Crips Gang Member to Serve A Total of 28 Years in Prison for Federal and State Convictions

Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, Rudy Montour, a Crips street gang member, was sentenced by United States District Judge Joanna Seybert to 15 years of imprisonment following his April 2017 plea of guilty.  The charge arose out of the defendant’s participation in the Rollin’ 60s set of the Crips, a street gang based in Roosevelt, New York, that was responsible for gun violence and drug trafficking for over a decade.  The sentence was imposed to run consecutive to a 13-year New York State prison term of incarceration that Montour is currently serving, thereby requiring him to serve a total of 28 years. 

Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Patrick J. Ryder, Acting Commissioner, Nassau County Police Department (NCPD), announced the sentence.

“Rudy Montour chose to kill for the Crips, and now he can serve time for the gang,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue.  “This conduct will not be tolerated and today’s sentence should send a message that this Office, together with our law enforcement partners, will pursue and prosecute members of violent street gangs who seek to inflict violence and fear on our communities.”  Mr. Donoghue extended his grateful appreciation to the law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation, in particular the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force and the Gang Investigations Squad of the NCPD.

“The investigation into the Rollin’ 60 Crips had a significant impact on the community in Nassau County, stopping years of violence and crime,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney.  “The FBI Long Island Gang Task Force worked side-by-side with our law enforcement partners to bring down this criminal enterprise, and the pressure we are putting on these gangs won’t go away.”

“Defendant Montour is a known gang member and will face severe consequences for his role in the death of Jason Crafton,” stated NCPD Acting Commissioner Ryder.  “The Crips and other violent gangs are committing heinous crimes, thus destroying the fabric of our communities and is not acceptable.  The Nassau County Police Department has zero tolerance for these gangs and will continue to work cohesively with our law enforcement partners to eliminate them from our communities in order to keep our families and children safe.  A job well done by all of our investigative partners.”

According to court filings and statements made during the guilty plea, Montour, also known as “Sus-1,” pleaded guilty to the June 13, 2010 murder of 27-year-old Jason Crafton.  Montour shot and killed Crafton outside of a house party in Uniondale, New York for disrespecting a fellow Crips gang member.  In addition to the murder of Jason Crafton, Montour was responsible for several robberies committed on behalf of the Crips, including the robbery of an aspiring rapper in Roosevelt, as well as trafficking several firearms from Alabama to New York for the gang to use in its war against the rival Bloods street gang.  Montour, who competed with fellow Crips member, Eric Smith, for the title of “top shooter” within the gang, is currently serving a 13-year state prison sentence for attempted murder for his involvement in a 2011 shooting directed at the home of a rival gang member in Freeport, New York.  

 The government’s investigation has led to the arrest and conviction of more than 20 members and associates of the Rollin’ 60s Crips, including its founder Raphael Osborne, who was sentenced in January 2017 to three life sentences plus 145 years.  Eric Smith, the gang’s most violent member, was convicted of racketeering and murder in aid of racketeering, among other charges and faces a mandatory life sentence.  To date, 11 defendants have been sentenced since the inception of the case:

• on June 21, 2016, Jahmani Hamilton was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of ten years;
• on August 4, 2016, Kurtis Philip was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of ten years;
• on August 5, 2016, Courtney Smith was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of ten years;
• on September 23, 2016, Merlyn Benitez was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of ten years;
• on October 13, 2016, Derick Hernandez was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 20 years that will run consecutively to a four-year state sentence that he is presently serving;
• on October 19, 2016, Kwame Lake was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of five years that will run consecutively to an eight-year state sentence that he is presently serving; 
• on November 4, 2016, Tyshawn Gitto was sentenced to 13 years’ imprisonment;
   
• on January 13, 2017, Branden Short was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment;
• on January 13, 2017, Raphael Osborne was sentenced to three life terms, plus 145 years’ imprisonment;

• on April 21, 2017, Rommel Lobban was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment;
   
• on April 25, 2017, Daquanne Nunn was sentenced to  13 years’ imprisonment; and
   
• the remaining defendants are pending sentence. 
   

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division.  Assistant United States Attorneys Nicole Boeckmann, Christopher C. Caffarone and Michael Maffei are in charge of the prosecution.

The Defendant:

RUDY MONTOUR (also known as “Sus-1”)
Age: 30
Roosevelt, Long Island

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 14-CR-264 (JS)