Bronx BBQ Bloodbath: ‘Soxx’ Gets 15 Years

BRONX, NY – Oneil Dasilva, also known as “Soxx” and “Bobby Soxx,” is headed to federal prison for 15 years after admitting his role in a brazen 2011 shooting at a Bronx backyard barbeque that left eight people wounded, including two teenage girls aged 13 and 14. The sentencing, handed down today by United States District Judge Alison J. Nathan, marks a significant blow against the violent Big Money Bosses (BMB) street gang.

Acting United States Attorney Joon H. Kim didn’t mince words, stating, “Oneil Dasilva, a Big Money Boss gang associate, terrorized his neighborhood in the Bronx, engaging in a reckless shooting spree that led to eight people, including two young teenagers, getting shot. For his crimes, Dasilva will now spend 15 years in a federal prison. Gang and gun violence must be confronted forcefully, as we did in this case with our law enforcement partners.”

The September 4, 2011, shooting occurred in the vicinity of 221st Street in the Bronx. Dasilva, an associate of BMB – a faction of the larger “Young Bosses” or “YBz” gang – opened fire on a gathering, unleashing a hail of bullets that injured multiple attendees. Miraculously, all eight victims survived the attack. The BMB gang has been linked to numerous acts of violence and drug trafficking throughout New York City between 2007 and 2016, including the distribution of crack cocaine and marijuana.

This conviction is the result of a sprawling, multi-year investigation spearheaded by the NYPD’s Bronx Gang Squad, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Violent Gang Unit (HSI), the New York Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Joint Firearms Task Force of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Dasilva was originally charged in an indictment unsealed on April 27, 2016, as part of a larger case (United States v. Nico Burrell et al., 15 Cr. 95) targeting 63 members and associates of BMB with racketeering, narcotics offenses, and firearms violations.

To date, 47 defendants in the sprawling BMB case have pleaded guilty, signaling a dismantling of the gang’s operations. Dasilva formally pled guilty on December 8, 2016. Kim specifically lauded the work of the NYPD’s Bronx Gang Squad, HSI, DEA, and ATF for their relentless pursuit of justice in this case. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Rachel Maimin, Micah W.J. Smith, Hagan Scotten, Jessica Feinstein, and Drew Johnson-Skinner.

The streets of the Northern Bronx are a little safer tonight, but the long-term impact of gang violence continues to plague the city. Grimy Times will continue to track the fallout from this case and the ongoing efforts to dismantle organized crime in New York. The 15-year sentence handed down to Dasilva sends a clear message: gun violence will not be tolerated, and those who participate will face the full force of the law.