(SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y.) – Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Gregg “Frenchie” Hogan, 37, a well-known rapper, was sentenced to 12 years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision after having been found guilty at trial by a jury for his role in the violent burglary of a Shirley home in 2021.
“The pistol whipping of an innocent autistic young man in a failed home invasion is among the most outrageous crimes we have prosecuted. Hopefully this defendant’s conviction and significant prison sentence provides the victims with some sense of relief and security,” said District Attorney Tierney. “This sentence should also serve as a reminder that my office is committed to keeping the residents of Suffolk County safe. Criminals, no matter who they are, will be accountable for their behavior.”
The evidence at trial established that on May 7, 2021, at about 3:37 a.m., Hogan, along with a group of men, some armed with firearms, kicked in the front door of a Shirley home while a mother, father, and their 18-year-old autistic son were inside sleeping. The intruders targeted the home after receiving erroneous information that there would be a large sum of cash and marijuana inside. The men directed the family to lie face down on the ground but when the son did not comply quickly enough, he was pistol whipped causing lacerations to his face.
Unable to find the marijuana and large sum of cash, the intruders fled with some of the family’s belongings, including the son’s cell phone. During the trial, it was established that Hogan was one of the men that illegally entered the home, and that he also acted as the getaway driver.
On June 21, 2022, Hogan was convicted after a jury trial heard before Supreme Court Justice, the Honorable Timothy P. Mazzei, for three counts of Burglary in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony, and one count of Burglary in the Second Degree, a Class C violent felony. On April 6, 2023, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision. Hogan was represented by Christopher J. Cassar, Esq.
Two of Hogan’s co-defendants, Donte Thomas, 24, and Miguel Ruiz, 29, previously pleaded guilty to Burglary in the First Degree. Thomas was sentenced to nine years’ incarceration and Ruiz was sentenced to 10 years’ incarceration. Another co-defendant, Brayan Medrano, 19, pleaded guilty to one count of Attempted Burglary in the Second Degree and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 17, 2023. Another participant in the crime, Hakim Muhammad, 20, was convicted of an unrelated murder in Utica County and is serving a sentence of 25 years to life for that conviction.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Sheetal Shetty of the Homicide Bureau and Patrick Fedun of the Major Crime Bureau.