The sprawling reach of MS-13, a transnational criminal organization known for visceral violence and ruthless adherence to its code, extends its dark shadow over communities far from its Central American origins, the U.S. Department of Justice reported. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn unsealed a superseding indictment charging two alleged MS-13 national leaders and various associates with a series of murders in Queens and Long Island, as per the official announcement made by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York. Edenilson Velasquez Larin and Hugo Diaz Amaya stand accused at the pinnacle of these crimes, including several that date back to 2016.
Describing crimes that to paint a perilous portrait of gang life, the indictment alleges Velasquez Larin, known by an array of aliases, including "Agresor" and "Saturno," to have been a national leader of the Fulton clique, implicated in the machete-inflicted murder of Kenney Reyes and in ordering additional murders over a span of six years. Diaz Amaya, dubbed "21" and "Splinter," has also been accused of taking part in such barbarity, specifically in the recent murder of an MS-13 member presumed to be climbing the gang's ranks. The interconnected nature of these cruelties underscores the entrenched network these cliques have woven, according to the Department of Justice, and the tireless efforts of law enforcement to unravel it.
Serving as a grim backdrop to the charges is an undeniable truth: MS-13 makes its money through narcotics and fear, and has left an indelible mark across the Eastern District of New York with its countless murders. Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, articulated the longing for justice in a statement obtained by the U.S. Department of Justice, declaring, "My Office and our law enforcement partners have worked tirelessly to hold MS-13 accountable for the unspeakable harm it has done to its victims and our communities. As these charges make clear, our pursuit of those responsible will not be deterred by the passage of time or by the leaders of MS-13’s futile attempts to hide in the shadows."
Among the murdered was 18-year-old Kenny Reyes, a Honduran immigrant whose association with a rival gang painted him as a target for MS-13's Fulton clique. But the pangs of violence stretch, even further, into the Monsanto family, where the seated Eric Monge became yet another victim of the gang's campaign for dominance. These deaths, tied together by the sinew of cold-blooded gang codes, have galvanized federal, state, and local agencies to tightly close in on this network and promise an undaunted pursuit of justice. Special Agent in Charge William S. Walker emphasized in comments relayed by the U.S. Department of Justice, "The defendants’ ruthless violence, in furtherance of the MS-13 gang, has no place in society and our communities...No stone will be left unturned in our pursuit of justice on behalf of the victims slain by MS-13 gang members."
The government now undertakes the considerable task of dismantling an entity not merely a gang, but a phenomenon – one that the indictment alleges operates under a "U.S. Program" united hierarchy since 2021, largely commanded by incarcerated leaders. Yet, as stressed by William S. Walker, these latest charges reinforce the ongoing collaboration of law enforcement to obliterate the MS-13 structure and secure the peace procured so highly by the people.
