MS-13 Gang Member Pleads Guilty to Murder Charges in Central Islip
Central Islip, NY (Grimy Times) – Josue Portillo, a 17-year-old member of the Leeward Locos Salvatruchas clique of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as the MS-13, pleaded guilty to racketeering charges without a plea agreement with the government, relating to his participation in the April 11, 2017 murders of Justin Llivicura, Michael Lopez, Jorge Tigre, and Jefferson Villalobos.
The guilty plea was entered before United States District Judge Joseph F. Bianco at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, New York.
Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), Geraldine Hart, Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), and Patrick J. Ryder, Commissioner, Nassau County Police Department (NCPD), announced the guilty plea.
Defendant: Josue Portillo
Criminal Charges: Racketeering
City and State: Central Islip, New York
Date: April 11, 2017
Sentence: To be determined
Mandatory Facts: Portillo, who was 15 years and 11 months old at the time of the April 11 murders and is now 17 years old, was initially charged by a juvenile information that was filed under seal in the Eastern District of New York on July 10, 2017. Portillo, an illegal alien from El Salvador, was in immigration custody in Virginia when charged, and he was subsequently transferred to the custody of the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force and transported to this district. Thereafter, the government filed a motion to transfer Portillo to adult status for prosecution. Following an evidentiary hearing, on August 6, 2018, Judge Bianco issued a Memorandum and Order granting the government’s transfer motion and ordering that Portillo be prosecuted as an adult.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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