SUFFOLK CO., NY – Eight individuals have been indicted on a total of 65 counts, including weapons possession, conspiracy to distribute narcotics, and planning a residential burglary, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney.
The individuals named in the indictment are Kelvin Corona, Naesean Crawford, Christalia Bonilla, Dwight Diaz, Kyra McLaughlin, David Damore, Alyssa Taverna, and Alex De Los Santos.
The charges against the defendants stem from a lengthy investigation by the Suffolk County Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). In 2022, law enforcement received information that Kelvin Corona, a 41-year-old Mastic resident, was allegedly selling cocaine and fentanyl.
Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement obtained drugs from Corona on seven separate occasions, three of which involved the sale of more than one-half ounce of cocaine and/or fentanyl.
Further investigation revealed that Crawford, 26, of Islip, was allegedly supplying Corona with the narcotics, who would then provide Diaz, McLaughlin, Damore, and Taverna with drugs to sell on the street. In February 2023, a 35-year-old Suffolk County resident died of a fatal overdose after purchasing drugs from Corona and Damore, who are charged with the sale that led to the overdose.
The defendants were also allegedly involved in a plan to burglarize the residence of a known associate whom they believed had a large amount of cash. Corona obtained a GPS tracker to place under the vehicle of the unsuspecting associate to locate his residence. Afterward, the group planned to unlawfully enter his residence and steal his money, with Corona intending to commit the burglary with a firearm.
On March 31, 2023, the Suffolk County Police Department intervened to prevent the burglary, and the activated GPS tracker was found in Corona’s Nissan Altima before it had been placed on the associate’s vehicle.
Multiple search warrants were executed at residences in Islip, Mastic, and Mastic Beach, resulting in the seizure of multiple illegal weapons, including assault weapons and handguns, large-capacity ammunition magazines, 9mm ammunition, cocaine, a money counter, a drug press, cutting agents, scales, packaging material used for the distribution of narcotics, multiple cell phones, and over $4,000 in cash.