In a decisive move by the federal court in Central Islip, Jason Liriano, the so-called architect behind the Route Boys gang, has been handed a 22-year prison sentence for his role in drug trafficking and brandishing firearms to bolster his criminal exploits. This sentencing brings to a close a case involving 10 defendants related to a litany of crimes ranging from drug distribution to ATM thefts across the Tri-State area, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
United States District Judge Gary R. Brown confirmed the sentence for Liriano, who pled guilty back in September 2023, and this significant prison term punctuates the end of a notorious crime spree that saw the gang burglarizing businesses, pulling ATMs from their moorings and plundering pharmaceuticals between 2020 and June 2022, as stated by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
The rise and fall of the Route Boys, vividly portrayed in courthouse documents, detail a reckless journey through convenience stores, laundromats, and small pharmacies from which the gang scavenged cash, tobacco products, and controlled substances—fueling an illegal drug trade that was aggressively shielded by threats and real firepower, these details emerge from the third superseding indictment and government’s sentencing memorandum.
According to the FBI’s Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia, Liriano's reign of terror over local businesses was underpinned by a systematic campaign of burglary and coerced compliance via firearms, the culmination of inter-agency cooperation between entities such as the New York City Police Department, Nassau County Police Department, and several other law enforcement agencies has been instrumental in dismantling this network, as highlighted in the press release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Other members of the Route Boys previously received their sentences, with terms varying from five years to 15 years, reflecting their involvement in the group's widespread criminal activities, these outcomes according to records outlined by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, aim to affirm the serious consequences of undermining community safety and exacerbating the drug epidemic in the region.
