CRISIS IN NEW YORK: 39-year NYPD vet says ‘palpable fear’ still plagues city as crime remains high
Former NYPD Sgt. Pete Panuccio said a culture of fear still exists in New York despite city leaders touting crime drop, as crime remains higher than 2019.
A lifelong member of a violent and deadly drug gang that "terrorized" East New York has been sentenced to 45 years in prison for carrying out a string of gun crimes, including murder and attempted murder.
Tyshawn Corbett, also known as "Reck," was sentenced in federal court in Brooklyn on Monday having pleaded guilty in September 2022 to three firearm offenses involving murder or assault in aid of racketeering, each of which carried a mandatory consecutive term of 10 years.
Corbett, 32, was a longtime member of the East New York-based Elite Assassin Millas (EAM), a set of the Bloods street gang that operated primarily in East New York which made money through fraud and drug dealing, particularly sales of crack cocaine and marijuana, according to a press release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York citing court filings and transcripts.
Tyshawn Corbett, also known as "Reck," shot and killed a man while he also shot another man six times, leaving him paralyzed. (US District Attorney's Office)
Prosecutors said the gang’s members murdered or attempted to murder its rivals to maintain its grip on power. EAM even referred to its East New York-based chapter as "Gun Town" for the level of violence its members and associates committed and perpetuated.
Within the gang, Corbett developed a reputation as a "shooter" for being willing to shoot and kill other people, prosecutors said.
In this case, Corbett pleaded guilty to committing three shootings, the first of which took place in April 2015, when the gun-toting gang member shot and killed Michael Tenorio.
Then, between 2016 and 2018, Corbett engaged in extensive efforts to stalk and kill another individual, identified as "John Doe #1."
Corbett attempted to kill John Doe #1 in March 2016 but John Doe #1 survived the shooting.
When that murder attempt failed, Corbett and other EAM gang members stalked John Doe #1 to again try to kill him.
That opportunity arose more than two years later, on June 28, 2018, when Corbett located John Doe #1 and fired at him repeatedly at close range, striking him approximately six times.
NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban welcomed the sentencing of Corbett. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Miraculously, John Doe #1 survived the shooting but was left paralyzed. He has now been sentenced for those crimes.
Breon Peace, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said Corbett and his gang struck fear into the East New York community.
"For years, Corbett inflicted violence on rivals and terrorized the East New York community with impunity, but with today’s sentence he has been punished for his repeated, flagrant disrespect for the law," Peace said.
"My office is deeply committed to combating gang violence and will continue to work tirelessly with federal and local law enforcement to dismantle these groups."
Corbett participated in at least four additional shootings over the years, prosecutors said, citing evidence presented during the trial of a co-defendant.
Corbett pleaded guilty to committing three shootings, the first of which took place in April 2015, when the gang member shot and killed Michael Tenorio. (iStock)
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The government’s case has led to the convictions of six other members and associates of EAM, including its leader, Quandel Smothers, who was convicted at trial and is scheduled to be sentenced in March 2024.
"Everyone who was subjected to the intimidation and brutality perpetrated by Mr. Corbett can breathe easier today with news of this meaningful prison sentence," NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban said.
"The NYPD, in close partnership with our colleagues at the FBI and the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District, will continue to focus its resources on the relatively small number of criminals responsible for driving the violence in New York City."
"Neither we nor the people we serve will ever stand for our neighborhoods to be overrun by illegal drugs, guns, and associated gang violence, and I commend the investigators and prosecutors involved in this case for their steadfast commitment to our public safety mission."
