One of the suspects allegedly connected to a series of drug-facilitated robberies of men visiting gay bars in New York City that included two deaths was arraigned on felony charges Thursday, prosecutors said.
Shane Hoskins, who prosecutors linked to the group of men allegedly responsible for the fatal overdoses of Julio Ramirez and John Umberger, was charged with two counts of grand theft and one count of identity theft, accused of drugging and then stealing more than $500 from two people in April 2022, according to an indictment.
The indictment alleges a scheme in which Hoskins, 31, and four unidentified co-conspirators would approach intoxicated individuals outside bars or nightclubs in Manhattan, strike up a conversation, and then offer them drugs «for the purpose of incapacitating.»
Hoskins and the co-conspirators then stole their victims’ cell phones and credit cards and used the physical cards and information stored on the phones to transfer money to themselves and make purchases, the indictment alleges.
The indictment also alleges that immediately after the robbery, Hoskins attempted to use the stolen phone and credit cards to make purchases, including at a Brooklyn deli.
Hoskins had been arrested in August, but on Thursday he was arrested again on enhanced charges. Bail for him was set at $50,000. He was also charged with robbery and conspiracy. His defense attorney and the New York County district attorney’s office declined to comment.
NBC News reported in November that a 21-year-old New York University student was mugged on April 8 after leaving an LGBTQ bar in Hell’s Kitchen called The Q, the bar where Umberger was last seen before. of his death. The student’s father said his son and his son’s friend believe they were drugged at some point after leaving the bar with three men they had just met.
When the two regained consciousness, the father said, his son’s phone was missing, his bank accounts had been emptied using cash apps and his credit cards had maxed out. The student’s father said his son believes the attackers used his unconscious face to unlock his iPhone and bank accounts using Face ID.
A source familiar with the student’s case said Hoskins is alleged to have been involved in his theft. Records also show that Hoskins’ arrest in August was related to an incident on April 8, the day the New York University student was robbed.
Two law enforcement officials said Wednesday that a Manhattan grand jury indicted several unnamed suspects in connection with the deaths of Umberger and Ramirez. Officials did not specify how many suspects were charged with murder, but said they were all indicted on robbery charges in a pattern involving 17 victims.
The officials alleged that the suspects sought victims for financial gain and not because of their sexual orientation. However, they added that the New York City Police Department’s Hate Crimes Task Force is assisting in the investigation.
Umberger and Ramirez were found dead after visiting gay bars in the city’s lively Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood last spring. Both had left bars with at least one unknown person before their bank accounts were drained of thousands of dollars through facial recognition access on their phones, family members said. This month, nearly a year after they were found dead, the New York City medical examiner’s office ruled their deaths homicides caused by a «drug-facilitated robbery.» Multiple drugs were found in his systems, including fentanyl, lidocaine, and cocaine.
In the months after their deaths, more gay New Yorkers came forward with eerily similar accounts. NBC News has spoken with several gay men who said they survived similar incidents from December 2021 through October.
The medical examiner’s office confirmed Wednesday that it is investigating «several additional deaths in similar circumstances» to those of Ramirez and Umberger. However, it is not clear if the victims were gay men found dead after visiting gay bars or if they were connected to the accused suspects.
A spokesman said the medical examiner’s office was «unable to comment further due to ongoing criminal investigations.»