NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK – In a shocking turn of events, Alexander Arguedas, also known as ‘Reckless,’ was sentenced to 32 years and 6 months in prison for his involvement in the Black Stone Gorilla Gang, a violent street gang that operated in New York City and elsewhere.
Arguedas, 32, of the Bronx, New York, was found guilty of racketeering conspiracy, narcotics conspiracy, and a firearms offense. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman on February 8, 2022.
According to the indictment, Arguedas was one of the Godfathers of the Black Stone Gorilla Gang, which operated in the New York City metropolitan area and in the jails and prisons of New York City and the State of New York. The gang members and associates committed acts of violence, including murder and assaults, distributed and possessed with intent to distribute narcotics, committed robberies, engaged in bank fraud and wire fraud, and obtained, possessed, and used firearms.
Arguedas accepted responsibility for participating in a conspiracy to distribute quantities of cocaine, heroin, and cocaine base, and for using and carrying firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking. He also participated in the following acts of violence:
On December 9, 2012, Arguedas shot and killed Gary Rodriguez, 46, in the vicinity of 3089 Decatur Avenue in the Bronx.
On September 5, 2015, Arguedas assaulted another inmate while in the custody of the New York State Department of Corrections, causing the victim to lose consciousness.
Between 2017 and 2018, Arguedas got into a violent dispute with another BSGG member (‘Victim-1’) about who would serve as a Godfather of the gang. As a result of this conflict, in or around the Summer of 2018, Arguedas ordered another BSGG member to fire shots at Victim-1 during a BSGG meeting in a public park in the vicinity of Olinville Avenue and East Gun Hill Road in the Bronx, New York.
On August 27, 2018, Arguedas ordered co-defendant Jahvonne Chambers, a/k/a ‘JV’, who was incarcerated in the New York City Department of Corrections, to use a scalpel to slash a rival gang member housed in the same facility (‘Victim-2’).
On November 12, 2019, Arguedas and co-defendant Tyerance Mickey, a/k/a ‘Hoodlum,’ participated in a brutal assault of a disfavored BSGG member (‘Victim-3’). During the assault, Arguedas placed a plastic bag over Victim-3’s head in an attempt to suffocate Victim-3, and Mickey hit Victim-3 over the head with a chair. As a result of the assault, Victim-3 suffered a broken arm and substantial bruising to Victim-3’s face and body.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: ‘Alexander Arguedas was one of the Godfathers of the Black Stone Gorilla Gang, a violent Bloods gang that flooded New York City neighborhoods with drugs, assaults, slashings, and shootings. He groomed young men to become drug dealers, shooters, and gang members. He murdered Gary Rodriguez in cold blood in December 2012, and he went on to commit a multitude of other heinous acts of violence. Today’s lengthy sentence sends an important message to gang members who commit crimes that they will be apprehended and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.’
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Organized Crime|Violent Crime|Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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