MS-13 Gang Leader Sentenced to 68 Years for Long Island Murders

The head of an MS-13 gang faction in New York’s suburbs was sentenced to 68 years in federal prison for his role in eight murders on Long Island, including the brutal 2016 killings of two high school students that drew national attention to the gang’s violence.

Alexi Saenz, who pleaded guilty last year to ordering and approving these murders, was involved in other violent crimes during a series of bloody incidents. His attorneys argued for a 45-year sentence, citing his intellectual disabilities and traumatic upbringing in El Salvador, which supposedly led to his recruitment into MS-13. Prosecutors, however, pushed for the maximum 70-year term, condemning his crimes as “senseless” and “sadistic.”

An FBI agent escorts an MS-13 gang member. — AP

Judge Gary Brown highlighted that Saenz’s plea and cooperation reduced his sentence from the maximum, acknowledging his efforts to persuade his younger brother, the gang’s second-in-command, to do the same. The judge emphasized that the victims will never see another day alive, stating, “This small adjustment is more than what was afforded to his victims.”

Saenz expressed remorse in court, seeking forgiveness from God, his family, and the victims’ relatives. Speaking through a translator, he acknowledged, “I know my apology will not repair the harm and pain that I have caused,” adding that he no longer recognizes the person who committed the crimes.

A grieving mother speaks to reporters outside a courthouse. — Mother of Nisa Mickens, one of Saenz’s victims, outside court. Dennis A. Clark

Prosecutors provided evidence of Saenz’s involvement, including photos with gang members behind bars displaying signs and paraphernalia. They also cited his disciplinary record in custody, which included assaults, refusing orders, and possessing contraband like sharpened metal objects and cellphones.

Saenz, known as “Blasty” and “Big Homie,” led the Brentwood-based MS-13 clique, Sailors Locos Salvatruchas Westside, and admitted to orchestrating the killings of rival gang members and others who disrespected the gang, including the murders of 16-year-old Kayla Cuevas, 15-year-old Nisa Mickens, and 15-year-old Javier Castillo.

Mugshot of Alexi Saenz, aka Blasty. — Prosecutors displayed photos of Saenz with gang signs and paraphernalia. Calabro, Peter B. (NY) (FBI)

Saenz also admitted to involvement in arson, firearms offenses, and drug trafficking, with proceeds supporting MS-13 activities. The gang was established in Los Angeles in the 1980s by immigrants fleeing El Salvador’s civil war and has since become a notorious transnational criminal organization.