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 plea.

According to court filings and facts presented during the guilty plea proceeding, in October 2014, the Bloods street gang was at war with members of the Crips street gang from the Parkside section of Hempstead.  On October 21, 2014, McLen obtained a handgun from a Bloods leader, Jonathan Mayzick, and later met with Bloods members Naree Barnes and Khalil Brown.  Together they proceeded to Peninsula Boulevard near Hempstead High School where they encountered a Crips gang member.  McLen, Brown and Barnes pulled out handguns and shot at their rival, firing numerous times across a major roadway during the late afternoon.  McLen and his associates then ran to the home of another Bloods member, and McLen placed several phone calls to Mayzick, reporting the shooting.  The calls were intercepted by members of law enforcement who were monitoring a court-authorized wiretap of Mayzick’s cell phone.  While these calls were taking place, McLen and his associates were located and arrested, and the guns used in the shooting were recovered.   

“McLen participated in a premeditated attack in furtherance of the Bloods’ violent feud with the Crips, with the intention of taking another human being’s life,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue.  “The defendant now faces a lengthy prison term for the choices he made and the actions he took – attempting to kill his victim and endangering other residents of the community.”  Mr. Donoghue extended his appreciation to the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force which investigated this case.

"Motivated by futile gang rivalry, McLen allowed violence to determine his actions, which in turn determined his fate, as he will now spend more than 10 years in prison for attempting to take someone’s life,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney.  “Gang violence continues to be the dividing wedge in several of our communities, and the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force will not cease until this wedge is permanently removed.”

“The guilty plea of Bloods gang member Billy McLen, AKA Rizo, is a stark reminder of the violence that takes place between rival gangs,” stated NCPD Commissioner Ryder.  “The Nassau County Police, the United States Attorney’s Office and the FBI have worked tirelessly to ensure that these gang members are brought to justice and that our residents enjoy safe communities.  I would like to thank and congratulate all of the members who played an important role in this conviction”

When sentenced, McLen faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life, as well as forfeiture and a fine of up to $250,000.  Barnes and Brown previously pled guilty to discharging firearms in furtherance of a crime of violence and were sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment.  Mayzick was convicted of conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and sentenced to 162 months in prison.

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

The Defendant:

BILLY MCLEN (also known as “Rizo”)
Age:  19
Hempstead, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 16-CR-429 (S-1) (SJF)

Defendants Previously Sentenced:

NAREE BARNES
Age: 22
Hempstead, New York

KHALIL BROWN
Age: 22
Hempstead, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 16-CR-428 (SJF)

JONATHAN MAYZICK
Age:  30
Hempstead, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 16-CR-28 (DRH)