United States Drug Enforcement Administration

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Ray Donovan, New York Division announced today that Kareem Pryor, 30, of Buffalo, who was convicted of assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, was sentenced to serve 41 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo. 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul C. Parisi and Seth T. Molisani, who handled the case, stated that the defendant was a member of the CBL/BFL Gang, which stands for, among other things, “Cash Been Long” and “Brothers for Life.” The gang, which was involved in the illegal possession and distribution of narcotics, was formed around 2009 and operated primarily in the City of Buffalo at the Towne Gardens Housing Complex. The Towne Gardens served as a central hub for the gang with many members living within the housing complex, and many housing units used to store firearms and narcotics. Parking lots and business fronts adjacent to the Towne Gardens were utilized by members of the gang to distribute street level quantities of narcotics, including heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, crack cocaine, marijuana, and other drugs. The gang used violence, including murder and attempted murder, threats, and intimidation to defend their territory against rivals and anyone deemed to be a threat to the gang.

On June 19, 2019, Pryor met up with Victim 1 on Genesee Street in Cheektowaga, while a co-defendant waited down the street. The co-defendant accused Victim 1 of killing a CBL/BFL member. The defendant and co-defendant then began punching Victim 1 and stomping Victim 1’s upper body and head onto the pavement. Pryor and the co-defendant then ran away. As a result of the assault, Victim 1 was treated at a hospital for a fractured shoulder bone and concussion. On September 12, 2019, the defendant possessed over 20 grams of methamphetamine pills in his apartment with the intent to distribute them.

Pryor is one of 16 members and associates of the CBL/BFL Gang charged in this investigation. He is the 14th to be sentenced. 

1. The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Buffalo Police Department; the New York State Police; the Erie County Sheriff’s Department; the Cheektowaga Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; the DEA New York Field Division; the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, New York Field Division; the Lackawanna Police Department; and the Erie Crime Analysis Center. Additional assistance was provided by the Erie County District Attorney’s Office.