Marvin Pippins, a member of the Brooklyn-based street gang 5-9 Brims, was found guilty by a federal jury on counts of racketeering conspiracy, murder-in-aid-of racketeering, murder conspiracy, narcotics trafficking, and use of a firearm.
The verdict followed a two-week jury trial before United States District Judge Pamela Chen, and Pippins now faces a mandatory term of life imprisonment.
During the trial, Pippins admitted to committing the murder but argued that it was not a gang-related killing against a rival gang member. According to a law enforcement source, Pippins claimed that he believed the victim, Sean Peart, had murdered his brother, and he was seeking to avenge his brother’s death.
It was later revealed that Peart did not murder Pippins’s brother, as he was in California at the time of the incident. Pippins further testified that he killed Peart for his own safety, fearing he would be the next target of his brother’s killer, not to boost his status within the 5-9 Brims gang. The jury ultimately rejected this defense.
“As found by the jury, Pippins brazenly committed a gang-related murder with a gun, in broad daylight in Brooklyn, taking another human’s life on behalf of his criminal enterprise which also trafficked drugs and perpetrated fraud in our community,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace. “Pippins will now face very serious consequences for a brutal crime that was motivated by a senseless feud with rivals.”
The evidence presented at trial showed that between January 2012 and December 2019, Pippins and other members and associates of the 5-9 Brims engaged in drug trafficking and fraud, and committed acts of violence, including murder. Pippins sold crack and cocaine and committed numerous financial frauds, including possession and use of stolen identities, fraudulent checks, and access devices such as credit cards and bank account information.
The 5-9 Brims were feuding with a rival faction, known as “Real Ryte,” whose members also operated in Brooklyn. On December 19, 2015, Pippins killed Sean Peart by shooting at him six times while Peart sat in a car in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
