Six gang members who preyed on men at NYC gay clubs indicted for drugging, murdering 2

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Senior News Editor since 2004



Six gang members who preyed on men at NYC gay clubs indicted for drugging, murdering 2​



By
Miranda Devine


March 24, 2023 7:58pm
Updated





Drinks
6 members of a gang that preyed on gay men at Hell's Kitchen nightclubs have been indicted over the "roofie" murders of John Umberger and Julio Ramirez. Getty Images








Six members of a gang that preyed on gay men at Hell’s Kitchen nightclubs have been indicted over the “roofie” murders of John Umberger and Julio Ramirez last year.
Warrants were issued Friday afternoon for the arrest of three of the men for first-degree murder, while all six men have been hit with charges of grand larceny and first-degree robbery as well as conspiracy to drug and rob at least a dozen victims.
Umberger, 33, and Ramirez, 25, died from “acute intoxication” from a mix of fentanyl, cocaine, ethanol and other drugs, the city Medical Examiner found on March 3.
Both men were victims of homicides caused by “drug-facilitated thefts,” after leaving the Q NYC and Ritz Bar and Lounge gay nightclubs, the ME found.
Umberger’s mother Linda Clary paid tribute to NYPD Detective Randy Rose for cracking the case after he connected the deaths of her son and Ramirez. Rose realized a gang was operating in Hell’s Kitchen gay clubs, drugging victims and using cash apps on their phones to steal tens of thousands of dollars from their bank accounts.

John Umberger
Umberger (pictured) and Ramirez were victims of homicides caused by “drug-facilitated thefts” and died from “acute intoxication from a mix of fentanyl, cocaine, ethanol and other drugs.”AP
“Without the hard work and dedication of NYPD Detective Randy Rose and countless others we would be nowhere,” Clary said.


“Detective Rose has been the greatest blessing in this tragedy. He is professional, committed and excellent at his job. I wish there were more of him.”


Umberger, a Washington, DC, political consultant, disappeared on Saturday, May 28, 2022, after a night out at The Q NYC, a gay nightclub at 795 Eighth Ave, while visiting New York for work.

Julio Ramirez
NYPD Detective Randy Rose cracked the case after he connected the deaths of Umberger and Ramirez.Instagram
His credit card was used around 3 a.m. at the club and he was last seen an hour later on a surveillance camera with three unidentified men in a car outside the Upper East Side townhouse where he was staying.


His body was found four days later, on June 1, in a fifth-floor apartment of a townhouse at 34 E. 61st St., which is owned by conservative lawyer Jay Sekulow’s American Center for Law and Justice, where Umberger was director of diplomacy and political programs.


His cellphone and credit cards were missing. More than $25,000 had been transferred out of his accounts through cash apps on his phone such as Venmo and PayPal.


Five weeks earlier, on Thursday, April 21, in similar circumstances, Brooklyn social worker Julio Ramirez, 25, was found dead in the back of a taxi on the Lower East Side at about 4 am.


An hour earlier he had been captured by a security camera with three unidentified men leaving the Ritz Bar and Lounge, a gay club on West 46th Street, two blocks from Q NYC.


Like Umberger, Ramirez’ phone and wallet were missing, and his bank accounts had been emptied of about $20,000 via apps such as Venmo and Zelle; later his credit cards were maxed out on expensive dinners and spa services.
 
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https://nypost.com/2023/04/18/alleg...-connection-to-nyc-gay-nightclub-drug-deaths/

Final suspect arrested in connection to NYC gay nightclub drug deaths​



By
Joe Marino,
Craig McCarthy and
Bernadette Hogan


April 18, 2023 11:55am
Updated





Jacob Barroso (left), Jayqwan Hamilton (center) and Robert Demaio
Three men have been charged in two deaths as well as 15 other drug robberies. DCPI





