Crips Gang Member Charged With Ordering Murders in 2011 and 2015

Press Release Crips Gang Member Charged With Ordering Murders in 2011 and 2015 Thursday, February 20, 2025 Share FacebookLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. XLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. LinkedInLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. Email For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York RUBIN MOYE, a/k/a “Nut,” Directed Others to Kill, Leading to the August 2011 Murder of Phillip Richards and the March 2015 Murder of Michelle Cox. Matthew Podolsky, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and HSI Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Alfonso announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging Rubin Moye, a/k/a “Nut,” with ordering murders in 2011 and 2015. As alleged, MOYE, a member of the Santana Block Crips set that operated around 2000 Valentine Avenue in the Bronx, ordered the murders of rival gang members or associates, leading fellow Crips to shoot and kill Phillip Richards on August 4, 2011, and Michelle Cox on March 4, 2015, neither of whom was a member of the rival gang. In between those murders, MOYE himself shot a gang rival’s mother. MOYE, who was previously detained in federal custody on separate charges, will be presented today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken. Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said: “Rubin Moye allegedly terrorized his community for years, engaging in gang warfare on the streets and in apartment buildings in the Bronx. As alleged in the Indictment, Moye ordered fellow Crips gang members to murder rivals resulting in the shooting deaths of two people, and he personally attempted to kill a rival’s mother by shooting her in the head. These vicious crimes occurred years ago, but this Office and our partners at HSI and the NYPD do not forget the victims of violent crime, and we will not stop pursuing justice for them.”Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Alfonso said: “The defendant’s indictment for the 2011 and 2015 murders of innocent victims underscores HSI New York’s commitment to its enduring mission: the safety of our public regardless of how much time has passed. Together with our law enforcement partners, we refuse to let lawlessness run unchecked on the streets of New York City. I commend HSI’s Violent Gang Task Force, together with the NYPD and the Southern District of New York, for its unwavering pursuit of justice on behalf of our communities.” According to the allegations in the Indictment,1 MOYE was a member of the Santana Block Crips set that sold drugs and engaged in violent crimes around 2000 Valentine Avenue in the Bronx—a building known as “Two Stacks.” This Crips set engaged in racketeering activity to enrich its members, preserve and protect its power, and promote and enhance its activities in that neighborhood, and they did so through drug sales, firearms offenses, robberies, and acts involving murder. On August 4, 2011, MOYE directed a co-conspirator (“CC-1”) to kill a rival gang member (“Rival-1”) or someone associated with that rival gang member, and in the course of trying to do so, the co-conspirator shot and killed Phillip Richards, an innocent bystander, near East 181st and Lafontaine Avenue in the Bronx. On November 19, 2011, MOYE shot Rival-1’s mother in the chest and head in retaliation for Rival-1’s alleged murder of MOYE’s brother, who was a leader of MOYE’s Crips set. Rival-1’s mother survived the shooting. Additionally, on March 4, 2015, MOYE directed CC-1 and a second co-conspirator (“CC-2”) to find and kill someone associated with Rival-1. CC-1 and CC-2 then located Michelle Cox, a/k/a “Destiny,” who was a friend of Rival-1, in the stairwell of an apartment building, and CC-2 shot her in the head, killing her.* * *MOYE, 42, of the Bronx, New York, is charged with two counts of murder in aid of racketeering, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison; two counts of murder while engaged in a narcotics conspiracy, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of twenty years’ imprisonment and a maximum sentence of life; and two counts of murder through the use of a firearm, which carries a maximum sentence of life.The statutory minimum and maximum sentences are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. Mr. Podolsky praised the outstanding work of the Homeland Security Investigations’ Violent Gangs Task Force and the New York City Police Department’s Bronx Violent Crimes Squad. The case is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank Balsamello, Matthew Hellman, Michael Herman, and Ashley Nicolas are in charge of the prosecution.The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. moye_indictment.pdf 1 As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation. Updated February 20, 2025 Component USAO - New York, Southern Press Release Number: 25-036

