Brooklyn Paralegal Helped Oust 'Snitches' For Gang Member Son: Feds

BROOKLYN, NY — A Brooklyn paralegal who used her government job to oust "snitches" for her gang member son has been found guilty, according to prosecutors.

Flatbush mom Tawanna Hilliard was found guilty of witness retaliation Tuesday for the 2018 scheme, where she spurred death threats to her son's armed robbery accomplices by helping post evidence from their case online, according to prosecutors.

Hilliard was a paralegal for the New Jersey United States Attorney's Office at the time, according to prosecutors and reports.

“The defendant, a paralegal in a federal prosecutor’s office, obstructed justice to retaliate against, harass and jeopardize the safety of suspected cooperating witnesses against her gang member son,” United States Attorney Breon Peace said. “Those who brazenly commit such acts, including through the anonymity provided by the use of social media and the internet, will be investigated and prosecuted.”

Evidence from the 2018 armed robbery came across Tawanna's desk a few months after her son, Tyquan Hilliard, was arrested for hitting up a cell phone store in a string of robberies committed by his gang 5-9 Brims, according to prosecutors.

Part of the evidence were videos of Tyquan's two accomplices — a boyfriend and girlfriend who became cooperating witnesses — talking to authorities, prosecutors said.

Tyquan and Tawanna, on recorded jail calls, decided to upload the videos online as "ammunition" against the co-conspirators, who are anonymous in court records, prosecutors said.

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

The videos, one of which tagged the girlfriend on Facebook, racked up thousands of views and threatening comments, according to prosecutors.

The girlfriend, identified as Jane Doe, told authorities she heard gunshots outside her apartment as death threats poured in, according to officials.

Tawanna's guilty verdict comes after a week-long trial in Brooklyn federal court. Tyquan pleaded guilty to the witness tampering scheme back in 2020 and has since been sentenced to more than five years in prison, according to prosecutors.