Chelsey Harris, 24, from The Bronx, and Karl Smith, a Queens man, 27, have pled guilty in federal court for their role in orchestrating a shooting that killed Clarisa Burgos, an innocent bystander, federal prosecutors announced Friday, July 18.

 

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton joined NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch to announce that Karl Smith a/k/a “Pacavell,” pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Paul E. Engelmayer on July 17 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 8, while Chelsey Harris, a/k/a “Ms. Chinn,” pled guilty on June 26, and is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 6.

 

They said two other defendants, Dajahn McBean, a/k/a “Jeezy Mula,” a/k/a “Freeze,” and Julissa Bartholomew, a/k/a “Trophy,” a/k/a “Tactical Mommy,” have also been charged and are awaiting trial.

 

“Karl Smith and Chelsey Harris participated in an elaborate plot to murder their victim, setting him up to be shot multiple times at several locations across New York City in December 2023,” Clayton said.

 

“During one of those shootings, an innocent bystander, Clarisa Burgos, was tragically killed. Thanks to the hard work of the prosecutors in this Office and our law enforcement partners, Smith and Harris will now be held to account for this heinous crime. We and the NYPD are committed to making our streets safer and will tirelessly fight against gun crime.”

 

For her part, Tisch said, “This wasn’t random gunfire. It was a calculated plot to carry out a murder on New York City streets, and an innocent woman paid the price. It’s a stark reminder of how reckless, calculated violence puts innocent New Yorkers in the line of fire. I commend our detectives and federal partners for their unrelenting work to take violent criminals off the streets and hold them accountable.”

 

As alleged in public court filings, statements at public court proceedings, and the charging documents in the case, in December 2023, McBean was detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn (MDC Brooklyn) awaiting sentencing for directing a separate gang-related shooting in January 2017.

 

While in federal custody, McBean feuded over social media with another person (“Victim 1”). McBean then used a contraband cellphone from inside MDC Brooklyn to conspire with Smith and Harris, who were free in the community, to lure Victim 1 to various nightclubs in New York City where McBean had arranged for gunmen to kill Victim 1.

 

The court heard that McBean paid Smith and Harris through intermediaries, including Bartholomew for their roles in the scheme. The plot to kill Victim 1 resulted in two shootings. First, on Dec. 24, 2023, McBean and his co-conspirators lured Victim 1 to a nightclub (Club 1) in Queens. Outside Club 1, gunmen shot and struck Victim 1’s car multiple times but missed the victim.

 

Prosecutors said that later on Dec. 26, 2023, McBean and his co-conspirators tried again to kill Victim 1, this time luring him to a different nightclub (Club 2) in Queens. At McBean’s direction from within MDC Brooklyn, gunmen again fired on Victim1’s car when it was parked outside Club 2. The bullets struck Victim 1 multiple times, but the victim survived. The bullets also struck and killed Clarisa Burgos, who was seated in Victim 1’s car. Burgos was 28 years old.

 

The court heard that Smith and Harris each pled guilty to stalking resulting in life threatening bodily injury and death, which carries a maximum term of life in prison. Smith also pled guilty to aiding and abetting the discharge of a firearm in furtherance of the plot to kill Victim 1, which carries a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison.

 

Meanwhile, Harris additionally pled guilty to aiding and abetting the possession of a firearm in furtherance of the plot to kill Victim 1, which carries mandatory minimum term of five years in prison. The mandatory minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.

 

Clayton praised the work of the U.S. Secret Service financial crimes task force and the NYPD and also thanked the special agents from Homeland Security Investigations’ El Dorado task force for their assistance in the investigation, adding that the investigation is ongoing.

 

This case is being handled by the Office of the U.S. Attorneys for the Southern District of New York’s violent & organized crime unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan W. Allison, Andrew Chan, Dominic Gentile, and Timothy Ly are leading the prosecution.

 

The defendants are deemed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.