Seven Members and Associates of Elite Assassin Millas Gang Charged with Racketeering Conspiracy, Murder, Attempted Murders and Firearms Offenses

Five Shootings Left One Dead and Two Others Paralyzed from Their Wounds

Defendants Used GPS Tracking Device to Stalk and Target a Shooting Victim

An indictment was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn variously charging seven members and associates of the Elite Assassin Millas (“EAM”), a subset of the Bloods street gang, with racketeering conspiracy, murder in-aid-of racketeering, attempted murder in-aid-of racketeering, conspiracy to commit murder in-aid-of racketeering, assault in-aid-of racketeering, interstate stalking, accessory after-the-fact to attempted murder and assault and related firearms offenses.  Five defendants were arrested last night and will make their initial appearance via videoconference this afternoon before United States Chief Magistrate Judge Cheryl L. Pollak.  The two remaining defendants, who are in federal custody, will be arraigned at a later date.

Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Dermot F. Shea, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the charges and arrests.

“Gang-related violence begets more violence, and we will not tolerate the violent crimes allegedly committed by these defendants in our communities,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue.  “Thanks to the hard work of federal and local law enforcement officers, the defendants will now face prosecution for the charged crimes.  The Eastern District will continue working tirelessly to dismantle and eradicate violent street gangs like EAM that have turned streets into lethal shooting galleries in the neighborhoods of East New York.”

“Members of the FBI New York Metro Safe Streets Task Force work long, hard hours diligently investigating gang members who hold no regard for life, and who let a twisted turf war over drugs dictate who dies and who lives. We are out every day, doing our best to protect communities being terrorized by violent gangs, and the FBI agents and NYPD detectives should be commended for their commitment,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney.

“Everything the NYPD does is geared toward preventing crime and keeping people safe. This indictment represents the coordinated work our detectives and federal partners do together to arrest those accused of inflicting violence in our neighborhoods,” stated NYPD Commissioner Shea.

As detailed in the government’s detention letter filed earlier today, the EAM set of the Bloods street gang follows many of the rules and the hierarchical structure of other Bloods sets, earning money through drug-trafficking and fraud, and protecting their reputation through violent crimes and firearms offenses.     

In recent years, Quandel Smothers has held EAM’s highest-ranking position of “Godfather.”  On April 30, 2011, Smothers allegedly shot a fellow EAM 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.

On March 25, 2015, another member of EAM was shot and killed in East New York, Brooklyn.  Almost immediately, EAM members and associates sought to retaliate by locating and killing those they believed to be responsible.  On April 21, 2015, Tyshawn Corbett allegedly shot and killed Michael Tenorio on McKinley Avenue in East New York.  Surveillance video of the murder shows that Corbett chased Tenorio down the residential block while firing at him, then continued shooting the victim after he fell to the ground.

On March 7, 2016, Corbett shot an individual (identified as “John Doe #1” in the indictment) on Shepard Avenue in East New York.  Surveillance video shows Corbett — who appears to have been lying in wait near a parked vehicle — run down the sidewalk and shoot John Doe #1 from close range.  John Doe #1 survived that attempt on his life, but on June 28, 2018, Corbett again shot John Doe #1 as he sat in a car parked in Jamaica, Queens, paralyzing him.  Corbett fled in a car driven by defendant Desmon Beckett.  This shooting was the result of extensive efforts by Corbett and brothers Marlon and Devon Bristol to stalk and kill their victim, including the use of a GPS tracking device that law enforcement officers subsequently recovered from John Doe #1’s car. 

In the spring of 2018, a feud developed between members of EAM and another individual (identified as “John Doe #2” in the indictment).  Surveillance video from June 10, 2018, shows defendant Corbett and John Doe #2 in a fistfight.  A short time later, the two shot at each other, but no one was hit.  Law enforcement officers later recovered one of the firearms used in the shooting incident from a storage unit maintained by Corbett under a false name.  The feud continued, and EAM members Qawon Allen and Andrew Campbell conspired with others to kill John Doe #2.  On July 28, 2018, a member of EAM repeatedly shot John Doe #2 on Glenmore Avenue in East New York using a firearm provided by Allen.  John Doe #2 was left paralyzed by the shooting. 

The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

If convicted of murdering Tenorio, Corbett faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison, and is eligible for the death penalty.  If convicted of the firearms offenses, Allen faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison, and Smothers, Marlon Bristol and Devon Bristol each face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum of life in prison.  If convicted of the conspiracy to commit murder in-aid-of racketeering, Campbell faces up to 10 years in prison, and Beckett faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted as an accessory after-the-fact to the assault in-aid-of racketeering.  

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Margaret E. Gandy and Jonathan Siegel are in charge of the prosecution.

The Defendants:

TYSHAWN CORBETT (also known as “Reck”)
Age:  30
Brooklyn, New York

QAWON ALLEN (also known as “40” and “Phorty Wap”)
Age:  26
Brooklyn, New York

DESMONN BECKETT (also known as “Des”)
Age:  27
Brooklyn, New York

DEVON BRISTOL (also known as “D”)
Age:  29
Brooklyn, New York

MARLON BRISTOL (also known as “Marlo”)
Age:  32
Brooklyn, New York

ANDREW CAMPBELL (also known as “Phaze”)
Age:  24
Brooklyn, New York

QUANDEL SMOTHERS (also known as “Chucky”)
Age:  29
Brooklyn, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 20-CR-213 (KAM)