Yasser Ashburn, Racketeering and Murder, New York 2023

Yasser Ashburn and two members of the Folk Nation gang were found guilty of racketeering and murder in a Brooklyn federal court yesterday. The defendants, Ashburn, Jamal Laurent, and Trevelle Merritt, were members of a violent set of the Folk Nation street gang that operated in the Ebbets Field Houses in Brooklyn.

The verdicts were announced by Loretta E. Lynch, 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).

Ashburn, the leader of the Folk Nation set, was responsible for numerous acts of gang-related violence, including homicides, non-fatal shootings, and robberies in and around Crown Heights and Flatbush, and elsewhere in the tri-state area. On April 20, 2008, Ashburn shot and killed Courtney Robinson at point blank range in the back during a fight at a birthday party held in an apartment at the Ebbets Field Houses.

Laurent was found guilty of shooting and killing 18-year-old Brent Duncan on June 19, 2010, while Duncan sat in his car outside a party in Brooklyn. Laurent had previously told a friend that he shot Duncan because Duncan was a member of the rival Crips gang, although no evidence established that Duncan actually belonged to that gang.

Merritt and fellow gang members participated in a robbery spree that culminated in murder during a three-week period in January 2011. The defendants were responsible for numerous acts of gang-related violence and were found guilty of racketeering and racketeering conspiracy, including the murders of Courtney Robinson, Brent Duncan, and Dasta James.

The government's evidence at trial established that the defendants were members of, and committed crimes with, a violent set of the Folk Nation street gang. The defendants will now be held to account for their crimes.

Defendant: Yasser Ashburn, Jamal Laurent, Trevelle Merritt. Charges: Racketeering and murder. City and state: Brooklyn, New York. Date: Yesterday's verdict. Outcome: Found guilty by a jury. Sentence: To be determined.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/leader-and-two-members-folk-nation-gang-operating-ebbets-field-houses-brooklyn