Man Extradited For 2006 Manhattan Murder

Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, William F. Sweeney Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and Dermot Shea, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), announced the unsealing of a superseding federal indictment charging EDWIN CORTORREAL, a/k/a “Crazy Ed,” with the October 27, 2006, murder of Kelly Diaz in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York, and other crimes.  CORTORREAL, 33, was extradited to the United States from the Dominican Republic to face the charges in the superseding indictment.  CORTORREAL was presented and arraigned today before U.S. District Judge Valerie E. Caproni, to whom the case is assigned.

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said:  “As alleged, the defendant shot and killed Kelly Diaz in his home.  We thank the FBI and the NYPD for their outstanding work investigating this terrible murder.  We will continue our efforts with our law enforcement partners to prosecute such senseless acts of violence.”

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said:  “Edwin Cortorreal was brought to justice as a result of unrelenting investigative work by NYPD officers and FBI agents in partnership with our law enforcement colleagues here and overseas and the outstanding team of prosecutors assembled by U.S. Attorney Berman. I applaud the efforts to bring justice in this case.”

According to the superseding indictment and statements made in related court filings and proceedings[1]:

The Hot Boys were a crew of professional home invaders active in Washington Heights and elsewhere from at least 2006 through 2017.  On October 27, 2006, CORTORREAL and four others used a hydraulic pump to silently force open the door of Diaz’s apartment.  CORTORREAL and two others then burst into Diaz’s home, subdued Diaz and his wife, and forced Diaz onto the ground.  CORTORREAL, armed with a gun, stood over Diaz while the rest of the crew ransacked the apartment.  As the crew began to leave, CORTORREAL shot and killed Diaz.

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CORTORREAL is charged with conspiring to commit racketeering through the commission of various criminal acts, including murder, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1962(d); murder in aid of racketeering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1959(a)(1); conspiracy to distribute narcotics, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 846; use of a firearm, resulting in death, during a drug-trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(j); and other uses of firearms during a drug-trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c).  Each of these crimes carries a maximum term of life in prison, and murder in aid of racketeering carries a mandatory minimum term of life in prison.  The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI and the NYPD.  Mr. Berman also thanked the Dominican authorities, the Office of International Affairs of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and the United States Marshals Service for their assistance in the extradition.

The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit.  Assistant United States Attorneys Hagan Scotten and David W. Denton Jr. are in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the descriptions of the Indictment constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.