Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., today announced the prison sentences of JAYQWAN HAMILTON, 37, ROBERT DEMAIO, 36, and JACOB BARROSO, 32, for a conspiracy to rob and drug people outside of Manhattan nightclubs, which led to the deaths of John Umberger and Julio Ramirez. HAMILTON and DEMAIO were sentenced to 40-years-to-life in state prison; BARROSO was sentenced to 20-years-to-life in state prison. The defendants were previously found guilty on all counts following a jury trial, which included Murder, Robbery, Burglary and Conspiracy.

“Julio Ramirez and John Umberger were beloved by their friends and family and had incredibly bright futures ahead of them,” said District Attorney Bragg. “Yet their lives were cut short by these defendants, who displayed a wanton disregard towards their victims. They left both men to die as they used their financial accounts to purchase clothes and sneakers, never once showing concern about the deadly consequences of their actions. We will never be able to undo the tragic losses of Mr. Ramirez and Mr. Umberger, but I hope these significant prison sentences can provide some closure to their loved ones.”

As proven at trial, the defendants lurked outside of nightclubs to exploit intoxicated individuals. They would give them drugs, laced with fentanyl, to incapacitate their victims so they could take their phones and drain their online financial accounts.

On March 18, 2022, DEMAIO and HAMILTON targeted a victim outside of The Q NYC, a nightclub located in Hell’s Kitchen. They went back to his Union Square hotel, where they provided him with fentanyl-laced drugs causing him to become unconscious. The defendants put his limp body onto a luggage cart and brought him to his hotel room, where they took his phone. When the victim awoke, he could see online that his phone was in Brooklyn and there were unauthorized charges and transfers on Cash App and Apple Cash.

On April 8, 2022, BARROSO and HAMILTON approached another victim outside The Q NYC and eventually went back to his Lower East Side apartment with one of his friends, where the defendants provided fentanyl-laced drugs. When he woke up, the victim discovered his cell phone and credit cards were missing. The defendants used his credit card to purchase clothing at Prada and Bloomingdales.

On April 21, 2022, the defendants met 25-year-old Julio Ramirez outside of The Ritz Bar in Hell’s Kitchen. They provided him with fentanyl-laced drugs. The defendants left Mr. Ramirez unresponsive in the back of a cab at approximately 3:30am. He was eventually transported to the hospital and pronounced dead. The defendants were able to purchase thousands of dollars in sneakers and clothing after transferring money from Mr. Ramirez’s Apple Cash and Cash App accounts.

On May 14, 2022, DEMAIO and HAMILTON met another victim outside of The Ritz Bar, taking his phone after providing him with fentanyl-laced drugs that incapacitated him. The next day, the victim realized his phone and wallet were missing and saw there was a $2,000 Zelle transfer to DEMAIO and unauthorized charges on Apple Pay. 

On May 28, 2022, John Umberger met DEMAIO and HAMILTON outside of The Q NYC. The three men eventually went back to Mr. Umberger’s apartment building, where they left him motionless and incapacitated on his bed after providing him fentanyl-laced drugs. They spent over $2,000 from Mr. Umberger’s accounts on sneakers and clothing at multiple stores. 

In 2024, D.A. Bragg called on Cash App, Venmo and Zelle to better protect consumers from fraud, including: adding a second and separate password for accessing the app on a smartphone as a default security option; imposing default lower limits on the monetary amount of total daily transfers; require wait times and secondary verification of up to a day for large monetary transactions; and better monitor accounts for unusual transfer activities and ask for confirmation when suspicious transactions occur.

Defendant Information:
JAYQWAN HAMILTON
Brooklyn, New York

Sentenced

• 40-years-to-life in state prison

Convicted:

• Murder in the Second Degree, a class A-I felony, two counts
• Robbery in the First Degree, a class B felony, five counts
• Burglary in the First Degree, a class B felony, two counts
• Conspiracy in the Fourt Degree, a class E felony, one count

ROBERT DEMAIO
Brooklyn, New York

Sentenced

• 40-years-to-life in state prison

Convicted:

• Murder in the Second Degree, a class A-I felony, two counts
• Robbery in the First Degree, a class B felony, four counts
• Burglary in the First Degree, a class B felony, two counts
• Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, a class E felony, one count

JACOB BARROSO
New York, New York

Sentenced

• 20-years-to-life in state prison

 Convicted:

• Murder in the Second Degree, a class A-I felony, one count
• Robbery in the First Degree, a class B felony, two counts
• Conspiracy in the Fourt Degree, a class E felony, one count