Former NYPD Cop Admits Helping Murderous Gang Leader

MOHEGAN LAKE, NY — A former New York City police officer has admitted to obstructing a federal investigation and helping a gang leader to try to evade consequences for a murder.

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced Thursday the guilty plea of Gina Mestre, 33, of Mohegan Lake.

Mestre pleaded guilty to one count of accessory after the fact to murder in aid of racketeering, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

Williams said she abused her position of public trust and betrayed the oath she took to protect and serve the citizens of New York City by helping a gang member evade capture for the murder of a rival gang member that he committed in broad daylight.

“When law enforcement officers break the laws they are sworn to uphold,” he said, “they do a disservice to their fellow officers, to the departments that employ them, and to the public they serve.”

Prosecutors said Mestre was an NYPD officer from July 2013 to May 2022 assigned to the 52nd Precinct’s Public Safety Unit. In the summer of 2020, a major focus of the unit was the reduction of gun violence, much of which was committed by members of the Shooting Boys gang.

Authorities said the Shooting Boys is a criminal organization based in the University Heights section of the Bronx. Since at least 2017, members of the gang have sold drugs, used guns and committed numerous acts of violence against rival gang members. The gang’s territory and base of operations fell within the 52nd Precinct’s jurisdiction, which was where Mestre worked.

The leader of the Shooting Boys was Andrew Done, aka “Caballo.”

In June 2020, Mestre began communicating with Done through secret social media accounts and phone numbers. They began an intimate relationship, during which Mestre provided Done and other gang members with confidential, non-public law enforcement information about the federal grand jury investigation into the Shooting Boys.

For example, prosecutors said Mestre warned Done and others that federal authorities were investigating the gang and preparing to bring a federal indictment. She also warned Done about impending law enforcement operations, enabling Done and others to conceal their criminal activity.

In addition, Mestre disclosed the identity of a witness who was cooperating with the feds and providing information about the gang, which allowed Done and other Shooting Boys to assault and intimidate the witness in an effort to prevent the witness from further cooperation.

On Nov. 5, 2020, Done shot and killed a rival gang member who was sitting in his car in the Bronx. NYPD detectives investigating the murder recovered security camera video catching Done in the act. Several members of the precinct were called upon to assist in the identification of the person captured on the video. Mestre was one of the officers who ID’d Done as the perpetrator.

During the manhunt to apprehend Done, of which Mestre was a part, Mestre covertly advised Done that authorities were looking for him and sent Done a copy of the video that showed him committing the murder — making clear to Done that the evidence against him was overwhelming.

In the weeks following the murder, Mestre continued to secretly communicate with Done and warn him about law enforcement’s efforts to capture him, which helped him avoid getting caught and fleeing from the U.S.

During this time, when authorities were trying to locate Done, Mestre was aware of the cell phone numbers being used by Done, communicated with Done while he used those phones and knew that the phone numbers could be used by law enforcement to track Done’s location. Despite that, she failed to share information about Done’s phone numbers with other law enforcement officers.

In March 2022, 10 members of the Shooting Boys were charged in a 15-count indictment with various federal crimes, including racketeering conspiracy and murder. Done was charged with the murder of the rival gang member and was taken into custody in the Dominican Republic several months later.

On Nov. 17, 2022, Done pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and murder of the rival gang member. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison Feb. 22.