Photo courtesy of Rich Mitchell via Flickr
A 23-year-old Bronx woman was charged in federal court on Thursday, Oct. 17, along with two other co-conspirators from Queens in a murder-for-hire plot resulting in personal injury and death, stalking resulting in life-threatening bodily injury and death, and conspiracy to destroy records, federal prosecutors said.
Damian Williams, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York; and Patrick J. Freaney, special agent in charge of the New York field office of the U.S. Secret Service (“USSS”), announced the unsealing of a superseding indictment charging Chelsey Harris of The Bronx, a/k/a “Ms. Chinn,” Dajahn McBean, 29, of Queens, a/k/a “Jeezy Mula,” a/k/a “Freeze,” and Karl Smith, 26, of Queens, a/k/a “Pacavell.”
Prosecutors said the charges relate to the trio’s respective roles in attempting, but failing, to murder a targeted person in Queens in December 2023, and in the course of that attempt, the unintended fatal shooting of another person, Clarisa Burgos.
They said McBean is already serving a federal sentence for directing a separate gang-related shooting in January 2017 and was due to be presented on Thursday in Manhattan federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah L. Cave. They said Smith and Harris were arrested previously and are being detained, pending trial. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres.
“As alleged, Dajahn McBean and his co-conspirators planned and carried out an elaborate plot to murder another individual by causing others to shoot at the target several times in New York City,” Williams said. “During one of those shootings, an innocent bystander, Clarisa Burgos, was killed.”
He continued, “McBean allegedly directed this murder plot using a contraband cellphone from within a federal jail while waiting to be sentenced for a separate gang-related shooting. Thanks to the hard work of the prosecutors in this office and our law enforcement partners, McBean and his co-conspirators will be held to account for this crime. These charges make clear that this office and our law enforcement partners are dedicated to prosecuting those who commit violence on our streets and any federal inmate who causes such violence.”
For his part, Freaney said, “The abiding intent to cause death, as alleged in this murder-for-hire case, is truly shocking. The relentless investigation that followed evinces the Secret Service’s unwavering commitment to take the worst among us off the streets. I want to thank the NYPD financial crimes task force for their incredible partnership and devotion to this critical work.”
As alleged in public court filings, statements at public court proceedings, and the indictment, in December 2023, McBean was detained at Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn (“MDC Brooklyn”), awaiting sentencing for directing a separate gang-related shooting in January 2017. While in federal custody, he feuded over social media with another gang member (“Victim-1”).
McBean allegedly then used a contraband cellphone from inside MDC Brooklyn to conspire with Smith and Harris, who were free in the community, to lure Victim-1 to various nightclubs in New York City where McBean had allegedly arranged for gunmen to kill him. McBean allegedly paid Smith and Harris through intermediaries for their roles in the conspiracy.
Prosecutors said the plot to kill Victim-1 resulted in two shootings. First, on Dec. 24, 2023, McBean and his co‑conspirators lured Victim-1 to a nightclub (“Club-1”) in Queens. Outside Club-1, gunmen shot and struck Victim-1’s car multiple times but missed their target. Then, on Dec. 26, 2023, McBean and his co-conspirators tried once again to kill Victim-1, this time luring him to a different nightclub (“Club-2”) also in Queens.
Allegedly, at McBean’s direction from within MDC Brooklyn, gunmen again fired on Victim‑1’s car when it was parked outside Club-2. The bullets struck the victim multiple times, but Victim-1 again survived. This time, the bullets also struck and killed Victim‑1’s girlfriend, Burgos, who was seated in Victim-1’s car, and who was 28 years old.
McBean, Smith, and Harris are charged with one count of murder-for-hire conspiracy resulting in personal injury and death, which carries a mandatory minimum term of life in prison or death; stalking resulting in life-threatening bodily injury and death, which carries a maximum term of life in prison; and conspiracy to destroy records, which carries a maximum term of five years in prison.
The mandatory minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided for informational purposes only. The sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.
Williams praised the work of the USSS financial crimes task force and the NYPD. He also thanked the special agents from Homeland Security Investigations’ El Dorado task force for their assistance in the investigation. He added that the investigation was ongoing.
The case is being handled by the Southern District of New York’s violent & organized crime unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan W. Allison, Andrew K. Chan, and Jared D. Hoffman are leading the prosecution.
The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.
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