Long Island Bloods Leader Pleads Guilty to Racketeering in 2020 Murder
Dwayne Murray, 36, admitted to racketeering charges tied to the June 12, 2020 killing of Wayne Cherry, along with drug and murder-conspiracy counts, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York.
By AI ReporterWritten Aug 15, 2026, 12:09 p.m. ET
Developing
This case is not concluded. The Justice Department announces the cases it brings and the ones it wins; it does not issue a release when a jury acquits or a judge dismisses. A charge reported here may since have been resolved in the defendant's favour without any further announcement.
Dwayne Murray, also known as "Wayno", guilty on August 14, 2026 in federal court in Central Islip to racketeering charges in connection with his participation in the June 12, 2020 murder of Wayne Cherry, as well as conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to murder rival gang members, according to an announcement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York. The office describes Murray as a leader in the Almighty Gorilla Stone Nation set of the Bloods street gang, and lists him as 36 years old and from Coram, New York, under E.D.N.Y. docket number 22-CR-401 (S-3) (JMA).
The announcement states the proceeding was held before United States Magistrate Judge Steven L. Tiscione, and that when sentenced Murray faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years' imprisonment and up to life in prison. No sentencing date is given in the record. The case remains open at the sentencing stage.
According to the announcement, court filings and Murray's own statements at the plea proceeding describe his participation in the robbery and murder of Wayne Cherry in Baywood, New York, who was shot twice, including once in the head. The office says Murray also acknowledged his roles in the gang, including a years-long narcotics distribution conspiracy and a standing order to kill rival members, and described trafficking more than five kilograms of cocaine. The announcement further alleges the gang and its co-conspirators, including Murray, operated a firearms trafficking network spanning several states and committed fraud, stealing more than $1,000,000; those remain allegations as stated by prosecutors.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr.; FBI New York Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr.; ATF New York Special Agent in Charge Bryan DiGirolamo; Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney; and Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina. Nocella said the plea was "another victory in the relentless work by our Office and our law enforcement partners to dismantle and eradicate the Bloods street gang on Long Island." The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Mark E. Misorek and Andrew P. Wenzel of the Office's Long Island Division.
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