10TH CBL-BFL Member Pleads Guilty To Racketeering Conspiracy And Selling Fentanyl

BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Shawn Woods, a/k/a Pif, 28, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo to racketeering conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute of 400 grams or more of fentanyl. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life, and a $10,000,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul C. Parisi, who is handling the case, stated that the defendant was a member of the CBL/BFL Gang, which stands for, among other things, “Cash Been Long” and “Brothers for Life.” The gang, which was involved in the illegal possession and distribution of narcotics, was formed around 2009 and operates primarily in the City of Buffalo at the Towne Gardens Housing Complex. The gang used violence, including murder and attempted murder, threats, and intimidation to defend their territory against rivals and anyone deemed to be a threat to the gang.

During his plea, defendant Woods admitted that he possessed and sold controlled substances at various times and that on February 1, 2017, he and a co-defendant possessed, at 974 Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo, three firearms, ammunition, metal spoons, digital scales, grinders, kilogram presses, and quantities of heroin and various types of fentanyl.

Woods is the 10th defendant charged in this case to be convicted. Charges remain pending against three other defendants. The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. 

The plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert; the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Byron Lockwood; the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Edward Kennedy; the Erie County Sheriff’s Department, under the direction of Sheriff Timothy Howard; the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Zack; Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly; the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ray Donovan, New York Field Division; the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito, New York Field Division; the Lackawanna Police Department, under the direction of Chief James Michel; and the Erie Crime Analysis Center. Additional assistance was provided by the Erie County District Attorney’s Office, under the direction of District Attorney John Flynn.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 23, 2020, before Judge Vilardo.