NYPD Officer Arrested After Love Affair With New York Gang Leader

Homeland Security alleges an NYDP officer from the Hudson Valley helped her lover, a gang leader, flee the country after committing a murder and more.

The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York along with officials from the NYPD and Homeland Security announced the unsealing of an Indictment today charging a Hudson Valley resident.

Former NYPD Officer Charged With Accessory After The Fact To Murder, Obstructing A Federal Gang Investigation, And Racketeering Conspiracy

Gina Mestre, 33, of Mohegan Lake, New York, is charged with racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to obstruct justice, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, and accessory after the fact to murder in aid of racketeering.

“As alleged, Gina Mestre shamelessly exploited her position of public trust to assist gang members in her own NYPD precinct that were terrorizing the Bronx by committing robberies, murders, drug trafficking, and other acts of violence," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said.

Mestra is a former NYPD officer. She's accused of helping members of the Shooting Boys gang, including obstructing a federal grand jury investigation into the gang and serving as an accessory after the fact to a murder committed by the Shooting Boys gang.

NYPD Officer Provided Confidential Information to the Shooting Boys Gang

"The defendant abused her position as an NYPD police officer by, among other things, obstructing a federal grand jury investigation into the gang and assisting the gang’s leader in evading capture for a cold-blooded murder committed in broad daylight," Williams added.

The defendant’s alleged conduct violates the oath she swore to protect the public – as well as her fellow NYPD officers – from the type of criminal activity she helped the gang commit. This Indictment makes clear that my Office and our law enforcement partners will remain vigilant in fighting all forms of police corruption.”

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“There is no place for corruption of any kind in the NYPD. The arrest of a former police officer is built upon the steadfast work of our Internal Affairs Bureau, a team driven to root out such betrayals of public trust," NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban said.

Shooting Boys Gang In The Bronx

The Shooting Boys gang is a criminal organization based in the University Heights section of the Bronx.

The gang sold drugs and guns and committed many acts of violence since 2017, officials say. The gang’s territory and base of operations fell within the jurisdiction of the NYPD’s 52nd Precinct.

Mestre was an NYPD officer from July 2013 to May 2022 assigned to the 52nd Precinct’s Public Safety Unit.

The leader of the gang is Andrew Done, officials say.

Mestre and Drone began an "intimate relationship" in June 2020, according to the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

On or about November 5, 2020, Done shot and killed a rival gang member as the victim sat in his car on Cromwell Avenue in the Bronx.

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Mestre warned Drone the NYPD was looking to arrest him, allowing him to flee the country, officials say.

Drone was eventually caught. He pleaded guilty to murder in late 2022. In early 2023 he was sentenced to 35 years in prison.