A Calverton man was convicted yesterday on charges of murder, racketeering, narcotics possession and distribution, forcible rape, sex trafficking, multiple firearms offenses and witness tampering, after a four-week jury trial in federal district court in Central Islip.
Lawrence Lewis, 38, also known as “L Boogs” was a member of the Bloods street gang, prosecutors said. He shot and killed a Crips gang member at the Illusions Gentlemen’s Club in Deer Park on July 29, 2017, according to prosecutors.
Between April 2004 and June 2019, Lewis, as a member of the Bloods street gang, distributed large quantities of cocaine base and heroin in Suffolk County, prosecutors said. In order to protect his supply of narcotics, and secure his ability to distribute his narcotics, Lewis possessed a number of firearms, including an AR-15 assault rifle, a pistol-grip 12-gauge shotgun, a Mossberg .22 caliber rifle and a Ruger .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol, prosecutors said.
In 2014, as retaliation for a theft of guns, Lewis forced a woman into engaging in prostitution until she repaid her debt to him, according to prosecutors. During the same period of time, Lewis forcibly raped the woman, they said.
Prior to the trial, Lewis and others acting on his behalf made efforts to prevent witnesses from testifying against him, through the use of veiled and implicit threats of violence, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a press release yesterday.
U.S. District Court Judge Joanna Sybert presided over the trial, which was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher C. Caffarone, Mark E. Misorek and Anthony Bagnuola. When sentenced, Lewis faces a mandatory penalty of life in prison for the murder, prosecutors said.
The verdict was announced by Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Timothy D. Sini, District Attorney, Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Ricky J. Patel, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York, Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office, and Stuart Cameron, Acting Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department.
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