Pennsylvania man involved in botched May drug deal sentenced for misprision of a felony

Yahoo

28-02-2025

: Reader discretion is advised because of graphic material.
An Allentown, PA man accused of aiding and abetting attempted murder in a drug deal gone wrong pleaded guilty to concealing a felony in Lincoln County court Thursday, according to court documents.
Rakeem Ali Fitzgerald was involved in a May incident in which then 19-year-old Victor Rios allegedly shot 24-year-old Dylan Jaimes, of Marion, after a drug deal gone wrong.
Along with Fitzgerald and Rios, two other men, Antonio Hacker and Danai Cha, were involved in the incident.
On April 30, police responded to a vehicle in a ditch in Lincoln County, where they found Jaimes with a gunshot wound to the head, according to previous Argus Leader reporting. An unnamed 15-year-old was also in the vehicle.
Earlier that evening, Jaimes and his 15-year-old passenger were involved in a drug transaction in a bar parking lot with the four teens.
More: Sioux Falls teen pleads guilty to aiding and abetting attempted first-degree murder
When the men failed to pay for half an ounce of marijuana, Jaimes began to follow them in his silver Pontiac, according to previous Argus Leader reporting. The 24-year-old eventually began traveling a different direction.
The teens, who were driving a black Toyota Corolla, later 'caught up to (Jaimes') car' before stopping in the roadway, according to previous reporting.
Rios exited the vehicle before allegedly pulling a silver handgun from his waistband and firing two shots at the Pontiac. One of the bullets struck Jaimes in the head, lodging in his frontal lobe.
The 24-year-old's condition is unknown, according to previous reporting. At the time, he was taken to an area hospital where he regained consciousness and was able to answer questions posed by police.
The Toyota Corolla occupied by the teens was found intentionally disabled the next day, according to previous reporting. Someone had attempted to rip off the front license plate, and the back license plate was bent upward to conceal its number. A window on the rear driver's side was smashed.
Camera footage showed the group of men leaving an apartment occupied by one of the teens about two hours before the shooting, according to previous reporting. Rios was wearing a black face mask.
More: 4 teens face attempted murder charges for shooting man in head near Sioux Falls
Fitzgerald pleaded guilty to one count of misprision of a felony Thursday. He was sentenced to one year in jail with 243 days suspended, according to court documents. He received credit for 117 days served.
Hacker, the driver of the vehicle, was sentenced to 25 years in the South Dakota State Penitentiary with 25 years suspended Dec. 9 on one count of aiding and abetting attempted first-degree murder. The man will be on probation until 2030.
Cha pleaded guilty to one count of accessory to a felony in Minnehaha County court on Jan. 27. His sentencing hearing is set for Apr. 1.
Rios, the alleged shooter, is charged with three counts of attempted first-degree murder, one count of attempted first-degree murder in the alternative and four counts of aggravated assault, according to a Lincoln County court document. He is set to appear for a jury trial on Jun. 2.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Allentown, PA man involved in botched May drug deal sentenced