Another Gay Victim of NYC Drugging and Robbery Scheme Steps Forward

Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 3 MIN.

Another victim of a scheme to drug and rob patrons of Manhattan gay bars has stepped forward, more than a month after police arrested half a dozen suspects in the crimes, which left two men dead.

"The previously unreported incident took place just days before" those arrests were made, NBC News reported.

The victim – identified only as Michael, 30 – "came forward for the first time to NBC News and asked that his full name not be published out of fear of retaliation from the individuals involved," the news report said.

"On March 25, Michael said, he was drugged and robbed of roughly $5,000 after visiting The Eagle NYC, a gay bar in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, where at least three similar incidents had been previously reported."

Michael described a scenario similar to what's thought to have happened in other cases, telling NBC News that he and his friends were drunk when three men approached him just before 4 a.m. "From what he could recall, and from what he said police relayed to him after looking at the bar's security footage, he entered a taxi with the men," NBC News detailed, while "His friends went home in a separate taxi."

Michael blacked out at some point, and woke up on the side of a city street hours later with his cell phone missing. He said that he "vaguely remembers being in an unknown apartment before regaining consciousness," NBC relayed. Later that day, he realized his bank account had been raided of about $5,000 and left nearly empty.

He theorized that "the three men drugged him, stole his phone and then used its facial recognition technology to unlock it and gain access to his bank accounts."

As previously reported, three other patrons of The Eagle were similarly drugged and robbed last fall.

The perpetrators drugged their victims and used their phones to rob them. UK newspaper the Daily Mail reported that "Authorities believed facial recognition software on their smartphones allowed criminals to access their cash to the tune of anywhere between $1,000 and $5,000."

Two men thought to have been victims of the scheme died of drug overdoses. One of the fatalities was Julio Ramirez, a 25-year-old student who left the Ritz Bar and Lounge with three unidentified men on the evening of April 21, 2022, and was found dead in a taxi several hours later. Ramirez's bank accounts were drained of an estimated $20,000 through the use of payment apps.

About five weeks later, another victim died from an overdose after leaving The Q, a gay bar located a few blocks from the Ritz. Local news channel PIX reported that "John Umberger reportedly went to The Q NYC on May 28 during a work trip from Washington, D.C."

"He later was seen on surveillance with three men in a car outside a townhouse on East 61st Street," the article said.

Police arrested and charged three men early last month, as previously reported. 30-year-old Justin Barroso and 34-year-old Robert DeMaio were charged in connection with Ramirez's death, and DeMaio was additionally charged in connection with the death of Umberger. Andre Butts was also arrested and charged with conspiracy and crimes related to the robberies.

Those arrests followed that of Shane Hoskins, who was taken in the week previous to the other three, reported The New York Times.

In all, six suspects were arrested in connection with the druggings and robberies, NBC News noted, though three of the suspects "were released soon after because they could not be held in custody under New York bail law."

Law enforcement believes that the main motive was robbery and sexual orientation was not a primary factor, but Michael told NBC News, "To be in what I thought was kind of a safe space like the Eagle – some place that I feel safe and welcomed – to be in that environment and to have my own drunken friendliness be taken advantage of like this, it's a major violation."


by Kilian Melloy , EDGE Staff Reporter

Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.

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