Three senior members of the MS-13 gang have pleaded guilty in federal court to their involvement in nine killings carried out with machetes and firearms in the New York City suburbs, federal prosecutors announced. The murders, which occurred between 2016 and 2017, marked a violent period for the gang on Long Island and beyond.
Guilty Pleas in Federal Court
Kevin Torres, 29, of Freeport, admitted to racketeering charges Friday in Central Islip federal court for his role in the killings. Prosecutors identified Torres as the New York regional leader of the Sailors Locos Salvatruchas Westside, an MS-13 clique based on Long Island.
Two other high-ranking members, David Sosa-Guevara, 33, and Victor Lopez-Morales, 36, both from Roosevelt, pleaded guilty on Thursday. Sosa-Guevara led the Hollywood Locos Salvatruchas, another Long Island-based MS-13 faction, while Lopez-Morales was a senior member of the gang.
Violent Killings and Their Victims
The gang’s victims were often suspected members of rival gangs, brutally murdered with machetes and other weapons in remote parks and wooded areas. Many bodies were buried in shallow graves, remaining undiscovered for months or even years.
Among the killings were the 2016 murders of Samuel Martinez-Sandoval, Oscar Acosta, Kerin Pineda, Josue Amaya-Leonor, Marcus Bohannon, Javier Castillo, and Carlos Ventura-Zelaya on Long Island. In 2017, Angel Soler was murdered on Long Island, and David Rivera was killed in Maryland.
Prosecutors revealed the three gang members committed these murders to enhance their standing within MS-13 and further the gang’s violent mission.
Sentences and Gang’s Origins
Under plea agreements, each defendant faces significant prison time. Sosa-Guevara and Torres face 40 to 65 years in prison, while Lopez-Morales could receive a sentence of up to 60 years.
MS-13, or Mara Salvatrucha, originated in Los Angeles during the 1980s, formed by individuals fleeing El Salvador’s civil war. It has since grown into a violent transnational gang operating across the U.S.
