sex on him in his vehicle after a Father/Daughter breakfast for her eighth grade class.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Astrid Borgstedt, Trial Counsel with the Child Abuse/ Sex Crimes Bureau and Nancy Strohmeyer of the Public Integrity Bureau, under the supervision of Joseph Muroff, Chief of the Special Victims Division. District Attorney Clark thanked Ana Pimentel of the Crime Victims Assistance Unit, Amy Pumo of the Center for Court Innovation and the NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau.  

Independent Democratic Conference Announces Immigrant Defense Coalition

After the Trump administration issued an un-American executive order and ramped up anti-immigration rhetoric and policies, the New York Senate Independent Democratic Conference announced a major initiative to protect immigrant communities across New York State.

Starting immediately, the IDC’s new Immigrant Defense Coalition will operate out of each member’s district office to provide legal services, resources and any assistance to immigrants and their families.

The new service in each of the eight offices represents real action and help for New Yorkers on a day when other Senate Democrats took a soft, indirect approach of attaching hostile amendments to Senate resolutions in protest.

“President Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric came to life this weekend through his un-American executive order banning immigrants from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States and through his demonization of Mexicans with renewed vigor and plans to build a wall on our border. This level of intolerance starkly contrasts with the core values of our nation, one which has always embraced those who seek refuge here. All eight members of the Independent Democratic Conference will create the ‘Immigrant Defense Coalition’ to protect and defend immigrants in New York. Our offices will each offer services to immigrants who need assistance during this troubling time. Already, the IDC provided the Vera Institute of Justice’s New York Immigrant Family Unity Project with $250,000 to provide legal assistance to immigrants facing deportation, and this year the IDC will prioritize funding for other groups that provide similar services to immigrants in New York,” said IDC Leader Jeff Klein.

“It is against our country’s values to slam the door shut on immigrants seeking refuge. Our doors will be open to serve any immigrants who need help during this frightening time,” said IDC Deputy Leader David Valesky.

“The president’s executive order is antithetical to our nation’s values and we will not stand for it. I fight against the anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies coming out of Washington and protect my district which is one of the most diverse places in New York City. My door will be open to help each and every person who needs a hand because that is the spirit of this country,” said Senator Jose Peralta.

“On inauguration day I protested President Trump for his anti-immigrant rhetoric and was arrested. Now, his words are a real threat to the people I represent and these dangerous policies will not be tolerated. I came to this country as an immigrant and I will always protect the rights of those who seek refuge here. My district will be impacted by these anti-immigrant policies and I will keep my door open to protect residents. I will fight to the end to make sure that we protect the rights of everyone who seeks to be an American,” said Senator Marisol Alcantara.

“The executive actions on immigration taken by the Trump administration are unacceptable and un-American.  This country was built on the backs of immigrants who came here looking for a better life for them and their families, many of them fleeing persecution. I will continue to fight to fund programs that aid immigrants and ensure that any person who needs help or resources knows that my office door is open to assist them,” said Senator Tony Avella.

“Providing important services is taking action directly to community members who are affected by the president’s executive orders. I am proud to take these important steps towards protecting immigrant New Yorkers and I look forward to continuing to find innovative ways towards combatting these destructive actions from the President,” said Senator David Carlucci.

“Over the weekend I joined protests at JFK that erupted after the impact of President Trump’s executive orders were first seen. I felt outrage that our country, the land of the free, was not letting people in. It is incredibly important that immigrants know that there are resources available to them and I am immensely proud of the leadership of the IDC to create this coalition to bring them directly to our communities,” said Senator Jesse Hamilton.

“The administration’s poorly-written and hastily implemented executive order has caused confusion in regard to immigrants’ rights. My door is open to help everyone in my district,” said Senator Diane Savino.

Key elements of the Immigration Defense Coalition include the establishment of a toll-free number for those seeking assistance for themselves or those they know.

IDC member’s district offices will provide legal services from partner immigration organizations to assist immigrants one-on-one with immigration related issues such as visa, green cards, deportation and questions on the impacts of the President Trump’s immigration related executive orders. In addition, the IDC will again in this year’s budget prioritize funding for immigration groups that provide necessary services for New Yorkers.

Each IDC member will also hold a “Know Your Rights” workshop in their respective districts on the same day so that community members know the services that they are providing and that their Senate offices are a place to find help.