Two Jamaica men were indicted by a federal grand jury in Brooklyn for the murder of a lodger at a Brighton Beach Airbnb last December in a fatal shooting that left two others wounded.
Marcus “Blaise” Ricketts, 45, and Mark “Short Man” Goulbourne, 48, were charged with murder and a slew of other crimes in a 14-count superseding indictment that was unsealed Tuesday night, June 21, according to federal prosecutors.
According to the indictment, Rocketts and Goulbourne, along with four other co-defendants, are members and associates of a Jamaica-based armed robbery crew that has been operating since at least July 2020, targeting marijuana trafficking businesses in Brooklyn, Staten Island and the Bronx. Ricketts and two members of the crew are in custody and will be arraigned at a later date. Two more co-defendants were captured in Georgia and are awaiting extradition back to New York and “Short Man” Goulbourne is still the subject of a manhunt.
“As alleged, the defendants’ robbery and drug trafficking activity exploded into violence with three persons shot, one of them fatally, demonstrating the lethal combination of guns and narcotics plaguing our communities,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said. “This office is working tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to hold these drivers of violent crime accountable and take away their means to wreak havoc.”
According to the indictment, on the morning of Dec. 2, 2021, the defendants arrived at the Brighton Beach Airbnb, which had been rented by the victim and his nephew. The defendants posed as buyers in a wholesale marijuana transaction but were allegedly looking to steal marijuana from the victim’s nephew.
Shortly after midnight on Dec. 3, the victim’s nephew and two of his associates carried in four very large duffel bags of marijuana that were about the same size as hockey equipment bags. Two hours later a shootout ensued, leaving the victim fatally wounded and his nephew with a gunshot wound to the leg. A third man was shot in the abdomen. Ricketts and Goulbourne fled the crime scene with firearms in hand, and Ricketts transported one of the duffel bags on the handlebars of a stolen Citi Bike.
Back at the Airbnb, the NYPD found the victim’s body and recovered two firearms, 15 shell casings, a money counting machine, a vacuum sealing machine, a bag containing real and counterfeit cash and a duffel bag containing vacuum-sealed bags of marijuana.
In the vicinity, the NYPD recovered two additional firearms, as well as two more duffel bags stuffed with marijuana. The total weight of the marijuana found was around 140 pounds, A fourth duffel bag was not recovered.
“The violence plaguing our streets must be addressed by stopping the violent criminals who are killing each other over illegal drugs,” FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Michael J. Driscoll said. “Innocent people are being harmed by these rivalries, and fear now dictates how we go about our lives. It has to stop. When the FNI New York and our law enforcement partners arrest and prosecute these criminals, we get closer to a safer community.”
If convicted, Ricketts and Goulbourne, and along with Goulbourne’s brother Jonathan and Romeo Jones of Georgia, all face up to life in prison. Amari Webber and Chevonne Williams face sentences of up to 20 years, and Juvanie Crossgill faces up to 15 years in prison.
“Today, New York City is safer because of the exceptional effort and steadfast dedication of everyone involved in this investigation and indictment,” NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said. “The NYPD and our law enforcement partners remain focused on the small number of people who are responsible for the crime and disorder in our city, and we are working tirelessly to identify them and get them off our streets. As demonstrated by this case, the deadly combination of drug trafficking, illegal guns and brutal violence is a grave threat to our communities, and will never be tolerated.”
