Federal prosecutors unsealed a 48-page indictment charging them in the deaths of Andy Peralta, Abel Mosso, and others
Federal prosecutors have made a major announcement that they have taken into custody nearly 22 suspected members of the notorious MS 13 gang. The men are believed to be responsible for a series of acts of violence in the borough of Queens, New York City.
An unsealed 48-count indictment was filed this week in federal court in Brooklyn. It charged the defendants, ages 19 to 35, with crimes including “racketeering conspiracy, multiple murders, acts of violence, drug distribution conspiracy, and money laundering conspiracy,” according to the U.S. District Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
United States Attorney Breon Pease expressed the brutal nature of the crimes committed by the defendants, describing them as brutal, cold-blooded, and without any sense. He emphasized the tireless efforts of his office and law enforcement partners in dismantling the MS 13 gang at every level. Their determination to hold the leaders, members, and associates of this transnational criminal organization accountable stems from the extreme violence and other criminal activities they inflict on communities.
The newly revealed indictment also charges one of the suspects, Lela Karanza, with murder. Prosecutors allege Carranza lured 17-year-old Andy Peralta to Kissena Park in Flushing, Queens, in April 2018, where he fatally beat, stabbed, and strangled him. This development further emphasizes the seriousness of the crimes committed by the accused.
According to the attorney’s office, the men responsible for Peralta’s murder posed over his lifeless body while making MS 13 gang signs with their hands.
Additionally, the indictment includes additional charges against some of the men involved in the murders of Victor Alvarenga, who was fatally shot near his home in Flushing in November 2018, and Abel Mosso, who was attacked on a subway platform in February 2019.
The attorney’s office provided details of the incident, alleging that Victor Lopez and Tito Martinez-Alvarenga grabbed Mosso on the No. 7 train at Main Street Station in Flushing on February 3, 2019. They believed Mosso was a member of the rival 18th Street gang and were accompanied by Ramiro Gutierrez. Lopez and Martinez-Alvarenga assaulted Moso inside a subway car before dragging her onto the platform at the 90th Street station in Jackson Heights, the attorney’s office said.
DOJ, FBI, IRS interfered in Hunter Biden probe, according to whistleblower testimony released by GOP
According to prosecutors, in the incident involving Mosso, the accused produced a firearm. However, Moso managed to fight the weapon away from them. At that point, Gutierrez yelled in Spanish, “No one interferes, we’re MS-13 gang, we’re going to kill him.” Subsequently, Gutierrez seized the gun from Mosso and shot him multiple times, resulting in his death.
In a separate killing, former alleged MS 13 gang members Eric Monge was fatally shot near his home in Queens in September 2020. The assailant was identified as another suspected member who had been attacked by Monge earlier. Prosecutors revealed the attack happened shortly after Monge’s wife dropped their young children off at the property, further highlighting the reckless nature of the incident.
NYPD Commissioner Keychant Sewell said the recently announced charges are further evidence of NYPD investigators’ unwavering determination to work with law enforcement partners to pursue justice against gangs. The commitment to holding those responsible for their heinous acts of violence is unwavering, no matter when or where these crimes are committed.
The defendants named in the indictment are identified as follows: Edenilson Laurin, alleged national MS-13 leader, Christian Leon, Carlos Alvarado, Jose Iraheta, Eric Leon, Blanca Garcia, Jose Aguilar, Oscar Byers, Kayla May, Yonathan Hernandez, Leyla Carranza, Jose Hernandez. , Jose Sanchez, Tyler Salmeron, Eric Hernandez, Juan Amaya-Ramirez, Oscar Flores-Mejia, Ramiro Gutierrez, Victor Lopez, Tito Martinez-Alvarenga, Emerson Martinez-Laura, and Ismael Sanatos-