Man sentenced to 8 years for deadly Manhattan nightclub druggings in robbery scheme: Bragg

Andre Butts, who admitted to his role in a drugging and robbery scheme that turned deadly in Manhattan in 2022, has been sentenced to eight years behind bars.

The sentencing was handed down on Thursday after Butts previously pleaded guilty to robbery and conspiracy charges. He did not speak when he was given the opportunity.

Butts worked alongside Robert DeMaio, Jayqwan Hamilton, and Jacob Barroso, all of whom were convicted following a trial, to befriend men at bars and clubs before lacing their drinks with fentanyl, leaving them unconscious. The group would then either take them back to hotels or leave them in the back of a cab after robbing them of their credit cards and cell phones.

While Butts’ victims survived their ordeal, others in the scheme were not so lucky. The druggings made headlines when things turned fatal and left members of the gay community feeling like they were being targeted.  [caption id="attachment_137752368" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Weeks after Ramirez’s death, hundreds marched through Midtown Manhattan to demand answers and justice in the killing.Photo by Dean Moses[/caption]

Julio Ramirez was approached outside of the Ritz bar at 369 West 46th St. on April 21, 2022, by the three men before bundling into a taxi together. By the end of that ride, Ramirez had died from a drug overdose. According to police, the perpetrators took Ramirez’s phone and transferred money to different bank accounts to make purchases, including a pair of sneakers.

Butts himself was caught on video buying the shoes, although he was not directly accused of his death.

John Umberger, the second victim, was found dead inside of his Upper East Side apartment on May 26. Detectives would discover fraudulent charges on the victim’s credit cards and in the bank accounts, including thousands of dollars of unauthorized Cash App transfers—connections were made when authorities found that this was a similar pattern to Ramirez’s death.

“Andre Butts is now facing accountability for his role in this deadly and callous conspiracy. He admitted to participating in multiple robberies using fentanyl-laced drugs to incapacitate victims so he and his co-defendants could drain money from their financial accounts," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said. "While it is fortunate that the victims targeted by Mr. Butts survived, I know they are still suffering from the trauma of this incident and hope they can continue to heal."

Cohorts DeMaio, Hamilton, and Barroso will likely face hefty sentences next month when they are set to be sentenced on April 4.