The feds have announced charges against nine inmates at a Brooklyn detention center for a series of savagely violent assaults that have left two men dead and others critically injured.
Each of the suspects were already being held on other charges at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Sunset Park.
But they made a bad situation worse when they went after their fellow inmates, according to a statement from US Attorney Breon Peace, of the Eastern District of New York.
“Violence will not be tolerated in our federal jails,” Peace said. “Let these charges serve as a warning to those who would engage in criminal conduct behind bars, and anyone else who facilitates those crimes: your conduct will be exposed, and you will be held accountable.”
Two of the men — Andrew Simpson, 26, of Brooklyn, and Devone Thomas, 24, of Queens — have been indicted for allegedly stabbing inmate Uriel Whyte to death on June 7, Peace said.
Three more — Jamaul Aziz, 44, of Manhattan, also known as “bugz”; James Bazemore, 42, of the Bronx, who goes by “TJ” or “RS”; and Alberto Santiago, 28, of Queens, who is called “dotcom” on the street — were indicted for the alleged July 17 murder of inmate Edwin Cordero, he added.
Both groups of killers used makeshift knives to do their bloody work, Peace said.
All five have been charged with murder, and could face life in prison if convicted.
Another inmate, Luis Rivas, 29, of Jamaica, has been charged with attempted murder for stabbing a fellow inmate 44 times in April.
Bruce Silva, 28, of the Bronx, and Hassan Elliott, 26, of Philadelphia, face assault charges for trying to stab another incarcerated man. And Leury Mojica, 21, of the Bronx, faces a charge of assaulting a federal officer for punching a guard in the face in August.
“Several inmates of Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center allegedly orchestrated a series of distinct violent assaults, including the murders of fellow inmates, Uriel Whyte and Edwin Cordero,” FBI Assistant Director in Charge Dennehy said in a statement.
“While this federal jail houses dangerous pretrial inmates, order and safety must remain paramount,” Dennehy continued. “Awaiting potential criminal charges is not a warranted justification to subject a detained individual to unnecessary attacks.”
Each of the suspects will be arraigned over the next few days, the statement said.
