Leader of Gorilla Stone Mafia Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Two Gang-Related Murders On Staten Island

Today, John Pena, also known as "Tragedy," "Don Tragg," "Last Don" and "Money Baggz," was sentenced by United States District Judge Ann M. Donnelly to life imprisonment for murdering Mark Bajandas on March 10, 2021, and Francisco Gonzalez on June 22, 2021. Pena committed the murders in connection with his position as the 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. Pena was convicted at trial in September 2024 of 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.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, James Barnacle, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the sentence.

"Pena sought revenge against rivals and maintained his leadership position in the Gorilla Stone Mafia gang by any means necessary," stated United States Attorney Nocella. "Killing a man as he slept in bed and gunning down another victim in a hail of bullets are shocking examples of Pena's ruthlessness and disregard for human life. Today's sentence ensures he will spend the rest of his life in prison for his gruesome murders and for his role in the violence and drug trafficking unleashed on the citizens of a Staten Island community."

"Today, justice was delivered in full. The leader of Gorilla Stone Mafia, a violent gang, has been sentenced to life in prison. This violent organization has terrorized our streets long enough. This should serve as a warning to every gangster who believes they are above the law: we will find you, we will prosecute you, and we will put you away for the rest of your life. Our communities deserve to live without fear, and today, because of the FBI's Metropolitan Safe Streets Task Force, they are one step closer," stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.

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 used intimidation, threats of violence, and acts of violence to preserve and protect GSM's power, territory, and criminal activities. They also used drug trafficking as a means of obtaining money.

In the early morning hours of March 10, 2021, Pena fired multiple gunshots from close range killing Mark Bajandas, a former GSM member who had defected to the rival Bugatti set of UGSN. 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 allegedly murdered by Bugatti approximately a year earlier. A witness testified that the defendant admitted killing Bajandas, boasting "I spliffed him and walked off like I was John Gotti."

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. These included statements in which he took responsibility for the murders of Bajandas and Gonzalez, lyrics in which he wrote that "I feel like the reaper," and descriptions of turning his "opps," i.e., "opposition," into "ghost[s]." Pena also wrote about killing Gonzalez, including that Pena "left his brains on them sheets," referring to his firing shots into Gonzalez's 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 Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of 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 M. Roddin and Elias Laris are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of former Paralegal Specialist Elizabeth Reed.

The Defendant:

JOHN PENA (also known as "Tragedy," "Don Tragg," "Last Don" and Money Baggz")
Age: 34
Staten Island, New York

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