Mom working for DOJ exposes son’s ‘snitches’ after he’s accused of robbery, feds say

A former Department of Justice paralegal is going to prison after exposing two people who “snitched” on her son while knowing it could lead to “violent consequences” for them, federal prosecutors announced.

After her son, an accused member of a Brooklyn-based gang, robbed a cellphone store with another accused gang member and his girlfriend, he suspected the couple was turning against him following each of their arrests in 2018, court documents show.

Tawanna Hilliard, 48, of Brooklyn, and her son Tyquan Hilliard, 32, of Brooklyn, discussed this possibility that went against the 5-9 Brim gang’s most important, “no snitching” rule, according to court documents. The couple was also suspected of informing against the entire gang, prosecutors said.

Then, Tawanna Hilliard, while working for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, received video recordings from her son’s attorney that showed the couple’s post-arrest statements made to authorities, according to her sentencing memo.

She went on to upload the videos to YouTube with the titles “NYC Brim Gang Member SNITCHING! Pt. 1” and “NYC Brim Gang Member Girlfriend SNITCHING” prosecutors said.

Now, Tawanna Hilliard has been sentenced to two years and nine months in prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York announced in a March 14 news release. A jury convicted her of witness retaliation, conspiracy to commit witness retaliation, obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice, officials said.

“The defendant, whose job it was to serve justice, instead threatened the integrity of our justice system and the safety of government witnesses,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement.

Paula Notari, one of the attorneys representing Tawanna Hilliard, told McClatchy News they look forward to filing an appeal in the case.

She described Tawanna Hilliard as an “exceptional person” who they’re “proud to represent.”

Tyquan Hilliard was previously sentenced to five years and three months in prison after pleading guilty to a witness tampering conspiracy in the case in November 2020, according to prosecutors.

Lance Clarke, who represented him, declined to comment.

Woman used DOJ job for gang activities, prosecutors say

Besides her son, Tawanna Hilliard had “long-standing ties” with other 5-9 Brim gang members, prosecutors said.

From at least 2016, as Tawanna Hilliard worked in the civil division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey, she supported her son’s “ascension” in the gang, according to her sentencing memo. Prosecutors said she was involved in his gang affairs in multiple ways.

Investigators learned that she had used her job’s database to search defendants in cases to learn if they had “snitched” and also used federal systems to search people on behalf of her son and his “gang-co-conspirators,” the sentencing memo says.

Prosecutors said Tawanna Hilliard also used her access to government systems to runr criminal history checks and learned information unavailable to the public.

“This information was beyond the scope of anything that the defendant was supposed to do in connection with her employment,” the sentencing memo says.

She was also caught using her Justice Department computer to type a letter to one gang member for her son, according to prosecutors.

‘Snitching’ YouTube videos get posted after the robbery

In May 2018, Tyquan Hilliard, his fellow accused gang member, identified as “John Doe,” and his girlfriend, identified as “Jane Doe,” drove to Monticello, New York, to rob a cellphone store, according to prosecutors.

Tyquan Hilliard and John Doe are accused of using a BB gun while robbing the store before all three individuals were arrested afterward, according to the sentencing memo.

In Jane Doe’s video-recorded post-arrest statements, she told authorities that Tyquan Hilliard and her boyfriend had robbed the store, prosecutors said.

Tawanna Hilliard and her son started suspecting John Doe wanted to help free his girlfriend and started cooperating with law enforcement after his arrest, according to the sentencing memo. The mother and son discussed the videos she had seen while Tyquan Hilliard was incarcerated for the robbery, and those conversations were recorded, prosecutors said.

Ultimately, after Tawanna Hilliard uploaded both John and Jane Doe’s videos to YouTube, the couple faced threats of violence on social media, according to prosecutors.

Death threats made against Jane Doe and gunshots outside of her apartment caused authorities to relocate her, officials said. John Doe also received death threats while in jail, according to prosecutors.

Tawanna Hilliard “was aware, from knowledge accumulated over many years...that the gang violently punished people who were confirmed to be snitches,” the sentencing memo says.

‘African prince’ accused of scamming people at IHOP was actually from Ohio, feds say

Men used stolen police password to access personal info, extort victims, feds say

Man traveled 300 miles with latex mask and ammo in plot to kill businessman, feds say