Dorchester gang member gets 15 years on RICO guilty plea; record includes setting up a gun hit on a rival

A federal judge yesterday sentenced Eric "Bubba" Correia, 26, to 15 years in prison for his role in the Cameron Street Gang, which, when not posting YouTube rap videos exulting in the deaths of rival gang members, tried to orchestrate the murder of one of those archenemies himself - only to have the victim saved by surgeons at Boston Medical Center.

Correia pleaded guilty in April to a RICO violation and distribution of marijuana, according to the US Attorney's office in Boston, which adds the RICO plea covers a range of crimes and threats of violence, many against the rival NOB/Wendover Gang and including armed robberies. He's the latest Cameron Street member to be sentenced following a federal roundup in 2022.

In a sentencing memorandum - calling for a 16-year sentence - assistant US Attorneys Christopher Pohl and Charles Dell’Anno wrote:

There are only two reasons why CORREIA is not facing murder charges – random chance and the close proximity of the victim to excellent medical care.

Even in the context of an indictment replete with spectacular acts of violence, there is something chilling about CORREIA's conduct here. First, CORREIA located Victim No. 14, a gang rival, and targeted him for assassination. Next, he had the presence of mind not commit the murder himself, because he was on pre-trial release monitored by a GPS ankle bracelet. Instead, he called other Cameron Street members to commit the murder, all the while circling the neighborhood where Victim No. 14 was located, as confirmed by his GPS data. When Cameron Street member CLAYTON RODRIGUES arrived on scene, CORRIEA walked away, so that his GPS data would show him to be away from the crime scene. As Victim No. 14 and his girlfriend emerged from 39 Clayborne Street and entered their car, RODRIGUES, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, creeped between parked cars, cut across the street, and fired several rounds at them from behind. Victim 14 and his girlfriend sped off. When found at an intersection a few blocks away, Victim 14 was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and begged officers to save his life.

They continued:

While this attempted murder is the most serious act of violence CORREIA was known to have committed, it is hardly the only one he committed. CORREIA put a gun to a victim's head and robbed him of money and a watch while threatening to "blow his head off." And like many other Cameron Street defendants, CORREIA distributed controlled substances.

CORREIA's one adult conviction was a crime of violence that can also be traced to Cameron Street. In 2020, CORREIA was convicted in 2020 in Suffolk Superior Court of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. The incident report described how CORREIA and several other Cameron Street gang members were caught on video from nearby surveillance cameras as they assaulted an individual connected to NOB/Wendover3 in the plaza outside Suffolk Superior Court. The report described how CORREIA and others were captured on video "collectively punching, kicking, and slamming the victim to the ground." CORREIA served 132 days in prison and was placed on probation for two years.

Correia's attorney, Mark Shea, argued for a sentence of no more than 10 years, saying the father of two and a member of "a close-knit and supportive family" has turned himself around while in a federal prison in Rhode Island awaiting sentencing.

The courts long for success stories and for defendants who can turn their lives around. Mr. Correia is just such a man. He respectfully requests that this Court allow for him and his family to continue to climb and to prosper, and to allow for his family to realistically dream of a better life. Eric fully accepts responsibility for crimes he has committed, and for all the consequences that followed, including his loss of freedom. He has now been detained on this case since April 19, 2022. He has enrolled in the inmate-sponsored restorative justice program at Wyatt ("B.O.S.S."), and is prescribed an anti-anxiety medication.The defendant's proposed sentence would provide him with the best chance to continue to confront his mental health and addiction issues, and lead a law-abiding life.

Shea wrote Correia's spiral into a world of violent drug dealers began with his brother's suicide:

He was living what he describes as a "fantastic" childhood with his large Cape Verdean-American family in Boston, but it all came crashing down in 2014, when his brother, Jeffrey Goncalves, committed suicide. Eric, who was 16-years old at the time, spiraled into untreated mental health problems and self- medication with street drugs and alcohol. He began skipping school, dropped out of basketball, and sought refuge with friends, many of whom were members of the Cameron Street gang.

Mr. Correia has been diagnosed with adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, with general anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder ("PTSD") and major depression disorder. His brother, who had been committed to a mental health facility prior to his suicide, was diagnosed with schizophrenia. His sister, Carla, believes that their mother has undiagnosed bipolar disorder.

And things just got worse, Shead continued:

In an attempt to help, Eric's mother sent him to live with family in Cape Verde, but there he witnessed a friend get hit by a car and run over by a bus, resulting in death. After this, he moved back to Massachusetts, where he lost more than ten friends to gun violence and drugs. In 2021, with the approval of the state court,1 the family made the decision to remove Eric from the Dorchester neighborhood where he was involved with criminal activity, and purchased a home and moved to Florida. Sadly, his father passed away unexpectedly in late 2021 from organ failure.

Unfortunately, by the time he had relocated to Florida, Eric had already committed the crimes that brings him before this Court. Although he was doing well in Florida and saw that he could live a better life, he still had to take responsibility for his past actions. Nonetheless, this Court should note that, even before his federal arrest, with the help of his family he had begun to turn his life around.

After his federal arrest, and since his confinement at Wyatt, Eric has made tremendous strides in acknowledging the harm he has done, and seeing what his future holds for him, his family, and his community, by making the difficult changes that are before him. ...

Mr. Correia took illegal actions because, unfortunately, he was overwhelmed by his situation and didn’t see a way out. He took actions and made choices that he now realizes harmed not only others, but himself as well. In retrospect, he would not make the decisions, and would give anything to go back in time and undo his actions. Of course, he cannot do that, and he must live with the consequences.