Cops: Five charged in robbery scheme that drugged NYC clubgoers

Five men face multiple charges for their roles in a robbery crew that targeted numerous downtown Manhattan club-goers by incapacitating them with dangerous fentanyl concoctions, leading to at least two overdose deaths, officials said Tuesday.

The alleged gang members stalked patrons of clubs, including the well-known gay venue Q NYC, and drugged them in order to steal their cellphones, credit cards and other personal information to allow access to bank accounts, according to charges unsealed in a Manhattan state court indictment.

In two cases, victims Julio Ramirez and John Umberger died from combinations of fentanyl and other substances — overdoses that raised fear among New Yorkers, said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

A total of 17 robberies, as well as two additional drug overdose deaths, are being investigated as part of a large-scale robbery pattern that ran from September 2021 to August 2022.

“There were many victims, they were targeted for robbery and many of the victims are from our LGBTQIA+ community,” NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said in a joint news conference Tuesday with Bragg and Mayor Eric Adams.

Suspected ringleader Jayqwan Hamilton, 35, of Brooklyn, was arrested Monday without incident in Manhattan on numerous charges, including second-degree murder in both homicides, Sewell said.

Also charged with second-degree murder were Robert DeMaio, 34, of Brooklyn and Jacob Barroso, 29, of New Britain, Connecticut. Hamilton, DeMaio and Barroso were also charged with identity theft, conspiracy, grand larceny and robbery, officials said.

Hamilton's arraignment was pending Tuesday and Barroso and DeMaio were ordered held, according to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.

Two other suspects, Andre Butts, 27, of Brooklyn, and Shane Hoskins, 30, of Manhattan, face robbery, identity theft, grand larceny and conspiracy charges, officials said.

The homicides, as well as the pattern of similar attacks around the city, sparked concern the LGBTQ community was being targeted. But Bragg said there was no evidence to bring charges that the killings were hate crimes under New York State law.

However, Bragg urged other members of the public who think they were victims of the suspected robbers to come forward with information by calling a special hot line at 212-335-9040.

Adams, an avid fan of and participant in New York City nightlife, applauded the arrests and charges and said the case allowed the police to get “dangerous people off the streets.”

Ramirez, 25, reportedly a social worker, was seen leaving the Ritz Bar in Manhattan on April 21, 2022. He was found incapacitated in a cab an hour later and died from what authorities said was a combination of drugs, including fentanyl. Ramirez’s cellphone and other property were stolen, according to police.

Umberger, 33, a consultant from Washington, D.C., was approached outside the Q NYC club on May 28, 2022. Some 90 minutes later, Umberger was found incapacitated in an apartment. He died from a combination of drugs that included fentanyl, police said.

By Anthony M. DeStefano

tony.destefano@newsday.comtonynewsday

Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.