On Tuesday, Dec. 23, federal, state, and city officials announced the unsealing of an indictment charging Ahmar Garcia, 25, a/k/a “OB,” and Raheem Patterson, 28, a/k/a “Rah Rah,” with allegedly murdering 16-year-old Nisayah Sanchez on Sept. 29, 2021, in the Belmont section of The Bronx, as a result of a gang war they said plagued the city throughout that year and cost the lives of multiple young men and boys throughout The Bronx.
They also stated that they were charged with attempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon, which injured another victim during the same shooting, and that Patterson was charged with attempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon on December 2, 2021, when he shot at a rival gang member in Manhattan.
Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Ricky J. Patel, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations’ New York field office (“HSI”), made the announcement alongside New York City Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. They said Garcia and Patterson were transferred into federal detention from New York State custody, where they were serving state sentences for previous heinous offenses.
They stated that the defendants were scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah L. Cave on Tuesday, and the case was assigned to U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer.
“These charges stem from a violent gang war that played out on the streets of New York and ended with the cold-blooded murder of sixteen-year-old Nisayah Sanchez,” says Clayton. “I want to thank the women and men of this office, as well as our law enforcement allies, for their unwavering support in the over four years since Sanchez’s horrible murder. Our office will bring gun-toting criminals who endanger the safety of New Yorkers to justice.”
Patel, for his part, stated, “As alleged, the defendants’ callous disregard for human life, openly carrying out an attack in broad daylight and then gloating about their crimes online, will not be condoned. For too long, these criminal organizations have terrorized neighborhoods and endangered innocent lives, destroying families and instilling fear in communities.”
He went on to say, “This indictment is a decisive blow against the vicious street gangs who have caused fear and damage in our communities. HSI New York, the New York City Police Department, and the Southern District of New York are firm in their mission to remove individuals who endanger the safety of our streets.”
Tisch bemoaned Garcia and Patterson’s claimed decision to terminate a young life, destroying a family and putting an entire neighborhood at risk. “When violence is carried out this openly and then celebrated, it demands a decisive response,” said she. “This case demonstrates the power of concentrated enforcement and excellent federal collaborations, as well as why the NYPD will continue to pursue violent gangs before they claim another life. I applaud Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York for their assistance in bringing these charges.
Prosecutors alleged that since at least 2019, two warring alliances of violent street gangs have participated in retaliatory shootings, resulting in several young men and boys being shot, injured, or dead. They claimed that after each shooting, the gangs celebrated their acts of violence against their competitors, mocking them for their deceased gang members and promoting their own gangs and friends on social media and in rap songs. They claimed that the posts and videos encouraged a cycle of violence in which competing gangs reacted against one another for every shooting, taunt, or perceived affront.
They said that during the spring and summer of 2021, the two coalitions engaged in a gang war that involved many gunshots against real or perceived foes, resulting in the deaths of several young men and boys throughout the Bronx. They claimed that on one side of this gang battle was an alliance made up primarily of the MacBallers, the Drillys, and the 800 YGz gangs, which had historically and generally sided with the Bloods, either collectively or individually.
They said that the opposition alliance was primarily made up of the Sev Side, Third Side, and Reyway gangs, all of which were normally allied with the Crips. They claimed that on September 29, 2021, in retaliation for the murders of their own gang members and to boost their own gang standing, members of the MacBallers, Drillys, and 800 YGz gang alliance, including Garcia and Patterson, shot and killed Nisayah Sanchez, a 16-year-old member of the rival Sev Side, Third Side, and Reyway gang alliance.
They claimed they did this by creeping up beside Sanchez and shooting him to death in broad daylight on a Bronx street, while also shooting and wounding another rival gang member. They stated that a little more than two months later, on December 2, 2021, Patterson and another member of his gang alliance opened fire on a rival gang member as he was leaving a restaurant in midtown Manhattan.
Prosecutors said Garcia and Patterson, both of the Bronx, are charged (with respect to the Sept. 29, 2021, shooting) with murder in aid of racketeering, which carries a mandatory sentence of life or death; conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; attempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and discharging a firearm.
Patterson is also charged (with regard to the Dec. 2, 2021, shooting) with attempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, both of which carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison.
They stated that the minimum and maximum potential penalties in this case have been mandated by Congress and are presented just for informative purposes, since the judge will determine the defendants’ sentences.
Clayton praised HSI and the NYPD’s outstanding investigative work and thanked the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office for its assistance with the case, which is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York’s violent organizations and crimes unit. The prosecution is led by Assistant US Attorneys Michael R. Herman and Patrick R. Moroney.
Unless and until they are found guilty in court, the defendants are presumed to be innocent.
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