Source: United States Department of Justice News
Defendant’s Gang Responsible for Multiple Shootings, Referred to East New York as “Gun Town”
Earlier today, a federal jury in Brooklyn convicted Quandel Smothers on both counts of an indictment charging him with racketeering conspiracy and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime in connection with his leadership of the East New York-based Elite Assassin Millas (E.A.M.), a set of the Bloods street gang. Six other members and associates of E.A.M. previously pleaded guilty after being charged in June 2020. When sentenced, the defendant faces a maximum of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced the verdict.
“Today’s verdict is welcome news to the people of East New York, who will no longer have to face the defendant’s destructive impact on their neighborhood,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “Our communities should not have to live in fear of unprompted violence from the defendant and his gang.”
Mr. Peace thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office and the New York City Police Department for their assistance in the case.
As proven at trial, E.A.M. operated primarily in East New York, which the gang referred to as “Gun Town.” The gang profited through fraud and narcotics dealing, particularly the sale of crack cocaine and marijuana.
Between 2006 and 2019, Smothers agreed with other gang members and associates to engage in fraud, narcotics trafficking, and significant acts of violence, including shootings that killed at least one individual and left several other victims permanently disabled.
On April 30, 2011, the defendant shot a fellow E.A.M. member whom he believed intended to harm another member of the gang over a drug-related dispute. As a result of the shooting, the victim’s leg was amputated. Over the years that the defendant led the gang, the gang engaged in numerous feuds with other local street gangs in East New York that frequently resulted in shoot-outs between the groups. As a result of shootings, several individuals were paralyzed by members of E.A.M., and one person — Michael Tenorio — was murdered.
The other defendants charged in the indictment previously pleaded guilty to crimes including murder, conspiracy to commit murder, assault, and interstate stalking causing life threatening injury.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew Galeotti, Genny Ngai and Jonathan Siegel are in charge of the prosecution with the assistance of paralegal Brittany Wissel.
The Defendant:
QUANDEL SMOTHERS (also known as “Chucky”)
Age: 32
Brooklyn, New York
Defendants Who Previously Pleaded Guilty
TYSHAWN CORBETT (also known as “Reck”)
Age: 32
Brooklyn, New York
QAWON ALLEN (also known as “40” and “Phorty Wap”)
Age: 28
Brooklyn, New York
DESMONN BECKETT (also known as “Des”)
Age: 30
Brooklyn, New York
DEVON BRISTOL (also known as “D”)
Age: 32
Brooklyn, New York
MARLON BRISTOL (also known as “Marlo”)
Age: 35
Brooklyn, New York
ANDREW CAMPBELL (also known as “Phaze”)
Age: 27
Brooklyn, New York
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 20-CR-213 (KAM)