Leader of Gorilla Stone Mafia Gang Convicted of Two Murders on Staten Island and Drug Distribution

Today, a federal jury in Brooklyn returned a guilty verdict against John Pena, leader of the Gorilla Stone Mafia (GSM), a subgroup of the Untouchable Gorilla Stone Nation (UGSN), which is a faction of the nationwide Bloods street gang. The jury convicted Pena, also known as “Tragedy,” “Don Tragg,” “Last Don” and “Money Baggz,” on all six counts of a second superseding indictment charging him with racketeering; murder in-aid-of racketeering; causing death through use of a firearm; unlawful possession, brandishing and discharge of a firearm; being a felon in possession of ammunition; and conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana and crack cocaine.  Pena was convicted of murdering Mark Bajandas on March 10, 2021, and Francisco Gonzalez on June 22, 2021, on behalf of GSM.  The verdict followed a seven-day trial before United States District Judge Ann M. Donnelly.  When sentenced, Pena faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, James E. Dennehy, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Thomas G. Donlon, Interim Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the verdict.

As the evidence proved, Pena was consumed by seeking revenge against rivals and maintaining his leadership position in the Gorilla Stone Mafia gang by any means necessary,” stated United States Attorney Peace.  “Killing a man as he slept in bed and shooting another man with a dozen bullets are shocking examples of Pena’s ruthlessness.  Today’s verdict ensures he will spend the rest of his life in prison for his direct role in the extreme violence and drug trafficking wreaked on a Staten Island community.” 

Mr. Peace thanked the U.S. Marshals Service for their assistance.

“Today’s guilty verdict is a direct result of the focused and collaborative efforts of dedicated investigators from the NYPD, FBI, and the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York,” stated Interim NYPD Commissioner Donlon.  “Gang activity, especially the carrying and indiscriminate shooting of illegal guns on our streets, instills fear in the daily lives of New Yorkers. It is crucial that we and our law enforcement partners continue to target and dismantle these criminal groups, and work toward preventing the violence that is so often associated with their activities.”

As proven at trial, Pena committed the crimes of conviction in connection with his leadership of GSM, which operated out of the Stapleton Houses, a public housing development on Staten Island.  Members of GSM use intimidation, threats of violence and acts of violence to preserve and protect GSM’s power, territory and criminal activities.  They also use drug trafficking as a means of obtaining money.

In the early morning hours of March 10, 2021, Pena fired multiple gunshots from close range at Mark Bajandas, also known as “Drama,” a former GSM associate and perceived rival, killing him.  Bajandas, a former GSM member who had defected to the rival Bugatti set of USGN, suffered at least 12 gunshot wounds.  The murder occurred after Pena and Bajandas had attended a memorial earlier in the evening to commemorate the death of Avanti Brock, a former GSM member who was murdered allegedly by Bugatti approximately one year earlier. 

On June 22, 2021, Pena murdered Francisco Gonzalez, a former GSM member, by shooting him three times in the head while Gonzalez was asleep in bed next to Pena’s ex-girlfriend. 

Law enforcement recovered writings from Pena’s jail cell at the Metropolitan Detention Center that included statements in which he took responsibility for the murders of Bajandas and Gonzalez, such as: “Kuz I Turn all my opps into ghost / Francisco I mix them N / Mark / A … shhh / Gotta chill … they don’t Know / Lately how I feel / Like the reaper / If I spot em I’m snatching his soul.”  Pena also wrote about killing Gonzalez, including: “left his brains on them sheets man what was he thinkin’?,” referring to the fact that he had shot Gonzalez in the head while Gonzalez was asleep in bed.

Witness testimony and evidence obtained from cell phones proved that GSM members enriched themselves by selling controlled substances in and around the Stapleton Houses and also in Vermont, and that Pena was involved in the sale and distribution of marijuana, crack cocaine and heroin.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  As part of the program, U.S. Attorney’s Offices work in partnership with federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement and their local communities to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section.  Assistant United States  Attorneys Dana Rehnquist, Andrew Roddin and Elias Laris are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Elizabeth Reed and Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Galeotti.

The Defendant:

JOHN PENA (also known as “Tragedy,” “Don Tragg,” “Last Don” and Money Baggz”)
Age:  32
Staten Island, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No.:  21-CR-176 (S-2) (AMD)