MS-13 Gang Members Involved In 'Savage Killing' Of Teen On LI Indicted: Feds

HEMPSTEAD, NY — Two MS-13 members were slated for arraignment Thursday at federal Court in Islip in connection with the killing of a rival gang member, officials said.

The indictment charged them with racketeering conspiracy and related firearms and narcotics offenses in connection with a conspiracy to kill rival gang members, the June 28 murder of Michael David Grajeda Suazo, 18, and a narcotics trafficking conspiracy, federal officials said.

Isaac Eliseo Lopez Alvarez, 20, of Hempstead, also known as "Flaco" and "Kofla" (Lopez Alvarez) and Denis Alexander Gonzalez Sorto, 22, of Hempstead, also known as "Demon," "Demon Boy" and "DM" (Gonzalez Sorto), are both members of the Hempstead Locos Salvatruchas clique of MS-13, federal officials said.

The indictment was unsealed on Tuesday; both Lopez Alvarez and Gonzalez Sorto were in state custody on murder charges, officials said.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; James C. Barnacle, Jr., assistant director in charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York field office; Pete Gizas, acting special agent in charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York; and Patrick J. Ryder, commissioner of the Nassau County Police Department announced the charges.

"As alleged, the defendants carried out a planned and savage killing, stabbing and beating a teen on the street in Hempstead in furtherance of MS-13, a vicious transnational gang," Nocella said. "Our office, along with federal and local law enforcement, will not rest until we have eradicated MS-13 and other violent street gangs in our district."

The Murder of Michael David Grajeda Suazo

As alleged in the Indictment, Grajeda Suazo was stabbed to death on Fulton Avenue in Hempstead after being targeted by the MS-13 gang, who suspected him of being a member of the rival 18th Street gang, federal officials said.

The murder was retaliation for several prior attacks on MS-13 members by the 18th Street gang, officials added.

In the weeks leading up to the murder, Gonzalez Sorto, Lopez-Alvarez, and other members of the Hempstead clique discussed plans to identify, locate, and kill suspected members of the 18th Street gang, federal officials said.

They targeted and began surveilling Grajeda Suazo prior to the homicide, federal officials said.

On the evening of June 28, Grajeda Suazo was walking with two other individuals on Fulton Avenue when he was spotted by the pair and a third MS-13 member, officials said.

The three MS-13 members rode their bikes ahead of the victim, turned down an adjacent street and dismounted from their bikes, federal officials said.

When Grajeda Suazo walked past, the MS-13 members pursued and approached him from behind; Gonzalez Sorto, armed with a knife, stabbed Grajeda Suazo numerous times, plunging the blade into his chest before fleeing, federal officials said.

Simultaneously, Lopez Alvarez and the third MS-13 member kicked and stomped Grajeda-Suazo as he lay on the ground mortally wounded, officials said.

The three gang members then fled on bicycle, officials said.

Narcotics and Firearms Offenses

The indictment also charges both men with conspiring to distribute cocaine and marijuana; those charges stem from the MS-13 cliques’ street-level sales of cocaine and marijuana on Long Island, the proceeds of which were used to help finance the MS-13’s criminal operations, including purchasing firearms, ammunition and other weapons, and sending money to MS-13 leadership in Central America, federal officials said.

Finally, the men were charged with being aliens in possession of a firearm; those charges follows the recovery, pursuant to a lawfully executed search warrant, of a 9mm P80 semi-automatic handgun from a bedroom they shared at their Hempstead residence, federal officials said.

The P80 is a type of firearm known as a "ghost gun" because it is made from privately assembled pieces that lack a commercial serial number, making it untraceable by law enforcement, officials said.

If convicted, each of the men faces up to life in prison, or the possibility of the death penalty, federal officials said.

Nocella expressed his appreciation to all the members of the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, the Homeland Security Task Force, NCPD, the Hempstead Police Department, and the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office for their assistance and partnership in this case.

"Acts of gang-related violence, regardless of who is involved, are senseless and deeply damaging to our communities. The brutality displayed in this case took the life of a young person and inflicted lasting harm on their family. Today's indictments mark an important step toward securing justice, and the FBI and Long Island Safe Streets Gang Task Force remain committed to reducing gang related harm and protecting New York communities," said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.

"These defendants are accused of bringing MS-13’s ruthless brand of gang violence to Hempstead — targeting, stalking and brutally murdering a young man in a calculated act of retaliation that endangered the entire community. Their alleged involvement in narcotics trafficking and possession of an untraceable firearm underscores the corrosive threat violent transnational criminal organizations pose to the safety of Long Island neighborhoods. As a co-leader of the Homeland Security Task Force, HSI New York and our law enforcement partners will relentlessly pursue violent gang members, dismantle their criminal networks and protect our communities from those who terrorize them," Acting HSI New York Special Agent in Charge Gizas said.

"Today’s indictments are a reminder that we will hold violent criminals fully accountable and never tolerate gang violence in Nassau County. Our investigators will work with our partners to see these cases through. County Executive Blakeman and I will use all of the resources at our disposal to keep Nassau County safe, and fight back against those who look to do others harm," NCPD Commissioner Ryder said.