Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

BUFFALO, N.Y.--U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Tariq Brown, 23, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty to RICO Conspiracy in connection with the May 12, 2012 shooting at Martin Luther King Park that left Marquay Lee dead and four other individuals wounded before Senior U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny. Two of the injured persons suffered permanent injuries, one victim is now a paraplegic and another was blinded in one eye. The charges carry a maximum penalty of life in
prison and a $250,000 fine.

“Given that this horrific crime occurred in a park named for a man whose life was dedicated to non-violence, it is certainly significant to today remove from our streets one who so callously injured residents trying to enjoy the company of family and friends,” said U.S. Attorney Hochul.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan A. Tokash, who is handling the prosecution of this case, Brown is alleged to be a member of the Bailey Boys Gang, a violent criminal gang which operates in an area of the City of Buffalo bounded by Winspear Avenue, the Kensington Expressway, Eggert Road and Main Street. The defendant Brown already stands accused of three other attempted murders which injured two people.

As a result of the ongoing investigation into the Bailey Boys Gang, members now stand accused of four murders, 14 attempted murders, including four drive-by shootings. The attempted murders include a shooting that occurred during a neighborhood party with numerous children present and a shooting that occurred during a robbery. A total of 11 were arrested and to date, seven defendants have been convicted. The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

The plea is the result of an ongoing investigation on the part of the United States Attorney’s Office in close cooperation with the Erie County District Attorney’s Office, under the direction of Acting District Attorney Michael Flaherty, the Buffalo Police Department, under direction of Police Commissioner Daniel Derenda, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Task Force, under the Direction of Special Agent in Charge Adam S. Cohen, the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Timothy B. Howard, the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Division, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Delano A. Reid, New York Field Division. The Safe Streets Task Force includes the Amherst Police Department, the Buffalo Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Erie County Sheriff’s Department, the Hamburg Police Department, the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Police, the New York State Police, Town of Tonawanda Police Department, the U.S. Border Patrol, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Office of Enforcement & Removal Operations.

Sentencing is scheduled for December 5, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. before Judge Arcara.

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