Press Release Crips Gang Member Charged With Ordering Murders in 2011 and 2015 Thursday, February 20, 2025 Share FacebookLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. XLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. LinkedInLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. Email For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York RUBIN MOYE, a/k/a “Nut,” Directed Others to Kill, Leading to the August 2011 Murder of Phillip Richards and the March 2015 Murder of Michelle Cox. Matthew Podolsky, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and HSI Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Alfonso announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging Rubin Moye, a/k/a “Nut,” with ordering murders in 2011 and 2015. As alleged, MOYE, a member of the Santana Block Crips set that operated around 2000 Valentine Avenue in the Bronx, ordered the murders of rival gang members or associates, leading fellow Crips to shoot and kill Phillip Richards on August 4, 2011, and Michelle Cox on March 4, 2015, neither of whom was a member of the rival gang. In between those murders, MOYE himself shot a gang rival’s mother. MOYE, who was previously detained in federal custody on separate charges, will be presented today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken. Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said: “Rubin Moye allegedly terrorized his community for years, engaging in gang warfare on the streets and in apartment buildings in the Bronx. As alleged in the Indictment, Moye ordered fellow Crips gang members to murder rivals resulting in the shooting deaths of two people, and he personally attempted to kill a rival’s mother by shooting her in the head. These vicious crimes occurred years ago, but this Office and our partners at HSI and the NYPD do not forget the victims of violent crime, and we will not stop pursuing justice for them.”Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Alfonso said: “The defendant’s indictment for the 2011 and 2015 murders of innocent victims underscores HSI New York’s commitment to its enduring mission: the safety of our public regardless of how much time has passed. Together with our law enforcement partners, we refuse to let lawlessness run unchecked on the streets of New York City. I commend HSI’s Violent Gang Task Force, together with the NYPD and the Southern District of New York, for its unwavering pursuit of justice on behalf of our communities.” According to the allegations in the Indictment,1 MOYE was a member of the Santana Block Crips set that sold drugs and engaged in violent crimes around 2000 Valentine Avenue in the Bronx—a building known as “Two Stacks.” This Crips set engaged in racketeering activity to enrich its members, preserve and protect its power, and promote and enhance its activities in that neighborhood, and they did so through drug sales, firearms offenses, robberies, and acts involving murder. On August 4, 2011, MOYE directed a co-conspirator (“CC-1”) to kill a rival gang member (“Rival-1”) or someone associated with that rival gang member, and in the course of trying to do so, the co-conspirator shot and killed Phillip Richards, an innocent bystander, near East 181st and Lafontaine Avenue in the Bronx. On November 19, 2011, MOYE shot Rival-1’s mother in the chest and head in retaliation for Rival-1’s alleged murder of MOYE’s brother, who was a leader of MOYE’s Crips set. Rival-1’s mother survived the shooting. Additionally, on March 4, 2015, MOYE directed CC-1 and a second co-conspirator (“CC-2”) to find and kill someone associated with Rival-1. CC-1 and CC-2 then located Michelle Cox, a/k/a “Destiny,” who was a friend of Rival-1, in the stairwell of an apartment building, and CC-2 shot her in the head, killing her.* * *MOYE, 42, of the Bronx, New York, is charged with two counts of murder in aid of racketeering, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison; two counts of murder while engaged in a narcotics conspiracy, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of twenty years’ imprisonment and a maximum sentence of life; and two counts of murder through the use of a firearm, which carries a maximum sentence of life.The statutory minimum and maximum sentences are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. Mr. Podolsky praised the outstanding work of the Homeland Security Investigations’ Violent Gangs Task Force and the New York City Police Department’s Bronx Violent Crimes Squad. The case is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank Balsamello, Matthew Hellman, Michael Herman, and Ashley Nicolas are in charge of the prosecution.The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. moye_indictment.pdf 1 As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation. Updated February 20, 2025 Component USAO - New York, Southern Press Release Number: 25-036