BK Paralegal Who Ousted 'Snitches' For Gang Member Son Gets 33 Months

NEW YORK CITY — A Brooklyn woman who helped oust "snitches" for her gang member son will join her child behind bars for a lengthy prison sentence, authorities said.

Tawanna Hilliard, 48, learned Tuesday in a federal court that she'd serve a 33-month sentence for witness intimidation.

Hilliard in 2018 used her job as a paralegal for the New Jersey United States Attorney's Office to leak evidence designed to intimidate witnesses again her son, Tyquan Hilliard, 32, a member of the 5-9 Brim gang, authorities said.

The sentence should serve as a warning for people who retaliate against witnesses, said Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, in a statement.

“The defendant, whose job it was to serve justice, instead threatened the integrity
of our justice system and the safety of government witnesses,” Peace said in a statement.

Tyquan Hilliard had pleaded guilty to witness tampering conspiracy in 2020 and received a 63-month sentence.

The case began with a 2018 armed robbery of a Monticello cell phone after which Tyquan Hilliard and two other people identified as John Doe and Jane Doe were arrested, authorities said. The two Does made video post-arrest statements to authorities investigating a spate of robberies by the 5-9 Brims, prosecutors said.

Those cooperative videos crossed Tawanna Hilliard's desk at work, and she told her son, authorities said. The mother and son, on recorded jail calls, decided to upload the videos online as "ammunition" against the witnesses, prosecutors said.

"NYC Brim Gang Member SNITCHING! Pt.1," the title of the later-uploaded video reads.

The videos racked up thousands of views and garnered threatening comments, including death threats against Jane Doe, who also heard gunshots outside her apartment, prosecutors said.