Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office on Tuesday announced an indictment against five men accused of drugging people at night clubs and bars in the city to rob them of their money, phones and identification. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI |
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April 19 (UPI) -- Five men have been indicted for drugging people at nightclubs and bars in the city to rob them of their money, phones and identification, resulting in the deaths of two of their victims.
The indictment was announced Tuesday in a statement by the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, charging Jayqwan Hamilton, 35; Robert Demaio, 34; Jacob Barroso, 29; Andre Butts, 27; and Shane Hoskins, 30, with first-degree robbery, fourth-degree conspiracy and various counts of identity theft and grand larceny.
Hamilton and Demaio have also been charged with two counts of murder in the second degree while Barroso faces only one count.
According to court documents, the five men are accused of offering drugs to people at gay nightclubs and bars with the intent to incapacitate them and rob them of cell phones, money and personal identification information.
The conspiracy took place between March 2021 and July and targeted several victims, including Julio Ramirez and John Umberger, who died from a combination of drugs they were given by the defendants.
"Our entire city continues to mourn the tragic losses of Mr. Ramirez and Mr. Umberger," Bragg said Tuesday. "In addition to the pain their deaths have caused for their family and loved ones, I know that many other New Yorkers have feared for their own safety when going out to meet up with friends."
Ramirez died from a combination of fentanyl, heroin and designer opioid P-fluorofentanyl that he was given by Hamilton and Barroso outside midtown's The Ritz Bar on April 21, 2022.
Court documents state that less than an hour after meeting the pair, Ramirez was left incapacitated in a cab while Demaio stole $3,200 from him via Zelle transactions and Hamilton and Butts used his credit card information to buy sneakers.
Umberger was killed about a month later after he was approached by Hamilton and Demaio outside The Q NYC on May 28.
Authorities said he was left incapacitated in an apartment as Hamilton stole thousands of dollars from Umberger's credit card accounts. Hamilton and Butts also made several unauthorized purchases valued at more than $3,500.
During a press conference Tuesday, Bragg said they considered applying hate crime charges but did not find sufficient evidence.
"There was no evidence within the four corners of law, but we still stand with the community and continue to meet and address their concerns," he said.
