Early this morning, Jalon Lenny Garrett, known on the street as "Lips," was arrested in Baltimore on charges of robbery, kidnapping, and the shooting death of a marijuana dealer in Queens last summer. Detailed in a second superseding indictment unsealed in Brooklyn Federal Court, Garrett and three others allegedly took part in a violent, fatal robbery incident on July 25, 2024. Garrett's initial court appearance is set for a date yet to be announced in the Eastern District of New York, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of New York.
Also named in the indictment are Marcus Pittman, "Nacho" or "Cheese," who faces additional charges for being a felon in possession of ammunition, and his alleged accomplices, Delonta Pittman, "D Lo," and Jerome Waters, "the Engineer" or "Rome." These arrests, and the charges, reflect a continued crackdown on gun and drug-driven violence in our communities. United States Attorney John J. Durham remarked, “This Office is committed to holding violent offenders accountable and ensuring justice for, every victim,” as cited by the DOJ's release.
The indictment describes a plot in which defendants traveled from Maryland to Queens with intentions to rob drug dealers. According to the DOJ report, the suspect group, including Garrett, encountered the victims at a Queens stash house under the false pretense of buying marijuana. There, Waters and Barnett brandished firearms, zip-tied the dealers, and with the assistance of Garrett and others, robbed the stash house and kidnapped the victims, escaping with roughly 30 pounds of marijuana.
What followed was a grim display of criminality: The defendants took the bound victims on a harrowing drive through Queens, where Marcus Pittman fatally shot one of them in a U-Haul van. That victim, identified only as John Doe #1, was later found with his hands still zip-tied, surrounded by the stolen marijuana. "These four defendants allegedly traveled across the northeast to brutally kidnap and rob two unsuspecting individuals, ultimately murdering one of the victims," FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Christopher G. Raia stated, as per, the DOJ release.
If convicted, the defendants face severe sentences: life imprisonment for Marcus Pittman, Delonta Pittman, and Waters, and a mandatory minimum of ten years for Garrett, with the potential for a life sentence. It should be noted the charges are merely allegations until proven in court, where all defendants are presumed innocent until found guilty. The case, part of Project Safe Neighborhoods—a collaborative initiative aimed at reducing violent crime in communities—is led by the Office's International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section with Assistant United States Attorneys Chand Edwards-Balfour and Adam Amir at the helm.
