The leader of MS-13 clique, a Central American street gang in the New York City suburbs, was sentenced to 68 years in prison on Wednesday. Alexis Saenz was charged in a federal racketeering case involving the murder of eight victims in Long Island, as well as the 2016 killing of two high school girls in Brentwood.
The thirty-year-old Saenz, leader of the local branch of Mara Salvatrucha known as Sailors Locos Salvatruchas Westside, which operates in Brentwood and Central Islip, pleaded guilty last year to his role in ordering and approving the killings. The defendant further admitted in July that he had authorized three other attempted murders of perceived rivals and others who had disrespected or feuded with the clique. Saenz also admitted to arson, firearms offenses, and drug trafficking, the proceeds of which went towards buying more weapons and narcotics, and providing contributions to the wider MS-13 gang.
Prosecutors implored Judge Gary Brown to impose the maximum sentence of 70 years, while Saenz’s lawyers were seeking a sentence of 45 years in prison.
Prosecutors originally sought the death penalty, a sentiment echoed by President Donald Trump, who made several visits to Long Island to call for the death penalty for Saenz and several other gang members during his first term in 2022.
On Wednesday, Saenz addressed the court, stating, “I know my apology will not repair the harm and pain that I have caused. I know many of you do not accept my apology, but I want to say from the bottom of my heart that these words are sincere.”
Prosecutor Pail Scotti discounted the apology, expressing his belief that Alexi Saenz remains committed to MS-13, even while incarcerated in federal prison in Brooklyn for the past eight years. The prosecutor referenced an “extensive disciplinary record while in custody that includes assaulting other inmates, refusing staff orders, and possessing sharpened metal shanks, cellphones, and other contraband.”
Following the sentencing, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Joseph Nocella, remarked that Saenz led an “unspeakable reign of terror, killing, and crime.” The families of the victims were satisfied with his sentencing and felt justice had finally been served after years of waiting.
The gang leader also convinced his younger brother, Jairo Sanez, to plead guilty to similar charges in January. The younger brother, and the gang’s second-in-command, also faces decades in prison following his sentencing in September.
