Alexi Saenz, the leader of an MS-13 gang clique in New York, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to racketeering and firearms charges. His case involves eight murders, including the 2016 killings of two high school girls, Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens. The girls were brutally hacked and beaten to death with a machete and a baseball bat while walking in their suburban Long Island neighborhood. The MS-13 gang leader now faces a prison sentence ranging from 40 to 70 years. His sentencing is scheduled for January 31 next year.
Prosecutors initially considered seeking the death penalty for the MS-13 gang leader but later withdrew that intention. Authorities originally indicted Saenz, 29, in 2017 in the Eastern District of New York. During the court hearing, Saenz spoke through a Spanish interpreter and answered the judge’s yes and no questions about the plea deal and his crimes. In a statement read by his lawyer, the MS-13 gang leader admitted to ordering or approving the murders of rival gang members and others who had disrespected or feuded with his clique.
In 2020, former U.S. Attorney General William Barr filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty against the MS-13 gang leader. However, this decision was later retracted. Saenz’s brother, Jairo Saenz, also faces charges related to the gang’s activities, which are still pending. Eight other MS-13 gang members, part of two gang cliques, were charged in 2020 for six murders and other crimes on Long Island.
The MS-13 gang, also known as Mara Salvatrucha, formed in the U.S. during the 1980s by Salvadoran immigrants fleeing the civil war in El Salvador. The MS-13 gang is notorious for using extreme violence to achieve its objectives, according to the Department of Justice. Their activities have instilled fear in communities across the United States, especially in areas like Long Island, where the MS-13 gang’s presence has been strongly felt.
Alexi Saenz’s guilty plea marks a significant development in efforts to dismantle the MS-13 gang’s influence. Authorities hope to bring justice to the victims and their families.
