Gang Leader sentenced in Brooklyn federal court

July 26, 2013 From U.S. Department of Justice

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A former leader of the violent international gang La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as “MS-13,” was sentenced to a term of 30 years imprisonment for racketeering and murder conspiracy charges.

Hector Aleman Lemos, 32, also known as “Diablito,” entered a plea of guilty before Brooklyn Federal Judge Nichoals Garaufis early March.

According to the indictment and other court filings, Lemos was alleged to have been the leader of a chapter of the gang that committed a series of violent crimes, including murder, murder conspiracy and attempted murder, in Flushing and elsewhere.

Among other crimes, Lemos was charged with murdering 25-year-old John Halley in Yonkers, N.Y. Lemos believed, incorrectly, that Halley was a member of a rival gang when he shot him on the street.

As part of his plea, Lemos admitted that he was a member of MS-13 and that he participated in the murder of Halley, as well as the shooting of a 13-year-old boy who had been standing on the stoop of a house in Flushing that Lemos believed to be a rival gang location.

“Lemos was the leader of a gang that turned our streets into a shooting gallery and killed innocent bystanders in its bid to dominate the streets,” said Loretta E. Lynch, U.S attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

As part of his plea, Lemos agreed to a prison term of 30 years.

“The defendant in this case indiscriminately brought or threatened violence against rival gang members and innocent civilians alike,” said Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent-in-Charge James T. Hayes, Jr.

Assistant United States Attorneys Gina M. Parlovecchio and Darren A. LaVerne are prosecuting the government’s case.