The final suspect wanted in a string of druggings and robberies targeting patrons at gay nightclubs in the Big Apple — which caused the overdose deaths of two men — has been caught, police said Tuesday.
Jayqwan Hamilton, 35, was indicted on two counts of murder as well as multiple counts of grand larceny, robbery, identity theft and conspiracy in connection to 17 robberies in the Big Apple between March 2021 and July 2022, Manhattan prosecutors said.
Hamilton — nabbed in Manhattan at around noon on Monday — was part of a ruthless five-man crew that terrorized Manhattan’s LGBTQ nightlife over the 15-month stretch, using drugs to incapacitate men they met in and around bars, authorities said.
“Their motive, we allege, was simple: to make money,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said at a press conference. “They approach people leaving bars and nightclubs late at night, engage them in conversation and offer them illicit and dangerous substances.”
The alleged nefarious scheme — which The Post first shed light on in November 2022 — caused the deaths of two Hells Kitchen clubgoers, John Umberger, 33, and Julio Ramirez, 25, last year.
According to the city’s Medical Examiner, both died from “acute intoxication” from a mix of fentanyl, cocaine, ethanol and other drugs.

The NYPD has arrested a third suspect wanted in connection to the deaths of two men found drugged after leaving gay bars in Hellâs Kitchen.Jayqwan Hamilton is the alleged ringleader of the crew. FOX 5 NY
Mayor Eric Adams decried the crimes as “clearly rooted in greed and with total disregard for the victims.”


Bragg — one day removed from getting ripped by the House Judiciary Committee over his progressive policies — announced the final bust at a press conference Tuesday afternoon in One Police Plaza, joined by Adams and Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell.


Police have already caught up to four of Hamilton’s alleged cronies, Andrew Butt, 27; Shane Hoskins, 30; Robert Demaio, 34, and Jacob Barroso, 30, all of whom were indicted in early March.


Police said some of the victims were roommates of those the crew targeted at clubs.


Ramirez, a social worker from Brooklyn, was last seen alive on surveillance footage leaving the Ritz Bar and Lounge, a gay club on West 46th Street, in a taxi with three men on April 21, 2022.


He was later found dead in the back of a taxi from a drug overdose, robbed of his phone and wallet.

Robert DemaioRobert Demaio while being arraigned for his alleged role in the crimes.Steven Hirsch Jacob Barroso during his arraignment.Jacob Barroso during his arraignment.Steven Hirsch
“His cell phone was used to make numerous transfers from bank accounts and purchase sneakers,” NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig told reporters.


Nearly $20,000 was drained from his account using cash apps, such as Venmo and Paypal.


Four weeks later, Umberger, a DC political consultant, went missing after leaving The Q NYC, a gay nightclub at 795 Eighth Ave. He was found four days later on the fifth floor of an East 61st Street townhouse.


Like Ramirez, Umberger was robbed and about $25,000 was missing from his accounts.


Cops would later connect the two deaths through “similar fact patterns,” Essig said.

[IMG alt="
Julio Ramirez"]https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploa...PICHPDPICT000002270222.jpg?w=820[/IMG]Ramirez was found dead in the back of a taxi.
Hamilton was caught on camera allegedly using both of the victims’ credit cards to make illegal purchases, the chief said.


The crew was also seen entering and leaving the townhouse where Umberger was found and driving off in a red Dodge Durango, which was rented to Demaio, according to Essig.


When cops arrested Demaio, they found two videos showing him, Hamiltonand an “apparently unconscious” Umberger lying in the same position as when cops would later find him dead, Essig said.


“In addition to the pain their deaths have caused for their family and loved ones, I know that many other New Yorkers have feared for their own safety when going out to meet up with friends,” Bragg said.

John Umberger
Umberger died of a drug overdose after being robbed.
“If other members of the public believe they have been the victims of similar incidents, I encourage them to call our help line at 212-335-9040.”




Sewell said joint work of cops and prosecutors on the case “crystallizes the NYPD’s commitment to bringing callous criminals to justice, particularly those who would turn illegal drugs into weapons to prey on the innocent.”


Hamilton appeared Tuesday afternoon in Manhattan Supreme Court where he pleaded not guilty to the indictment. A judge ordered him jailed without bail until his next court appearance June 8.
 
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