9TH CBL/BFL Member Pleads Guilty To Racketeering Conspiracy And Selling Crack Cocaine

CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051

BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Shameris Washington, a/k/a GB, 22, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo to racketeering conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.
Of the 13 CBL/BFL Gang members charged in this case, Washington is the ninth to be convicted.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul C. Parisi, who is handling the case, stated that the defendant was a member of the CBL/BFL Gang, which stands for, among other things, “Cash Been Long” and “Brothers for Life.” The gang, which was involved in the illegal possession and distribution of narcotics, was formed around 2009 and operates primarily in the City of Buffalo at the Towne Gardens Housing Complex. The gang used violence, including murder and attempted murder, threats, and intimidation to defend their territory against rivals and anyone deemed to be a threat to the gang.

During his plea, defendant Washington admitted to the following:

• In 2013 and 2014, Washington and others recorded several music videos in and around the Towne Gardens for songs entitled “Damn Fool,” “My Side of Town,” and “War.” Washington and others displayed firearms, United States currency, and association with the enterprise.
• On August 21, 2015, Washington was in a vehicle on Dodge Street in Buffalo with others, and shot at Victim J, a rival gang member, attempting to kill him, in retaliation for the shooting of a charged co-defendant. 
• On August 30, 2015, Washington was in a vehicle at Genesee and Crossman Streets in Buffalo with others, and shot at Victim K, a rival gang member, attempting to kill him, in retaliation for the shooting of a charged codefendant.
• On September 21, 2015, Washington appeared in a video on Snapchat with a charged co-defendant who possessed a rifle while Washington possessed ammunition in the video. 
• On January 1, 2017, Washington was at a New Year’s Eve Party in an apartment building in the Towne Gardens. An individual entered the party and struck a charged co-defendant with a bottle. Washington and others then punched and kicked the individual and trapped him in an apartment. 
• On February 16, 2018, Washington was present in the cellblock at the United States Courthouse of the Western District of New York. He was left alone in a cell pending a court proceeding. When the defendant was retrieved from his cell for the proceeding, a Deputy United States Marshal observed “BxFxL” carved into the cellblock wall, which was not present when the defendant entered the cellblock.
• In 2015, Washington sold crack cocaine at least 10 times, and heroin at least 20 times, to an individual working with investigators.
• On December 1, 2017, at 15 Mary Johnson Boulevard in Buffalo, Washington fled from Buffalo Police Officers and discarded a pistol and ammunition. Following the chase, officers stopped the defendant, arrested him, and transported him to Buffalo Central Booking. After Washington left the police vehicle, officers recovered a bag containing a quantity of butyryl fentanyl.

The plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert; the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Byron Lockwood; the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Edward Kennedy; the Erie County Sheriff’s Department, under the direction of Sheriff Timothy Howard; the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Zack; Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly; the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ray Donovan, New York Field Division; the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito, New York Field Division; the Lackawanna Police Department, under the direction of Chief James Michel; and the Erie Crime Analysis Center. Additional assistance was provided by the Erie County District Attorney’s Office, under the direction of District Attorney John Flynn.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 10, 2020, at 9:30 a.m. before Judge Vilardo. 

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