Jay Clayton, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that Luis Filpo has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. Filpo was convicted for the murder of Roberto Vasquez, a 24-year-old bystander mistaken for a gang rival. He had previously pled guilty to conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering. U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer imposed the sentence, which will run consecutively to a state sentence Filpo is currently serving.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton stated: “Luis Filpo walked up to a car and opened fire, killing Vasquez and wounding another occupant. What makes this brazen and senseless crime even more tragic is that Filpo wrongly believed Vasquez was a gang rival. Thanks to the hard work of the women and men of the Office and our law enforcement partners, Filpo will be held accountable for his crimes, and gang members are on notice that combatting gang-related crime is a priority of Federal law enforcement.”
According to public filings and court proceedings:
From at least 2016 through March 2020, Filpo was involved with "the 200s," a street gang operating in Manhattan's Inwood neighborhood. The gang engaged in narcotics trafficking and violence, including murder, to fund its activities and maintain its territory.
On January 31, 2019, believing Vasquez was an enemy gang member, Filpo followed him along with other members of the 200s. When Vasquez's vehicle parked, Filpo approached it and fired shots into the car, resulting in Vasquez's death at age 24.
In delivering the sentence, Judge Engelmayer commented on the severity of Filpo’s actions by stating that his crime was “as serious as it gets,” noting that he acted as “judge, jury and executioner.”
In addition to his prison term, Luis Filpo has been sentenced to three years of supervised release.
Mr. Clayton commended the investigative efforts made by both the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and New York City Police Department (NYPD).
The case falls under the jurisdiction of the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mathew S. Andrews, Frank J. Balsamello, Patrick R. Moroney, and Thomas J. Wright overseeing prosecution duties.