A former high-ranking member of MS-13 has been sentenced to 60 years in prison for a string of violence that includes the 2016 murders of two Long Island teenagers whose deaths helped expose the gang's grip on Brentwood. Jairo Saenz, once described by prosecutors as second in command of the gang under his brother Alexi Saenz, was convicted in connection with seven murders, multiple attempted murders, arson and firearms offenses.
The sentence stems from Saenz's guilty plea, which was reported in January 2025, when he admitted in Central Islip federal court to seven murders, according to ABC7 New York. Among those killings were the September 2016 murders of Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens in Brentwood, two cases that drew national attention to MS-13's presence on Long Island. The outlet reported that Saenz pleaded guilty to racketeering and weapons charges as part of the case.
Prosecutors said Saenz held significant power within the gang's hierarchy at the time of the murders, serving as second in command to his brother, per the same account. The 60-year sentence was confirmed in a US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York announcement, which credited the term to convictions on racketeering, seven murders, multiple attempted murders, arson and firearms offenses.
A Sentence Years in the Making
The case against Saenz traces back to January 2021, when federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment in Central Islip charging 14 of MS-13's highest-ranking leaders with terrorism offenses, according to a separate Justice Department announcement from that period. Saenz's eventual guilty plea, reported in a January 2025 Justice Department release, indicated at the time that he faced up to 60 years in prison when sentenced.
ABC7 New York, however, reported that Saenz faced a range of 40 to 60 years behind bars ahead of a June 13 sentencing date. The dossier does not resolve why the two accounts diverge on the potential range, and both figures are presented here as reported by their respective sources.
Part of a Broader Federal Crackdown
Saenz's sentencing follows other recent federal actions against MS-13 figures. In July 2025, another MS-13 gang leader, Alexi Saenz, received a 68-year prison sentence and was responsible for eight murders. And in September 2025, three MS-13 members were convicted of two murders and multiple attempted murders, with one defendant facing a mandatory minimum penalty of life in prison, per a Justice Department statement.
The US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, based in Brooklyn, announced the Saenz sentencing through its official social media account. Full details of the sentencing hearing, including the presiding judge, exact sentencing date and case number, were not included in the materials reviewed for this report.
