A Fordham area man was sentenced to four years in prison on Friday, after he was convicted on second-degree Gang Assault charges for his role in the brutal beating of a 53-year-old street vendor from Burkina Faso in The Hub last year that left the victim in a coma.
The assault happened on May 2, 2017, at the corner of 149th Street and Third Avenue when William Burgess, 22, and five accomplices repeatedly struck Souleymane Porgo, 53, after he tried to stop one of them from stealing some of his merchandise. Porgo was beaten to the ground and left in critical condition with multiple facial fractures, and required multiple surgeries for swelling and bleeding in his brain. He is currently in rehabilitation.
“This malicious attack left the victim in a coma with life-altering injuries,” said Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark. Clark. “Even a year after the incident he is still attending rehabilitation. Moreover, the attack happened in front of the victim’s wife and children, leaving them traumatized. Today’s sentencing will hopefully bring some justice for him and his loved ones.”
Along with four years behind bars, defendant, William Burgess, 22, of Creston Avenue, was sentenced to three and a half years post-release supervision.
Charges against the other five alleged assailants are pending.
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