FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
East New York Gang Member Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison
For Gun-Point Robbery of a Bodega
Masked Defendant Left Fingerprint when Jumping over a Counter;
Acted with Two Others who Took Part in String of Convenience Store Robberies
Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a 26-year-old man from East New York, Brooklyn was sentenced to 17 years in prison for participating in a gun-point robbery of a bodega – part of a string of similar robberies of stores.
District Attorney Thompson said, “This defendant tried to hide his identity during an armed robbery, in which he terrorized hard-working employees. But we proved his guilt at trial and today’s sentence ensures that he will be locked up away from society.”
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Andre Brown, 26, of East New York, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Miriam Cyrulnik to 17 years in prison and five years’ post-release supervision following his conviction on July 19, 2016 on two counts of first-degree robbery, which represent the top counts of the indictment. The defendant, who has prior felony convictions, was facing a minimum of 10 years in prison on each of the counts of which he was convicted.
The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, on April 30, 2013, at about 10:30 p.m., the defendant and two cohorts, Shaequan Monk and Kendell Jones, robbed G & P Grocery on 200 Pennsylvania Avenue in East New York, Brooklyn.
The evidence showed that Monk pulled out a firearm and ordered the two store employees to the ground, Jones held the door and Brown, wearing a mask, jumped over the counter and emptied the cash register. The robbers then removed cash from the workers’ pockets and fled with about $800 in cash and a cell phone.
A surveillance video from inside the store captured the incident and a fingerprint lifted from the area of the counter where the masked intruder was seen touching matched the defendant.
The defendant and four others, all members of the Bloods gang, were variously charged for a string of robberies of delis and convenience stores, including G & P Grocery. The four co-defendants have previously pleaded guilty to robbery and conspiracy counts and sentenced to the following prison terms: Kendell Jones – 10 years, Shaequan Monk – six years, Denzel Simmons – eight years and Kadeem Jones – five years.
The case was investigated by New York City Police Department Detective Renzo Silva of the 75th Precinct Detective Squad, under the supervision of Lieutenant John Tennant, with the assistance of Detective Michael Scoloveno of the Brooklyn North Gang Squad, under the supervision of Sergeant Michael Lenihan.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Leila Rosini, of the District Attorney’s Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau, under the supervision of Alfred De Ingeniis, First Deputy Bureau Chief, and Nicole Chavis, Bureau Chief.
#