Federal jurors have convicted a high-ranking Crips gang member for a murder inside a Brooklyn night club.
Larry Pagett, 39, was convicted Wednesday of a single charge of murder in-aid-of-racketeering for the Aug. 28, 2015, shooting of rival Chrispine Philip.
Pagett, a known leader of the Eight Trey Crips street gang, now faces a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment.
Prosecutors said Pagett fatally shot Philip, a member of the Folk Nation crew, inside the Buda Hookah Lounge because he blamed him for the death of a fellow gang member.
Video shown at trial showed Pagett firing shots into the crowded club, hitting Philip.
A bystander was shot in the stomach and arm, but survived.
“Motivated by his twisted allegiance to the Eight Trey Crips street gang, Pagett opened fire with a handgun in a crowded nightclub, murdering a rival in cold blood and wounding an innocent bystander,” United States Attorney Richard Donoghue said in a statement. “Today’s verdict sends the message loud and clear that wanton violence will not be tolerated in our community.”




