Jaime Rivera Indicted in 2005 Murder of C.W. Post Student

Jaime Rivera, a documented member of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation, has been indicted for the cold-blooded 2005 murder of C.W. Post student and basketball standout Tafare Berryman. The two-count federal indictment, unsealed in Central Islip, charges Rivera with murder in aid of racketeering and a related firearms offense stemming from the early-morning shooting that cut short the life of a 21-year-old with a promising future.

The indictment reveals a night of escalating violence that began inside La Mansion, a now-closed bar and nightclub on Long Beach Road in North Long Beach. On April 2, 2005, Rivera and fellow Latin King members clashed with a group of C.W. Post students, including Berryman, who were celebrating a successful fashion show. What started as a confrontation inside the club spilled into the parking lot, where fights broke out and Berryman’s friend was struck in the head with a bottle, causing a severe laceration.

As Berryman and his injured friend fled the scene in a vehicle, they pulled over several blocks away so the driver could tend to his bleeding wound. It was then, at approximately 5:00 a.m. on April 3, that Rivera pulled alongside their parked car and opened fire—shooting Berryman once in the head. Prosecutors say Rivera acted under the mistaken belief that the victims were affiliated with a rival group, making the killing a senseless act of gang-driven paranoia.

U.S. Attorney Robert L. Capers made no effort to mask his outrage: “Gang violence has taken the lives of too many innocent young people with bright futures,” he stated. “This case should serve as a message to all gang members—if you engage in violent gang activity, our law enforcement partners will not stop pursuing you until you are held accountable for your actions.” Capers credited the FBI, DEA, and Nassau County Police Department for never letting the case go cold.

FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney, Jr. condemned the warped logic behind the murder. “The mentality that an innocent person is some sort of threat to a gang member or a gang defies logic,” Sweeney said. “A student who was out having a good time ended up in the middle of a dangerous situation and was killed for absolutely no reason.” The FBI Long Island Safe Streets Task Force, which led the investigation, worked tirelessly for over a decade to identify and apprehend Rivera.

Acting Nassau County Police Commissioner Thomas Krumpter called the indictment a victory for justice and public safety. “Today’s announcement is the culmination of an extensive investigation that was worked on collaboratively by numerous law enforcement investigative agencies,” Krumpter said. Rivera is scheduled to be arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Steven I. Locke, where the government will seek detention pending trial. The murder charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.