Eight members and associates of the multinational criminal group La Mara Salvatrucha have been indicted on racketeering charges, involving murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and related drug and firearms offenses.
The 29-count indictment for the MS-13 gang members was unsealed Sept. 7 in federal court in Central Islip, N.Y., according to a Department of Justice news release. The defendants' will reportedly be arraigned later.
"The superseding indictment demonstrates the resolve of this office and the Long Island Gang Task Force to bring to justice the MS-13 gang members responsible for each and every one of the appalling and senseless murders they have committed in our communities on Long Island and elsewhere," U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace said the release. "It is my hope that these latest charges bring some consolation to the families of the victims.”
“We are making a positive impact in the communities once terrorized by these MS-13 members, but we are seeing signs the gang is attempting to rebuild," FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Michael Driscoll said in the release. "Along with our law enforcement partners on our Long Island Gang Task Force, we remain determined to prevent that from happening, but we cannot do it alone. We need the public to remain vigilant and contact us with any information they have to prevent another rash of MS-13 murders.”
“These MS-13 members are calculated, manipulative and have no regard for human life," Suffolk County Police Department Commissioner Rodney K. Harrison said in the release. "I commend the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the Long Island Gang Task Force for their relentless pursuit to hold these individuals accountable. The unsealing of this indictment sends a clear message to gang members who think they are enhancing their gang’s reputation by committing heinous crimes — you will be held accountable.”
