Elijah Bermudez, a member of the Bully Hard Hunna Blood gang, has been sentenced to 34 years in prison. The sentence was delivered by U.S. District Judge Nelson S. Román for his involvement in racketeering and firearms offenses linked to the gang's activities. Bermudez's criminal acts include the murder of Frederick Wells, a 16-year-old bystander, on June 20, 2020.
The incident stemmed from a conflict between Bully Hard and another gang, Untouchable Gorilla Stone Nation. This dispute led to further violence, including the retaliatory killing of another minor in September 2020. Brandon Soto, leader of Gorilla Stone, had previously been sentenced to 35 years for orchestrating this retaliatory attack.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton commented on the case: “Elijah Bermudez murdered Frederick Wells, an innocent 16-year-old bystander who spent his last moments running for his life, trying to escape Bermudez’s gunfire.” Clayton emphasized that Bermudez is being held accountable not only for this murder but also for other crimes committed as part of the Bully Hard gang's operations.
Bermudez was involved with Bully Hard from early 2020 until April 2022. The gang engaged in various criminal activities such as murder and drug trafficking across New York City and Upstate New York.
On June 20, 2020, during an altercation with members of Gorilla Stone in Poughkeepsie, Bermudez stabbed a rival gang member and fatally shot Wells who was present at the scene but not involved with any gang activity.
In addition to his prison term, Bermudez will face three years of supervised release following his conviction on multiple charges related to racketeering and firearm possession after a felony conviction.
Jay Clayton praised law enforcement agencies involved: "Together with our law enforcement partners," he stated they would continue efforts against gangs threatening public safety.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David R. Felton, Courtney L. Heavey, Shiva H. Logarajah, and Kevin T. Sullivan under the Office’s White Plains Division.
