Outlaws Gang Members Plead Guilty to Long Island Murder and Shooting

Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, Pedro Merchant and Alton Gore, members of the Outlaws street gang, pleaded guilty to a firearm-related murder and assault in-aid-of racketeering charge and using a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence, respectively.  The charges against Merchant related to his participation in the September 11, 2013 murder of Dante Quinones.  The charges against Gore related to his involvement in a September 14, 2014 shooting that wounded two rival gang members.  The guilty pleas were entered before United States District Judge Joseph F. Bianco.

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, Commissioner, Nassau County Police Department (NCPD), announced the guilty pleas. 

 “Merchant’s actions violently ended one life, while Gore attempted to take several others,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue.  “This type of brazen violence in the name of their gang puts entire communities in danger.  Today’s guilty pleas hold these defendants accountable for their crimes and demonstrate the commitment of this Office and our law enforcement partners to remove gangs from the streets of Long Island.” 

“In the midst of their declared war on a rival gang, these members of the Outlaws put innocent people’s lives in danger,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners work every day on investigations targeting these violent criminals, and we will continue until we stop the illegal activity.”

 “Today’s guilty pleas are a direct result of the combined efforts of law enforcement on Long Island which are dedicated to working together to ending gang violence in our area,” stated NCPD Commissioner Ryder.  “The commitment of all Law Enforcement to eradicate gang violence is extremely important and we will not stop until all gang members are behind bars, thus ensuring that our residents and communities are safe. I would also like to congratulate the other agencies and their investigators for their dedication and diligence during this intense investigation.”

According to court filings and statements made during the guilty plea proceedings, Merchant shot and killed 17-year-old Dante Quinones in Hempstead.  The confrontation began when Merchant and fellow Outlaws members approached Quinones to determine whether Quinones’ allegiance was to the Outlaws gang or their rivals, the Bloods.   Merchant pulled out a pistol and shot Quinones several times at close range, killing him. 

In the wake of Quinones’ murder, a gang war ensued between the Outlaws and the Bloods in Hempstead.  During the following year, several shootings occurred between the two gangs, including several involving Gore, who pleaded guilty to the September 14, 2014 shooting of two Bloods members in Hempstead.  In that incident, Gore, along with two other Outlaw members, staked out a home where Bloods members were watching a boxing match.  Gore and his co-conspirators opened fire into the home, wounding a Bloods member in the leg, while another Bloods member was shot in the head and lost an eye. 

When sentenced, each defendant faces a minimum term of 10 years in prison and a maximum term of life imprisonment.

 Co-defendant Everett Brown, also known as “Ev,” an associate of the Outlaws street gang, was sentenced in November 2017 to 10 years’ imprisonment following his guilty plea to discharging a firearm during a crime of violence for his role in one of the shootings of rivals’ homes committed by the gang on August 19, 2014.  

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

The Defendants:

PEDRO MERCHANT (also known as “Dro”)
Age:  25
Valley Stream, New York

ALTON GORE (also known as “A-Murder”)
Age:  27
Hempstead, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 16-CR-322 (S-1) (LDW)