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Press Release

Leader of Brooklyn Street Gang, Eight Trey Crips, Convicted of Murder In-Aid-Of Racketeering

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of New York
Defendant Gunned Down Gang Rival in a Crowded Nightclub

Following eight days of trial, a federal jury in Brooklyn today convicted Larry Pagett, a leader of the Eight Trey Crips street gang, of murder in-aid-of racketeering.  Pagett faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison when he is sentenced by United States District Judge William F. Kuntz, II.

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 James P. O’Neill, Commissioner, New York City Police Department, announced the verdict.

“Motivated by his twisted allegiance to the Eight Trey Crips street gang, Pagett opened fire with a handgun in a crowded nightclub, murdering a rival in cold blood and wounding an innocent bystander,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue.  “Today’s verdict sends the message loud and clear that wanton violence will not be tolerated in our community.  This Office and our law enforcement partners will continue working tirelessly to eradicate violent street gangs and bring to justice those criminals who value murder and mayhem over human life.”

“Gang members have shown they will do whatever necessary to maintain control over their turf and retaliate against those who they see as a threat,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney.  “As proven in court, Larry Pagett demonstrated this when he shot and killed someone in a crowded nightclub without regard for the lives of his victim or the myriad others who could have been hurt or killed by Pagett’s violent actions.  With today’s verdict, justice has been served, and Pagett faces the prospect of spending the rest of his life in prison.”

As proven at trial, the Eight Trey Crips were based in and around the Flatbush Gardens housing complex.  The Crips and the Folk Nation, a rival street gang, had been engaged in a deadly feud over territory in Brooklyn for years.  On August 28, 2015, Pagett encountered Chrispine Philip, also known as “Droppa,” inside a crowded nightclub called the Buda Hookah Lounge located at 589 Flatbush Avenue.  Pagett believed Philip was a member of the rival Folk Nation and blamed him for the murder of an Eight Trey Crips gang member in Trinidad in the Spring of 2015.  Pagett pulled out a gun and shot Philip multiple times including with a final bullet to the back of his head.  An innocent bystander in the nightclub was also shot in the stomach and arm, but survived.  The murder was recorded on video surveillance cameras inside the club. 

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Patrick T. Hein and Mathew S. Miller are in charge of the prosecution.

The Defendant:

LARRY PAGETT (also known as “Biz,” Biz Loc” and “Molotovbizzz”)
Age:  39
Brooklyn, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 17-CR-306 (WFK)

Contact

John Marzulli
Tyler Daniels
United States Attorney’s Office
(718) 254-6323

Updated October 24, 2018

Topics
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Violent Crime