Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., and New York City Police Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell today announced the indictment of ten members of the Own Every Dollar (“O.E.D.”) criminal enterprise connected to a murder, attempted murder and a string of violent armed robberies and shootings from Spring 2021 to Spring 2022 in Washington Heights, Midtown, the Lower East Side and the Bronx. The ten defendants are charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with a total of 90 counts, including Enterprise Corruption. [1] Federal RICO charges against O.E.D. were also unsealed today as part of a parallel investigation by the Southern District of New York.
“As alleged, O.E.D. wreaked havoc on our streets,” said District Attorney Bragg. “This carefully structured criminal enterprise developed elaborate schemes to carry out robberies and violence, including tracking their victims before premeditated attacks. Today we have made New Yorkers safer by taking major violence drivers off the street, but we know we have much more work to do. My Office will continue to combat violent crime in tandem with our law enforcement and community partners so everyone in Manhattan can live safely in their neighborhoods.”
“These individuals lived by a brutal code of street violence – where firearms were recklessly pulled out and indiscriminately fired, where innocent lives were disregarded, where families and neighborhoods were traumatized and torn apart,” stated NYPD Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell. “Now they will no longer be able to terrorize New Yorkers. And make no mistake: Organized groups like this do terrorize. They sew fear and disorder, and they show zero respect for the lives of the people who reside and work in the neighborhoods where they wreak havoc. The vast resources and untiring efforts of the NYPD and our law enforcement partners, across multiple agencies, are concentrated on the nexus of gangs, guns, and drugs that drive much of the crime in New York City. And all the people we serve are safer today because of our collaboration.”
According to court documents and statements made on the record, members of O.E.D. shot and killed Jeffrey Sanchez during a robbery on September 20, 2021. As Mr. Sanchez walked to his parked car outside of the Opus Lounge at 417 West 202nd Street, defendants DAMIEN SUAREZ and JOHN ASLAN rushed towards him, and ASLAN shot him in the back. ASLAN and SUAREZ then stood over Mr. Sanchez, ripping his watch and jewelry from him as he lay motionless on the sidewalk. The indictment charges three other non-fatal shootings and 15 armed robberies, with robberies intensifying in frequency in the fall of 2021. The indictment includes allegations of at least 14 different firearms that were acquired and used by O.E.D. in this period.
The majority of the criminal activity took place in Manhattan, with some robberies and a shooting occurring in the Bronx. A number of the crimes included in the Enterprise Corruption series of pattern acts had been previously charged as felonies by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
The indictment charges that O.E.D. is a highly structured criminal enterprise. Its members meet to plan their criminal acts and recite oaths of loyalty and have written rules that can be changed by a vote of the membership.
Court documents also describe the different roles that members of O.E.D. played in the carefully planned and executed robberies of patrons of nightclubs and restaurants. Some members rented luxury vehicles to use as getaway cars, while others were tasked with acquiring guns, or scouting victims on social media or in person. Certain individuals were tasked with actually committing robberies, while others fenced the stolen jewelry and watches. O.E.D purposefully targeted different clubs and restaurants in a variety of neighborhoods. When victims resisted, O.E.D. members pistol-whipped or shot them.
The indictment also charges that certain members and associates of O.E.D. committed acts of violence to improve their position or reputation within O.E.D., and to improve the reputation of O.E.D. itself.
The District Attorney’s Violent Criminal Enterprises Unit is prosecuting the case, under the supervision of Chris Prevost (Chief of the Violent Criminal Enterprises Unit) and Peter Pope (Executive Assistant District Attorney for Gun Violence Prevention).
The District Attorney thanked the detectives and supervisors of the NYPD’s Pattern 66 Task Force, especially Detective Joseph Gallagher and Inspector Nicholas Fiore, and Chief of Detectives James Essig. The District Attorney thanked District Attorney Darcel Clark for help provided by her Assistant District Attorneys in the Bronx District Attorney’s Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau. The District Attorney also thanked United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams and federal investigators for their collaboration and assistance.
