Waleak Robert Chandler

By Jillian Pikora From Daily Voice

A former Newark gang member with a violent criminal history stretching from New Jersey to Pennsylvania has been sentenced to nearly three decades behind bars, Northampton County District Attorney Stephen G. Baratta announced on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025.

Waleak Robert Chandler, 42, of Easton, was sentenced to 10½ to 27 years in state prison after being found guilty in July for pulling a loaded gun on a woman during a domestic argument in his Easton home in 2023.

Easton Gun Threat Incident

On Saturday, March 4, 2023, Easton police were called to Chandler’s home on the 900 block of Reynolds Street following a 911 hang-up. A girl at the scene told officers that a fight had occurred and Chandler had pulled a gun, court records say.

The victim told police that Chandler shoved her and pointed a loaded .22 Ruger handgun at her, threatening, “I will turn up.” A witness confirmed the account, according to the affidavit.

Police recovered the firearm from the home and confirmed it was the same gun Chandler had pointed. Investigators learned Chandler was on parole at the time and legally barred from possessing a firearm due to his felony record.

Chandler was charged with Prohibited Possession of a Firearm, Terroristic Threats, and Recklessly Endangering Another Person. He was held at Northampton County Prison after failing to post $100,000 bail.

Following a jury trial before Judge Brian J. Panella, Chandler was convicted on July 9, 2025, and sentenced on Oct. 29, 2025, to consecutive prison terms totaling 10½ to 27 years, as requested by prosecutors.

From Newark Bloods To Pennsylvania Convict

Before moving to Pennsylvania, Chandler was linked to the Nine-Three Bloods, a Newark-based subset of the national Bloods street gang. According to the FBI’s Newark Division, Chandler and fellow gang member Stanley Foote were involved in a 2006 armed home-invasion robbery where a New Jersey family — including four children — was held at gunpoint while the men searched for drugs and cash.

Chandler ripped out the home’s phone cords to prevent anyone from calling for help. Both men fled empty-handed but were later convicted in federal court.

Chandler pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit armed robbery in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey and was sentenced to 14 years and one month in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Records show he was released in June 2020 after serving more than a decade behind bars.

The case was investigated by the FBI Safe Streets Gang Task Force, which included the Newark and Irvington Police Departments, and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.

Civil Rights Complaints From Behind Bars

While awaiting trial in Pennsylvania, Chandler filed multiple federal civil rights lawsuits from Northampton County Prison.

In 2024, Chandler sued correctional officials in West Virginia federal court, claiming he was subjected to cruel and unusual punishment and racial discrimination while held in segregation from July 2023 to July 2024. He alleged unsanitary conditions, poor ventilation, restricted recreation, and violations of religious rights, but the court dismissed the case, ruling the claims were “undeveloped and implausible.” The judge also dismissed his Clean Air Act complaint with prejudice, noting no private cause of action existed under the statute.

In October 2025, Chandler filed another suit in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, accusing Northampton County officials of denying him adequate medical care while detained. That case, Chandler v. Tamburino, remains active after U.S. District Judge Mia R. Perez denied a motion to dismiss and ordered the defendants to respond.