Man sentenced in drugging, robbery scheme outside NYC nightclubs
One of the men involved in a deadly scheme to drug and rob victims outside Manhattan nightclubs was sentenced Thursday.
Andre Butts received an eight-year sentence for his role in the crime spree. He previously pleaded guilty to robbery and conspiracy charges in the case.
"Andre Butts is now facing accountability for his role in this deadly and callous conspiracy. He admitted to participating in multiple robberies using fentanyl-laced drugs to incapacitate victims, so he and his co-defendants could drain money from their financial accounts," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement Thursday. "While it is fortunate that the victims targeted by Mr. Butts survived, I know they are still suffering from the trauma of this incident and hope they can continue to heal. We are going to continue to prosecute anyone who commits this type of harmful conduct, while also taking proactive measures to help Manhattanites keep their financial accounts and information secure."
The district attorney's office said Butts and other men targeted one victim outside The Q NYC in Hell's Kitchen on March 18, 2022. They went back to his Union Square hotel, where they gave him fentanyl-laced drugs, then put his limp body into a luggage cart and brought him to his room and stole his phone. When the victim woke up, he could see unauthorized charges on his accounts.
Butts was involved in a similar scheme the following month on the Lower East Side, according to the DA's office. Both of the victims in these incidents survived.
Hell's Kitchen drugging, robbery scheme turns deadly
Last month, three other men were convicted on more serious charges in the case, including murder in the deaths of Julio Ramirez and John Umberger. They are set to be sentenced on April 4.
Prosecutors said Jayqwan Hamilton, Robert DeMaio and Jacob Barroso ran the scheme outside Manhattan gay bars and nightclubs from 2021 to 2022, befriending seemingly intoxicated people and offering them substances laced with fentanyl, all in order to incapacitate them and steal their cellphones, credit cards and other personal information.
According to the indictment, Hamilton and Barroso approached 25-year-old Ramirez outside a bar in April 2022, then left him incapacitated in a cab and stole his phone and other property. Fentanyl and heroin were found in his system.
The jury also found that Hamilton and DeMaio approached 33-year-old Umberger, a political consultant, outside a club in May 2022 and eventually left him incapacitated in an apartment and stole thousands of dollars.
Another alleged victim told jurors they went back to his place, drank some beer and smoked marijuana, and that's the last thing he remembered. When he woke up, his phone, laptop and wallet were gone, as well as all the prescription medication in his bathroom.