Defendant Information
HUGO RODRIGUEZ
Queens, NY
Charged:
- Enterprise Corruption, a class B felony, one count
- Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, a class B felony, one count
- Attempted Assault in the First Degree, a class C felony, one count
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, two counts
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, two counts
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree, a class D felony, one count
- Robbery in the First Degree, a class B felony, two counts
- Attempted Robbery in the First Degree, a class C felony, one count
- Robbery in the Second Degree, a class C felony, two counts
- Attempted Robbery in the Second Degree, a class D felony, one count
- Assault in the Second Degree, a class D felony, one count
JOHN ASLAN
Bronx, NY
Charged:
- Enterprise Corruption, a class B felony, one count
- Murder in the Second Degree, a class A-I felony, one count
- Robbery in the First Degree, a class B felony, one count
- Robbery in the First Degree, a class B felony, two counts
- Robbery in the Second Degree, a class C felony, one count
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, two counts
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, two counts
- Assault in the Second Degree, a class D felony, one count
- Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, a class B felony, one count
- Attempted Assault in the First Degree, a class C felony, one count
ANGEL CORPORAN
Bronx, NY
Charged:
- Enterprise Corruption, a class B felony, one count
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, two counts
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, two counts
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree, a class D felony, one count
- Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree, a class D felony, one count
JUSTIN DEAZA
Bronx, NY
Charged:
- Enterprise Corruption, one count
- Robbery in the First Degree, seven counts
- Robbery in the Second Degree, seven counts
- Robbery in the Second Degree, one count
- Assault in the First Degree, one count
- Assault in the Frist Degree, one count
- Attempted Robbery in the First Degree, one count
- Attempted Robbery in the Second Degree, one count
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, one count
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, one count
KELVIN HEREDIA
New York, NY
Charged:
- Enterprise Corruption, a class B felony, one count
- Robbery in the First Degree, a class B felony, eight counts
- Robbery in the Second Degree, a class C felony, eight counts
- Robbery in the Second Degree, a class C felony, one count
- Assault in the First Degree, a class B felony, one count
- Assault in the First Degree, a class B felony, one count
- Attempted Robbery in the First Degree, one count
- Attempted Robbery in the Second Degree, one count
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, three counts
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, three counts
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree, a class D felony, one count
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree, a class D felony, one count
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree, a class D felony, one count
- Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fifth Degree, a class A misdemeanor, one count
GEORGE MEJIA
New York, NY
Charged:
- Enterprise Corruption, a class B felony, one count
- Robbery in the First Degree, a class B felony, four counts
- Robbery in the Second Degree, a class C felony, four counts
- Attempted Robbery in the First Degree, a class C felony, one count
- Attempted Robbery in the Second Degree, a class D felony, one count
- Assault in the Second Degree, a class D felony, one count
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, two counts
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, two counts
- Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree, a class D felony, one count
JOAN MOYA
Patterson, NJ
Charged:
- Enterprise Corruption, a class B felony, one count
- Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, a class B felony, one count
- Attempted Assault in the First Degree, a class C felony, one count
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, two counts
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, two counts
- Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a class B felony, one count
RYELL RAINEY
New York, NY
Charged:
- Enterprise Corruption, a class B felony, one count
- Murder in the Second Degree, a class A-I felony, one count
- Robbery in the First Degree, a class B felony, one count
- Robbery in the First Degree, a class B felony, two counts
- Robbery in the Second Degree, a class C felony, one count
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, two counts
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, two counts
- Assault in the Second Degree, a class D felony, one count
DAMIAN SUAREZ
New York, NY
Charged:
- Enterprise Corruption, a class B felony, one count
- Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, a class B felony, one count
- Attempted Assault in the First Degree, a class C felony, one count
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, three counts
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, three counts
- Murder in the Second Degree, a class A-I felony, one count
- Robbery in the First Degree, a class B felony, one count
- Robbery in the First Degree, a class B felony, two counts
- Robbery in the Second Degree, a class C felony, one count
- Assault in the Second Degree, a class D felony, two counts
- Escape in the Second Degree, a class E felony, one count
ALEXIES TAPIA
New York, NY
Charged:
- Enterprise Corruption, a class B felony, one count
- Robbery in the First Degree, a class B felony, three counts
- Robbery in the Second Degree, a class C felony, three counts
MDAO
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