United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jamie McDonald, announced that a jury found CLIFTON SAVAGE, a/k/a “Lucky,” guilty today of two counts of murder as well as narcotics and firearms offenses. The convictions arise from SAVAGE’s drug-related killing of Terrence Smith and Sergio Santana on December 26, 2021, in the Bronx. SAVAGE was convicted following a two-week trial before U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon, who will impose sentence on January 27, 2027.
“Clifton Savage plotted the murders of two competitors as part of a drug-related dispute and carried out his plan in cold blood, executing both victims the morning after Christmas in 2021 by shooting them in the head and the back from behind,” said U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald. “New Yorkers expect us to do everything in our power to stop gun violence and to hold everyone who engages in such violence responsible, and today, that is exactly what our Office and our law enforcement partners have delivered. To those drug traffickers who believe the streets of New York are theirs to fight over, our message is simple: you can cover your head, you can cover your face, but eventually, we will find you. And when we do, you will be prosecuted, you will be convicted, and you will go to federal prison.”
As alleged in the Indictment and other public filings in this case:
On or about December 26, 2021, in the vicinity of East 168th Street and Morris Avenue in the Bronx, New York, SAVAGE discharged a firearm multiple times, using it to murder Terrence Smith and Sergio Santana, two competing drug dealers with whom he was in a drug-related dispute regarding the sale of crack cocaine in that same neighborhood.
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SAVAGE, 45, of the Bronx, New York, was convicted of one count of knowingly possessing crack cocaine with intent to distribute, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, discharge of a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking crime, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, and two counts of murder, each of which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. McDonald praised the outstanding investigative work of the Homeland Security Investigations Violent Gangs Task Force, the New York City Police Department, the Bronx District Attorney’s Office Homicide Bureau, and the Special Agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Violent Organizations and Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dominic A. Gentile and Diarra M. Guthrie are in charge of the prosecution. The team was assisted by lead paralegal William Coleman and paralegal specialist Eddi Aronson.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Southern District of New York — U.S. Department of Justice press release.