Defendant was a Member of the 18th Street Gang When He was Convicted of Manslaughter for Fatal Shooting Outside Long Island Nightclub in 2008
A criminal complaint was filed today in federal court in Central Islip charging Gerson Eli Turcios Maradiaga with illegal reentry into the United States. The defendant was arrested Thursday and made his initial appearance this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Arlene R. Lindsay at the federal courthouse in Central Islip.
Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Thomas R. Decker, Field Office Director, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), announced the arrest.
“As alleged, Turcios illegally returned to the United States after his deportation for a homicide conviction," stated United States Attorney Donoghue. “This Office will prosecute felons who reenter the United States. The message to deported felons is clear - if you are deported from the United States, stay out or the only thing you will be returning to is prison." Mr. Donoghue expressed his appreciation to the Nassau County Police Department and the United States Marshals NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force, Long Island Division, for their assistance with the case.
Turcios has a felony conviction and was sentenced in the United States before being removed to his home country," stated ERO New York Field Director Decker. “This case is one of a convicted criminal who re-entered the country illegally, only to be right back in our New York neighborhoods. ERO officers will continue to seek out those criminals aliens who enter the country with no regard for the laws of this nation, protecting the public with steadfastness and professionalism."
According to the complaint, Turcios, a Honduran national, was deported from the United States in November 2012, after having been convicted in December 2008 of manslaughter in connection with the Feb. 17, 2008 shooting outside Don Juan’s La Boom Club in Westbury, New York, killing one and wounding several others. At the time of the shooting, the defendant was a member of the 18th Street gang.
If convicted, Turcios faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years’ incarceration.
The charge in the complaint is an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorney Catherine M. Mirabile is in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
GERSON ELI TURCIOS MARADIAGA
Age: 28
Levittown, New York
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 19-MJ-289 (ARL)
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
