Bloods Gang Member Pleads Guilty To Participating In Murder: DOJ

RIVERHEAD, NY — A Mastic Beach man pleaded guilty Friday to racketeering charges, including conspiring to distribute narcotics and participating in the murder of a Riverhead man in 2015, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Terrill Latney, 39, a member of the Red Stone Gorilla "set" of the Bloods street gang based in Riverhead, pleaded guilty before United States Magistrate Judge A. Kathleen Tomlinson in Central Islip to the charges, including his participation in the murder of Thomas Lacolla on Nov. 17, 2015.

According to a Newsday report, Lacolla was shot dead in a 2005 Mercedes-Benz parked in front of a residence on Old Quogue Rd. in Flanders.

Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced the guilty plea: “As a result of the outstanding work by our prosecutors, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Suffolk County East End Drug Task Force, Latney has been held accountable for his role in a large-scale narcotics distribution operation and a senseless act of violence that took a man’s life,” he said. “We hope today’s guilty plea begins to bring a measure of closure to the victim’s family.”

As alleged in the indictment and other court filings, Latney participated in the distribution of large quantities of crack cocaine, cocaine and heroin in the Riverhead area for nearly a decade, the DOJ said.

On Nov. 17, 2015, Latney assisted members of the Bloods in their attempt to kill a rival gang member; specifically, Latney drove three Bloods members to a location in Riverhead where they fired at least 39 shots into a vehicle that they erroneously believed was occupied by the rival gang member, the DOJ said. In fact, the car was occupied by Lacolla, who was killed in the gunfire, the DOJ said.

When sentenced, Latney faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, the DOJ said.

The government’s case is being handled by the office’s Long Island criminal division; Assistant United States Attorneys Nicole Boeckmann and Michael Maffei are in charge of the prosecution, the DOJ said.