Leader of Hempstead gang gets 10 years for murder conspiracy, officials say

A leader of the Bloods street gang in Hempstead was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison for conspiracy to murder rival gang members, according to officials.

Jonathan Mayzick, 32, of Hempstead, who authorities said was a leader of the Nine Trey Gangster set of the Bloods, already was serving a 13½ year federal sentence for narcotics distribution.

The new sentence was imposed consecutively by U.S. District Judge Sandra Feuerstein during a video conference at the U.S. District Court in Central Islip, meaning Mayzick will have to serve a total of 23½ years in federal prison.

Mayzick’s attorney, Joseph Ryan, of Melville, objected in court to the consecutive sentencing, saying that the 10 years should have been made concurrent as part of his client’s overall gang activity. Ryan said he planned to appeal. A concurrent sentence would mean that Mayzick would have had to serve only a total of 13½ years in prison.

Eastern District Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Boeckmann said Mayzick’s plea to murder conspiracy was part of a plea deal in which he would have otherwise had to face a trial in which he could have been sentenced to life in prison upon conviction. Boeckmann prosecuted the case along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Maffei.

Before he was sentenced, in asking that no time be added to his drug sentence, Mayzick said that while being jailed he had given up his gang affiliation.

"I’ve done my best to become a new person," Mayzick told the judge. "I’m a changed person. … I’ve dropped out of the gang. … I’ve found the Lord. … I’m not the person I’ve tried to impress the street with."

In imposing sentence, Judge Feuerstein said she could not base a sentence only on "future intentions," but had to take into account a number of things, including past actions and the sending of a message about the consequences of criminal conduct.

Afterward, acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District Seth DuCharme said in a written statement: "Mayzick was a leader of a murderous street gang that, in its thirst for revenge, engaged in a shooting rampage that terrorized the community and put the public at risk for over a year. ... Today’s lengthy sentence reflects the tireless efforts of this Office and its law enforcement partners to bring an end to senseless violence and loss of life and eradicate gangs like the Bloods."

Mayzick’s case was part of joint crackdown on gangs in the Hempstead area by Eastern District prosecutors, the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, the Nassau County Police Department and the Suffolk County Crime Laboratory, according to officials.

While Mayzick’s gang was "engaged in multiple shootings," they also "operated a crack cocaine trafficking business in the Hempstead area," officials said.

Mayzick was sentenced to the 13½ years in prison in 2018 for conspiracy to distribute crack, officials said.

Since 2014, more than 50 members of the Bloods and their rival Crips street gang have been arrested and prosecuted as part of a crackdown by federal prosecutors, the FBI and local police, officials said.

By Robert E. Kessler

Robert.Kessler@newsday.com

Bob Kessler covers federal law, including law enforcement agencies such as the FBI, DEA, IRS and ATF, as well as the federal courts.