Josue Portillo, Racketeering Murders, NY 2017

At the federal courthouse in Central Islip, Josue Portillo, a member of the Leeward Locos Salvatruchas clique of La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), was sentenced by United States Circuit Judge Joseph F. Bianco to 55 years’ imprisonment.

Portillo’s sentence follows his guilty plea to racketeering charges for participating in the April 11, 2017 murders of Justin Llivicura, Michael Lopez, Jorge Tigre and Jefferson Villalobos at a Long Island Park. The illegal alien from El Salvador also faces deportation upon completion of his sentence.

United States Attorney Richard P. Donoghue, FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney, Jr., Suffolk County Police Department Commissioner Geraldine Hart, and Nassau County Police Department Commissioner Patrick J. Ryder announced the sentence. Donoghue emphasized that while no sentence can bring back the young lives lost, the Eastern District will continue its efforts to eliminate MS-13 violence.

FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney described the murders as incomprehensible, with gang members treating human life as a game. The FBI Long Island Gang Task Force is working closely with law enforcement and the community to prevent further attacks.

SCPD Commissioner Hart highlighted the group’s commitment to dismantling MS-13 and ending gang violence. NCPD Commissioner Ryder praised the collaborative efforts of law enforcement agencies in bringing justice to the victims’ families.

The incident began when Portillo and other MS-13 members lured five young men, including the four victims, to a park, believing them to be rival gang members. The victims were killed with weapons, and one intended victim escaped. Portillo was initially charged as a juvenile but was transferred to adult status for prosecution.

This sentence is part of a series of federal prosecutions targeting MS-13 violence in the Eastern District of New York.