John Pena, known as “Tragedy” and “Don Tragg,” the leader of the Gorilla Stone Mafia (GSM), has been sentenced to life imprisonment for two gang-related murders on Staten Island. United States District Judge Ann M. Donnelly delivered the sentence after Pena was convicted in September 2024 on six counts, including racketeering and murder in-aid-of racketeering.
Pena was found guilty of murdering Mark Bajandas on March 10, 2021, and Francisco Gonzalez on June 22, 2021. These crimes were committed in connection with his leadership of GSM, a subgroup of the Untouchable Gorilla Stone Nation, a faction of the nationwide Bloods street gang. The gang operated out of the Stapleton Houses public housing development, using intimidation and violence to protect its power and criminal activities, including drug trafficking.
United States Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr. said, “Pena sought revenge against rivals and maintained his leadership position in the Gorilla Stone Mafia gang by any means necessary. Killing a man as he slept in bed and gunning down another victim in a hail of bullets are shocking examples of Pena’s ruthlessness and disregard for human life.” FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Barnacle added that the sentence “should serve as a warning to every gangster who believes they are above the law.”
Evidence presented at trial revealed Pena's brutality. He fatally shot Mark Bajandas, a former GSM member who had defected, boasting, “I spliffed him and walked off like I was John Gotti.” Later, Pena murdered Francisco Gonzalez by shooting him three times in the head while Gonzalez slept next to Pena’s ex-girlfriend. Writings recovered from Pena’s jail cell further implicated him, with statements taking responsibility for the murders and lyrics describing turning his “opps” into “ghosts.”
The prosecution, handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Dana Rehnquist, Andrew M. Roddin, and Elias Laris, also established Pena's involvement in selling marijuana, crack cocaine, and heroin in Staten Island and Vermont. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice targeting transnational criminal organizations and violent crime.