A 25-year prison sentence was handed down to Jerrin Pena, known as "Rooga" or "Perry," for his role in several violent crimes as a member of the Own Every Dollar (OED) gang, including a 2019 murder. This announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky for the Southern District of New York. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's office, Pena previously pled guilty to racketeering conspiracy, assault with a dangerous weapon, Hobbs Act robbery, among other charges.
“Jerrin Pena, a leader of the violent OED gang, murdered an innocent bystander, Hector Cruz, while trying to shoot at a rival gang member on April 14, 2019. Then, when in federal custody on these charges, Pena stabbed another inmate in an attempt to kill him. Yesterday’s lengthy prison sentence hopefully brings some measure of comfort to the family of Hector Cruz, and reinforces this Office’s commitment to ending gang violence throughout New York City,” said Mr. Podolsky in the statement obtained by the U.S. Attorney's Office. Serving within federal custody when he stabbed another inmate on February 28, 2023, as part of an attempt to kill him, Pena’s history of violence appears severe.
The OED gang, a subset of the larger Trinitarios gang, has been known to control the Washington Heights area through fear and violence, as evidenced by the indictment of 24 members associated with numerous violent crimes, including five murders and 15 attempted murders. The U.S. Attorney’s office highlighted the effectiveness of the NYPD and DEA in the successful prosecution of this case.
In addition to his prison term, Pena, just 23 years old, was also sentenced to five years of supervised release, a consequence of his actions that will span beyond his time behind bars. This case falls under the jurisdiction of the Office's Narcotics Unit, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah L. Kushner, Kevin Mead, Ashley C. Nicolas, and Alexandra Messiter leading the prosecution.
