Nine members of the Brick Squad street gang have been convicted of various felonies and sentenced to lengthy prison terms, including three defendants who received up to life in prison, said the office of the Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.
The convictions followed a wide-ranging investigation into the gang’s violent activities, including murder, narcotics trafficking and other crimes, according to a press release.
“These sentences send an unequivocal message: violent gang activity and the destruction it causes will be met with serious consequences in Brooklyn,” Gonzalez said. “These gang members terrorized our neighborhoods, peddled narcotics, and committed heinous acts of violence, including the senseless murders of two individuals.”
Christopher Garcia, 26, a high-ranking member of Brick Squad, was sentenced to 41 2/3 years to life in prison for second-degree murder and related charges. Co-defendants Quazeer Farmer, 25, and Jashaun Washington, 24, were sentenced to 30 2/3 and 27 2/3 years to life, respectively.
All three were convicted in July 2024 following a two-jury trial.
The gang, a subset of the larger Untouchable Gorilla Stone Nation (UGSN), operated in Brooklyn and expanded its narcotics distribution to other areas, including Binghamton, New York, and Bangor, Maine. Between 2017 and 2019, the defendants engaged in violence to maintain their control and generate revenue through drug sales.
Two murders were tied to the conspiracy. In 2017, Garcia and Washington were convicted of killing fellow gang member John Fernandez, who they mistakenly believed was cooperating with authorities. In 2018, Farmer and another gang member fatally shot rival Claudell Gary as part of a neighborhood feud.
The investigation was led by NYPD detectives from the Gun Violence Suppression Division and Brooklyn North Homicide Squad. The case was prosecuted by Brooklyn DA’s Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau.
