Marcus “Nacho” Pittman, 31, pleaded guilty on Dec. 10, 2025, to causing death through the use of a firearm, in connection with his participation in an armed robbery and kidnapping of two marijuana dealers in Queens, during which Pittman murdered one of the dealers in the back of a rented U-Haul van on 208th Street near 32nd Drive in Bayside, a block east of the Clearview Expressway on July 25, 2024.
“Today, the defendant was held accountable for an execution-style, drug-related killing that he carried out in our community,” U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella said. “Marcus Pittman was the trigger man of a robbery crew that traveled to our district for the purpose of kidnapping and robbing marijuana dealers. His sentence affirms that gun violence will be severely punished.”
As set forth in the government’s sentencing memorandum, prior court filings, and statements during sentencing, during the night of July 24, 2024, and into the morning of July 25, 2024, Pittman and his co-defendants carried out a violent armed robbery and kidnapping plot that resulted in the defendant shooting and killing John Doe #1 in Bayside. Pittman and his crew drove from Baltimore to New York for the purpose of robbing John Doe #1 and John Doe #2, who were both drug dealers.
Once in New York, co-defendants Jerome Waters and William Barnett met with the dealers at a Queens stash house under the guise of purchasing marijuana. Moments later, Waters and Barnett pulled out their weapons and held up the dealers, according to the court filings. They then brought in Pittman and his brother Delonte Pittman to assist them. The dealers were restrained by zip ties and forced into the back of a Jeep and the U-Haul van. Pittman and his co-defendants stole approximately 30 pounds of marijuana from the stash house.
The crew drove the dealers through Queens at gunpoint, demanding drugs and money. Co-defendant Jalon Garrett held a gun to John Doe #2 in the Jeep driven by Barnett, while Pittman held John Doe #1 at gunpoint in the back of a U-Haul driven by Calvin Israel. Soon thereafter, Pittman shot his victim multiple times in the head. After the fatal shooting, the crew returned to Baltimore. When his body was discovered by first responders, he still had a zip tie binding one of his hands and was surrounded by bags of marijuana.
“As the defendants’ pleas confirm, Marcus Pittman and his co-defendants traveled across state lines to carry out a violent robbery, kidnapped two marijuana dealers, and murdered one of them in cold blood,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. “Today’s sentencing is yet another reminder that the NYPD will continue to find, stop, and hold accountable those who drive violence in our city.”
Pittman was sentenced in Brooklyn federal court by U.S. District Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto to 27 years in federal prison.
“Marcus Pittman’s drug-related violence took a life, and this kind of criminal conduct will never be tolerated,” FBI New York Field Office Assistant Director in Charge James Barnacle said. “The FBI is resolute in pursuing those responsible for this type of harm in our communities. We will continue to dismantle the networks that fuel this brutality and ensure individuals who commit these acts are brought to justice.”
For their roles in the crime, Delonta Pittman was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment; Waters to 20 years’ imprisonment; and Garrett to 13 years’ imprisonment. Barnett is awaiting sentencing.