
Eleven members of the Bronx-based "WashSide" gang have been sentenced for a range of violent crimes, including the murder of 20-year-old Tyrone Almodovar, attempted murder, assault, racketeering, and firearms offenses. In a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, the final member to be sentenced, Yaurel Centeno, known as “Flex,” received a 24-year prison term for his role in the crimes.
Centeno's conviction concludes a sweeping case against the WashSide gang, whose criminal actions spanned from 2015 to 2022, targeting rival gangs and civilians across more than 10 states. The gang's offenses ranged from armed robberies and carjackings to drug trafficking and wire fraud. Centeno himself took part in the murder of Almodovar, following a car chase in June 2020, and the next day, in the armed robbery of a pawnshop where victims were assaulted with firearms.
U.S. Attorney Danielle R. Sassoon highlighted the impact of WashSide's activity, stating to the U.S. Attorney’s Office: “The WashSide gang terrorized neighborhoods in the Bronx and beyond by killing, shooting, slashing, and robbing people.” She emphasized the collaborative law enforcement effort that has now "held WashSide’s members accountable not only for the murder of Tyrone Almodovar, a senseless killing, but for countless other crimes committed by the gang all across the country."
Other crimes attributed to the gang included numerous violent confrontations with rival gangs in the Bronx, which led to further shootings and assaults. For example, on August 21, 2021, WashSide members committed a drive-by shooting that mistakenly wounded two innocent teenagers, further demonstrating the reckless disregard for human life characteristic of the gang's modus operandi, according to court filings and statements made during the trial.
In the investigation and prosecution of the WashSide gang, authorities including the New York City Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration were commended for their efforts by Ms. Sassoon. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Courtney L. Heavey and Thomas John Wright were identified as responsible for handling the case, leading to the conviction and sentencing of the 11 defendants.