Former Trinitarios gang member, Christian Nieves, also known as “Eric Rosario,” and “White Boy,” was sentenced on Tuesday, July 27, to three years in prison in connection with his retaliation against a witness who had testified at a previous, federal murder trial by slashing the witness across the neck with a blade. The news was confirmed on Tuesday by Audrey Strauss, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

 

According to court documents, the evidence at trial, and statements made in court proceedings, Nieves was a member of the Trinitarios street and prison gang, described as a criminal enterprise with written rules, oath, and constitution. The gang has a strict prohibition on cooperation with law enforcement (“snitching”), and violations of the gang’s rules are punished by acts of violence. Among other governing principles, the Trinitarios mandate a “code of silence,” meaning that members are prohibited from cooperating with law enforcement and speaking about the gang in general.

 

The Trinitarios had an ongoing rivalry with another Dominican gang, Dominicans Don’t Play (“DDPs”). In 2018, a member of the DDPs, Stiven Siri-Reynoso, was convicted, following a jury trial before U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon, of charges including the murder of Jessica White, a Bronx mother who was inadvertently hit during a shooting on a playground [in the vicinity of the NYCHA housing complex, John Adams Houses, in the Woodstock section of the Bronx] in the context of the rivalry between the DDPs and the Trinitarios, as reported at the time by The New York Times.

 

Significant evidence at that July 2018 trial focused on the DDP-Trinitario rivalry. The victim of Nieves’s retaliation (the “Victim”) was among the witnesses who testified about the inner workings of the Trinitarios gang. In the course of his testimony, the Victim testified about crimes that he had committed with Nieves, including an incident in 2009 when the Victim took a gun from Nieves after a Trinitarios-related shooting that had resulted in the death of Issi Dominguez. The Victim’s testimony violated the Trinitarios’ longtime prohibition on testifying against members of the gang.

 

Following his testimony, on the evening of February 5, 2019, at around 7 p.m., the Victim was walking on Grand Concourse in the Bronx when he saw Nieves and other Trinitarios gang members on the steps of a building near the sidewalk. As the Victim walked past, one of the group called out to him, and Nieves and at least one other person began following him. Nieves caught up to the Victim, took out a razor blade and slashed the Victim’s face, cutting him down the jawline. During the attack, Nieves told the Victim, “This is happening to you because you are a snitch.” The Victim received prompt medical attention, including stitches to close the wound.

Nieves was convicted on April 23, 2021, following an almost eight-day jury trial, presided over by U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff, who also imposed the sentence on Nieves, on Tuesday. In the context of the sentencing, Strauss said, “Christian Nieves’s violent assault of a witness to federal crimes was a naked attempt to subvert the administration of justice, sow fear through the community, and prevent future witnesses from coming forward.” She added, “Today’s sentence proves that justice will prevail, and sends a clear signal to other gang members that witness retaliation will not be tolerated.”

 

As reported, in December 2018, police arrested Mario Almonte, 20, of East 201st Street and Obeb Adames, 18, of Marion Avenue, who police said were also members of the Trinitarios gang, and who they said allegedly assaulted and robbed Bedford Park resident, Angel Reyes-Godoy, 17, at 2670 Bainbridge Avenue, between East 194th and East 196th Street, before throwing him in front of oncoming traffic, causing his death.

 

Almonte was charged with murder, robbery and assault, while Adames was charged with assault and disorderly conduct. The driver of the ambulette was not charged for hitting Reyes-Godoy. Norwood News reached out to the Bronx District Attorney’s Office for an update on both cases, and received confirmation that both are still ongoing and the next court date is September 13.

 

The area of Bainbridge Avenue and East 194th Street in Fordham Manor is known for drug dealing. Investigators at the time of the incident believed the killing of Reyes-Godoy had more to do with the suspects mistaking that he spoke to police about a theft of a motorized scooter. Reyes-Godoy had rented a fourth-floor bedroom from a friend on the block on and off since he arrived in New York in June 2017, after immigrating from Honduras. A source was quoted in one published report at the time as saying that the teen had joined a gang but had “tried to quit.”

 

Trinitarios gang members were also responsible for the murder of 15-year-old, Lesandro “Junior Guzman-Feliz, in Belmont, in June 2018.  The corner of East 183rd Street and Bathgate Avenue was renamed “Lesandro ‘Junior’ Guzman-Feliz Way” in his honor and memory, in 2019.

Combating gang warfare in the Bronx has long been an objective of anti-gun violence organizations such as Bronx Rises Against Gun Violence [B.R.A.G.G.] and others, as previously reported. With shootings in the borough, and across the city once more on a steep trajectory, more and more peace rallies are being held lately. And while additional financial resources are being allocated to support anti-gun violence initiatives, the issue continues to be a major concern for Bronxites.

 

As of July 24, murder rates in the Bronx were up 40 percent compared to the same period last year, shooting incidents were up 62 percent and shooting victim rates were up 55 percent. June marked Gun Violence Awareness Month, as May saw a 271 percent increase in shooting victims in the borough.

 

In the context of Nieves’ case, Strauss praised the investigative work of the FBI and the NYPD. The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Allison Nichols and Jun Xiang are in charge of the prosecution.

 

Editor’s Note: This story includes historical reporting by former Norwood News editor-in-chief, David Cruz.