Three high-ranking members of the 18th Street gang were sentenced on Apr. 7 at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn to more than a combined 115 years in prison for racketeering conspiracy, including their roles in multiple murders and violent crimes across New York and Texas. Jose Douglass Castellano, known as “Chino,” received more than 35 years’ imprisonment, while Junior Zelaya Canales (“Terco”) and Walter Fernando Alfaro Pineda (“Clever”) were each sentenced earlier this year to 40 years.
The sentencing marks the conclusion of a major federal prosecution targeting the leadership of an international criminal organization accused of using violence to maintain power and intimidate communities. The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York handles such federal crime prosecutions and represents civil matters within its jurisdiction, according to the official website.
United States Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr., together with James Barnacle, Assistant Director in Charge at the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New York Field Office, announced these sentences. “The defendants were high-ranking members of an international criminal organization fueled by violence and fear that left a wake of sorrow and destruction in its path,” Nocella said. “These significant sentences send the message that our Office will never waiver in its efforts to eradicate the scourge of gang violence. It is my sincere hope that the justice meted out provides a measure of comfort and closure for the victims of these senseless crimes.”
Nocella also thanked several law enforcement agencies for their cooperation during what he described as a wide-ranging investigation involving local police departments from Kingston, Nassau County, Hempstead, Queens County District Attorney’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations Dallas, New York State Police, among others.
FBI Assistant Director Barnacle said: “For years, these three high-ranking 18th Street gang members plagued our community with senseless violence, death, and tragedy without any consideration for public safety. May today’s significant sentences highlight the shared determination ... to dismantle a notorious international gang’s hierarchy.”
Court records show that between September 2016 and February 2018 alone—during which time they ordered or carried out murders against rivals or suspected informants—the defendants committed numerous acts including shootings in Queens over territorial disputes; assaults on perceived rival gang members; orchestrating murder-for-hire plots; producing false identification documents; trafficking drugs and firearms; witness tampering; money laundering; and distributing graphic videos intended as warnings within their ranks.
The U.S. Attorney's office operates from locations in Brooklyn and Central Islip according to its official website, covering Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island as well as Nassau County and Suffolk County as indicated online. The office also supports community outreach initiatives for victims according to published information.
Breon Peace currently leads this office as United States Attorney as noted on its website.
As authorities continue efforts against organized crime groups like 18th Street nationwide—including through programs such as Operation Take Back America—officials say they hope these lengthy sentences deter future violence.
