Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York | Department of Justice
Hugo Rodriguez, also known as “Juice,” was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role as the leader of the Own Every Dollar (OED) gang. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and delivered by U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken.
“Too many New York neighborhoods are plagued by gang violence and drug trafficking,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “New Yorkers deserve better. The women and men of our Office will continue to target gun violence and drug trafficking.”
According to court documents and public statements, Rodriguez served as the "Duarte," or leader, of OED, which is a subset of the Trinitarios gang operating primarily in Washington Heights, Manhattan. Prosecutors have secured convictions against 22 members of OED related to five murders, more than ten attempted murders, several robberies, and running a large-scale drug operation that distributed fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine.
Rodriguez previously served time for state convictions tied to a shooting and possessing dangerous contraband while incarcerated. After being released on parole, he attempted to murder a rival gang member in Washington Heights on August 12, 2021. He also committed an armed robbery in the same neighborhood on February 14, 2022—an incident where the victim was pistol-whipped—and continued trafficking narcotics such as heroin during his parole period.
Since his arrest on August 1, 2022, Rodriguez has been held in federal custody awaiting trial. During this time he faced disciplinary action for fighting with other inmates, testing positive for methamphetamine use, and possessing an improvised weapon measuring eleven inches long. He was also prosecuted separately by federal authorities in Brooklyn for assaulting another inmate while jailed.
In addition to his prison sentence, Rodriguez received five years of supervised release following completion of his term.
Jay Clayton acknowledged the contributions from law enforcement agencies including the New York City Police Department (NYPD), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Drug Enforcement Task Force as well as local prosecutors’ offices and NYPD Task Force Officers assigned to his office.
The prosecution was managed by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah L. Kushner, Kevin Mead, Ashley C. Nicolas, and Alexandra Messiter from the Narcotics Unit.
