Jamal Laurent, Murder, New York 2016

Folk Nation Gang Member Sentenced to 5 Consecutive Life Terms

A member of the violent street gang Folk Nation operating primarily in the Crown Heights and East Flatbush neighborhoods of Brooklyn has been sentenced to five consecutive terms of life imprisonment.

Jamal Laurent, 25, of Brooklyn, was sentenced by a federal judge in Brooklyn, New York, on the charges of racketeering and racketeering conspiracy, including as racketeering acts the murders of Courtney Robinson, Brent Duncan, and Dasta James, and related crimes.

Laurent was convicted, along with two co-defendants, Trevelle Merritt and Yasser Ashburn, following a jury trial on March 18, 2015. Merritt was sentenced to 40 years of imprisonment last week, on November 6, 2015.

The government’s case was prosecuted by the Office’s Organized Crime & Gangs Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Darren LaVerne, M. Kristin Mace, and Margaret Lee were in charge of the prosecution.

The defendants, all members of the Folk Nation gang, were responsible for numerous acts of gang-related violence, including homicides, non-fatal shootings, and robberies in and around Crown Heights and East Flatbush, as well as elsewhere in the tri-state area.

Laurent was responsible for seven armed robberies and three shootings, including the murder of 18-year-old Brent Duncan on June 19, 2010. Laurent also attempted to murder Louis Ivies on July 7, 2010, after believing Ivies to be a member of the Crips gang.

The defendant’s sentence was announced by Robert L. Capers, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Diego G. Rodriguez, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), New York Field Office; and William J. Bratton, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD).

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