Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York | Department of Justice
Carlos Ramirez, also known as “Guerra,” was sentenced to life in prison for his involvement in a racketeering conspiracy and two murders as a member of the Sunset Trinitarios gang. The sentencing took place after Ramirez was found guilty following a two-week trial before U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman.
Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, commented on the case: “As a member of the Sunset Trinitarios, Carlos Ramirez was an unapologetic killer and responsible for brutal violence that endangered the lives of far more people than the two teenagers whom he murdered in 2013 and 2014. After he was arrested and charged for these crimes, he was undeterred and attempted to stab to death the former leader of his own gang in a gruesome and vicious attack while incarcerated. He will never walk the streets of New York again, and this Office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to bankrupt the cartels, dismantle the gangs, and remove from our streets all those who pursue death and violence as a way of life.”
Evidence presented at trial showed that between 2010 and 2024, members of the Sunset Trinitarios—a street gang founded in Sunset Park, Brooklyn—were involved in numerous violent crimes throughout the metropolitan area. These included several murders, attempted murders, and gunpoint robberies. Ramirez held leadership roles within the gang both on the streets and while incarcerated.
On October 23, 2013, Ramirez participated in the murder of seventeen-year-old Michael Beltre in the Bronx by striking him and holding him while another gang member shot him multiple times. On November 2, 2014, Ramirez shot nineteen-year-old Jordanny Correa at point-blank range inside a Bronx apartment.
While incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn on February 28, 2023, Ramirez attempted to kill a former leader of his own gang whom he suspected had cooperated with law enforcement. With assistance from others, Ramirez slashed and stabbed this individual multiple times.
Ten other members of Sunset Trinitarios previously pleaded guilty to related charges; their sentences have ranged from several years up to life imprisonment.
U.S. Attorney Clayton acknowledged “the outstanding investigative work” conducted by agencies including the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force, Federal Bureau of Prisons, and New York City Department of Correction.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas John Wright, Brandon D. Harper, and Timothy Ly from the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit.
