A former dean at a New York City high school who was also the leader of a violent street in the Bronx was convicted of killing a man on the street in a turf battle over drug trafficking, according to prosecutors.
Israel Garcia was found guilty Wednesday on a slew of offenses including multiple murder and narcotics charges, as well as witness tampering and weapon possession, said U.S Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams.
The 32-year-old Garcia, also known as “Shorty Rock,” was formerly the leader of the Get Money Gunnaz, which is part of the larger Young Gunnaz street gang, prosecutors announced Thursday. Garcia led the group for more than a decade, during which time he was in control of the distribution of drugs in the area of East 184th Street and Morris Avenue in Fordham Heights, according to court documents.
The armed gang members would allegedly engage in back-and-forth gunfights with rival crews in the area. During one of the shootouts, on Oct. 11, 2010, 21-year-old Alphonso “Joey” McClinton was shot and killed.
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Soon after, gang member Joseph “Juice” Johnson was arrested and later convicted in the killing, prosecutors said, but ballistics and video evidence revealed there was another gunman responsible for McClinton’s death. Based on the evidence and witness testimony, Garcia was determined to be the second shooter.
Williams said the gang that Garcia led had been “warring with Joey McClinton’s family over drug territory” in the Bronx, and the killing helped cement his position as leader and solidify their hold on drug trafficking in the area.
“For the next decade, Garcia led the GMG YGz’s reign of terror over the neighborhood, recruiting children and others into a drug trafficking enterprise that poisoned the community with crack cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl, and protecting his drug turf with firearms and violence. Over time, Garcia attempted to create the façade of a law-abiding citizen, becoming the dean of a local high school in order to mask that he was still running the GMG YGz’s violence and drug trafficking,” said Williams. “Yesterday, a unanimous jury held Garcia accountable for his brutal killing of Joey McClinton and for ruining countless other lives.”
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In addition to the murder charges he faced, Garcia was also accused of taking steps to prevent Johnson from identifying him as the other gunman after he became concerned that Johnson might cooperate with police.
Garcia faces multiple life sentences. Attorney information for Garcia was not immediately available.
