Bronx Man Charged With 2012 Murder Of Michael Perez

U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said:  “As alleged in the Indictment, almost nine years ago, Shareef Landsmark executed Michael Perez in the streets of the Bronx.  Thanks to the perseverance of the NYPD, Landsmark now stands charged in federal court.”

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said:  “Today’s charges prove that the best investigators in the world will never cease to secure justice that is owed to victims and their families.  I would like to thank the NYPD Detectives, our law enforcement partners, and the prosecutors of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York for their dedication to this investigation.”

As alleged in the Indictment^[[1]] unsealed yesterday in Manhattan federal court:

On September 17, 2012, LANDSMARK was hired by a co-conspirator to kill Michael Perez in furtherance of a conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine.  Later that night, LANDSMARK shot and killed Perez, who was standing in the street near the intersection of East 213th Street and Willett Avenue in the Bronx.

*                *                *

LANDSMARK, 35, from the Bronx, New York, is charged with one count of murder through use of a firearm, which carries a maximum penalty of death or life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison; one count of murder in connection with a drug trafficking crime, which carries a maximum penalty of death or life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison; and one count of murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum penalty of death or life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison.

The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for information purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

 Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding work of the NYPD.  She also thanked the Special Agents of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York for their assistance in the investigation.

The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit.  Assistant United States Attorneys Alexandra Rothman and Adam Hobson are in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.