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The five defendants were arrested following an attempted gunpoint robbery of a warehouse in Mount Vernon in the area of 137 South Fifth Ave. that sells unlicensed marijuana and nicotine products to smoke shops, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced on Wednesday, March 20.
On the day of the attempted robbery, Tuesday, March 19 at around 12:15 a.m., a robbery crew of 10 to 15 people approached the warehouse as employees were helping customers and forced them back into the building at gunpoint, officials said.
A gunfight then soon broke out between the employees and the defendants, causing the deaths of one of the employees and one of the robbers, according to officials.
Authorities have not released the names of the two victims.
The five defendants, who were apprehended the evening after the robbery in the Bronx after leaving an apartment complex in the area of Clinton Avenue, were identified as:
- Ilario Contreras, age 23;
- Jerpi Diaz-Feliz, also known as "Jorge Diaz-Feliz," age 25;
- Jhoan Diaz-Feliz, age 23;
- Victor Jimenez, age 35;
- Joseph Perez, age 26.
The five men, whose places of residences were not released, are charged with:
- One count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act Robbery;
- One count of conspiracy to engage in drug trafficking;
- One count of possessing and discharging a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking activity;
- Murder through the use of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Both Mount Vernon and federal officials condemned the alleged actions of the defendants.
"The defendants’ alleged brazen actions demonstrated extreme disregard for public safety and posed a significant threat to the community," said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Smith, who added, "The FBI will not cease its relentless pursuit of those who choose violence, especially using firearms, to further their criminal behavior."
Mount Vernon Police Commissioner David Gibson also commented, saying, "The Mount Vernon Police Department and the Patterson-Howard administration takes crime in our City seriously. We want to send a message to those who seek to commit heinous crimes in our community."
Anyone with more information about the case can contact the FBI at 1-800-Call-FBI or tips.fbi.gov.
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