Member of 5-9 Brims Gang Convicted of Brooklyn Murder

Following a two-week trial, a federal jury has found a member of a Brooklyn-based street gang guilty of a multitude of charges. 

On April 24, Marvin Pippins (32) of Brooklyn was convicted on various counts, including racketeering conspiracy, murder-in-aid-of racketeering, murder conspiracy, narcotics trafficking and use of a firearm. 

“As found by the jury, Pippins brazenly committed a gang-related murder with a gun, in broad daylight in Brooklyn, taking another human’s life on behalf of his criminal enterprise which also trafficked drugs and perpetrated fraud in our community,” said Breon Peace, U.S. attorney for the eastern district of New York.

Pippins, is a member of the street gang 5-9 Brims. He also goes by the name ‘Mukk.’

Trial evidence indicates that between January 2012 and December 2019 Pippins was involved in various gang activity, including:

• Selling crack and cocaine
• Committing numerous financial frauds, including possession and use of stolen identities, fraudulent checks and access devices such as credit cards and bank account information
• Committing violent acts, including murder

Specifically, court records show Pippins was charged with shooting Sean Peart six times while he sat in a car in Bed-Stuy on Dec. 19, 2015.

Peart was a member of the Real Ryte street gang, a rival to the 5-9 Brims. The Real Ryte street gang also operates in Brooklyn. 

According to a law enforcement source, the defendant testified at the trial and admitted to committing the murder, but insisted it was not a gang-related murder.

Rather, Pippins claimed that he thought the victim had murdered his brother and he was avenging his brother’s death.  

However, the Peart could not have murdered Pippins’s brother as he was in California at the time of the death. 

Pippins also testified that he murdered the victim (Peart) for his own safety because he feared he would be killed next by the person who had killed his brother — therefore that the murder was not to boost his status in the 5-9 Brims gang. However, this defense was rejected by the jury. 

“Pippins will now face very serious consequences for a brutal crime that was motivated by a senseless feud with rivals. Today’s verdict demonstrates the commitment of this office and our law enforcement partners to dismantle violent gangs that threaten the safety of our communities,” Peace said. 

When sentenced, Pippins will face a mandatory term of life imprisonment.

The government’s case is being handled by the office’s organized crime and gangs section. Assistant U.S. attorneys Jennifer M. Sasso, Lindsey R. Oken and Dana Rehnquist are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of paralegal specialist Celine Laruelle.