U.S. Attorney David Metcalf announced that Kelvin “Nip” Jimenez, 35, was sentenced to life in prison plus 360 months’ imprisonment, to run consecutively, and eight years of supervised release by District Judge Juan R. Sánchez for crimes arising from Jimenez’s membership in a violent drug trafficking organization known by several names that operated in Frankford.
The defendant and three co-conspirators were indicted in March 2023 for violent crimes that included the murder of police Sgt. James O’Connor.
In March of last year, Jimenez was convicted of all charges against him.
“The Department of Justice is zeroing in on the worst of the worst, particularly vicious gangs and DTOs like SG1700,” Metcalf said. “Jimenez and his co-conspirators’ violent tactics claimed lives and changed families forever — including that of Sgt. O’Connor. As today’s sentence shows, those unleashing criminal mayhem in our city and targeting law enforcement will answer for it, with severe consequences.”
“Thanks to the diligent and meticulous work by the ATF investigators, Philadelphia Police Department detectives and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Kelvin Jimenez and the others responsible for these crimes are facing justice,” said ATF Philadelphia Field Division Special Agent in Charge Eric DeGree. “Jimenez’s brutal criminal enterprise subjected Philadelphia’s Frankford neighborhood to deadly shootouts targeting rivals for too long. His sentence demonstrates the high price criminals will pay when they terrorize our communities, especially when their violence turns against law enforcement officers like Sgt. James O’Connor.”
“Sgt. James O’Connor gave his life protecting this city, and we will never forget his sacrifice or the family he left behind,” said Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel. “While no sentence can undo that loss, today’s outcome is an important measure of accountability for the violence this organization inflicted on our communities. I am grateful to our detectives, our ATF partners and the federal prosecutors whose tireless work brought this case to justice. We will continue to honor Jimmy through our service and our commitment to his family.”
This case was investigated by the ATF and the Philadelphia Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley Martin, Christopher Diviny and Lauren Stram. ••
