Federal prosecutors say four members of a violent Rochester drug gang have been sentenced for crimes including drug trafficking and murder.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says 34-year-old Tyshawn Simmons will serve 27.5 years in prison for the murder of Ryan Adams. Franklin Brock Jr. was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine; he’ll to to prison for ten years. His father, Franklin Brock Sr, will serve five years’ probation for drug possession. Tyshawn Simmons’ girlfriend, Tina McDonald, was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute heroin. She’ll spent 18 months in prison.
Prosecutor Everardo Rodriguez says Simmons murdered Ryan Adams in 2012 because he thought Adams had cooperated with police.
The drug ring operated for years in Rochester, using violence to get rid of competitors, until taken down by a joint federal-local investigation. Other members of the operation have already been sentenced to long prison terms.