Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
A federal court in Boston sentenced Damien Willette of Peabody, Massachusetts, to 51 months in prison on April 28 for making threats of physical violence to extort money from two victims. The sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release.
Willette, age 31, pleaded guilty in September 2025 to conspiracy and making interstate communications with intent to extort. He was indicted along with William Walley and Michael O’Shea in March 2025. According to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, Willette threatened a former Gangster Disciple he had recruited (Victim 2) and that person's romantic partner (Victim 1) while serving time in state prison.
Willette expected Victim 2 and later Victim 1 to provide financial support during his incarceration from November 2020 through May 2024—a practice known within the gang as “aid and assistance.” When Victim 2 tried to leave the gang after being recruited, Willette began threatening both victims if they stopped sending money. In March 2023, Willette warned them that failing to pay would result in violence: he specified that gang members would pistol whip them and said "it’s going to be bad for you and everyone you know" if payments ceased.
Michael O’Shea received a similar sentence of 51 months earlier this year. The remaining defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley said valuable assistance came from multiple agencies: “United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today.”
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts advances community initiatives on civil rights and violence prevention according to the official website. The office maintains facilities at John Joseph Moakley United States Federal Courthouse in Boston as well as branch offices across Springfield and Worcester according to its official website. It is part of the United States Department of Justice according to its official website.
Employing over two hundred attorneys, paralegals, and professional staff according to its official website, it enforces federal laws through prosecutions including national security threats and civil rights violations according to its official website. Serving all residents statewide according to its official website, it handles prosecutions of federal crimes along with civil litigation on behalf of the United States government—tracing its origins back as one of America’s earliest such entities founded in 1789 according to its official website.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip C. Cheng as part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative using resources from multiple Department programs targeting violent crime.
