LI Gang Member Gets Four Life Sentences For Murder, Robbery

Eric Smith, a member of the Roosevelt-based Rollin' 60s Crips street gang, was sentenced on Wednesday to four consecutive life sentences, plus an additional 30 years, for a list of charges, including murder in aid of racketeering.

Smith, who also went by "Esama" and "Esco," was convicted by a jury on June 15, 2017 of murder in aid of racketeering, racketeering, Hobbs act robbery and conspiracy to commit murder. For nearly a decade, the Rollin' 60s had terrorized Roosevelt, and a concerted law enforcement effort brought the gang down.

“Eric Smith took a life for his gang, and now he will be serving life in prison,” said United States Attorney Richard Donoghue. “The violence committed by this defendant harmed not only his murder and shooting victims, but also the larger community, which is now significantly safer as a result of the efforts by this office and our law enforcement partners to dismantle the Rollin’ 60 Crips. We will continue to work tirelessly to prosecute violent gangs that plague Long Island communities like Roosevelt with violence, drugs and fear.”

Smith was a high-ranking member of the Rollin’ 60s Crips, a racketeering enterprise based in Roosevelt that engaged in murder, attempted murder and drug and firearms trafficking to maintain control of their turf
for nearly a decade. Between 2003 and 2013, the gang followed an “on-sight” rule, created by the gang’s leader, Raphael Osborne, which required members to attack members of the rival Bloods street gang in the Roosevelt community on sight. In observance of this rule, Smith participated in more than a dozen shootings.

Smith also participated in robberies with fellow gang members to get cash and drugs that would be sold in Roosevelt. He was convicted for his role in two robberies that he committed in the fall of 2010.

He also was convicted of the Dec. 15, 2010 murder of 19-year-old James McClenic, a member of the rival Bloods gang. After hours of searching for McClenic, Smith found him sitting in a parked car at a gas station in Hempstead. Smith, wearing a black ski mask and armed with a .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, crept up to McClenic and opened fire at close range, killing him. In the wake of McClenic’s murder, the Bloods retaliated against Smith and other members of the Crips street gang. Smith and the leader of the Rollin’ 60s dispatched younger members to strike back, igniting a gang war on the streets of Roosevelt.

The Long Island FBI Gang Taskforce and the Nassau County Police Department worked dilligently to dismantle the gang. During the 10 months prior to Smith's arrests, Roosevelt averaged more than one shooting every two weeks. After the arrest of Smith and other Rollin' 60s members, Roosevelt went 109 days without a shooting.

“The brutal Rollin’ 60s Crips terrorized the Roosevelt community, and our neighborhoods are safer with this murderer behind bars for life,” said Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas. “Law enforcement at the federal, state, and local levels is united in our commitment to rid Long Island of the violent gangs that have destroyed so many lives, and we will continue our unprecedented collaboration and partnership to keep our communities safe from these predators.”

In addition to Smith, other Rollin' 60s gang members have been arrested and convicted, including:

• on June 21, 2016, Jahmani Hamilton was sentenced to 10 years in prison
• on Aug. 4, 2016, Kurtis Philip was sentenced to 10 years in prison
• on Aug. 5, 2016, Courtney Smith was sentenced to 10 years in prison
• on Sept. 23, 2016, Merlyn Benitez was sentenced to 10 years in prison
• on Oct. 13, 2016, Derick Hernandez was sentenced to 20 years in prison that will run consecutively to a four-year state sentence he is presently serving
• on Oct. 19, 2016, Kwame Lake was sentenced to five years in prison that will run consecutively to an eight-year state sentence he is presently serving
• on Nov. 4, 2016, Tyshawn Gitto was sentenced to 13 years in prison
• on Jan. 13, 2017, Branden Short was sentenced to 30 months in prison
• on Jan. 13, 2017, the gang’s leader, Raphael Osborne, was convicted and given three life sentences plus 135 years
• on April 21, 2017, Rommel Lobban was sentenced to 15 years in prison
• on April 25, 2017, Daquanne Nunn was sentenced to 13 years in prison
• on Jan. 12, 2018, Rudy Montour was sentenced to 15 years in prison that will run consecutively to a 13-year state sentence he is presently serving

Photo: US Attorney's Office