NEW YORK -- An
MS-13 gang leader from
Long Island was sentenced to 40 years in prison Monday after admitting to killing a man he wrongly thought was in a rival gang.
Johnny Rodas, who goes by the street name "Arana", admitted he fired three times at another man who he mistakenly thought belonged to the "Salvadorans With Pride" or SWP gang.It was back on February 23, 2003 that 18 year-old
Jamie Figueroa of
Freeport was shot in the head as a car he was riding in pulled alongside the vehicle Rodas was in.
The shooting took place at a traffic light at the intersection of Sunrise Highway and North Ocean Avenue. U.S. Attorney Benton Campbell said the investigation showed that Figueroa did not belong to any street gang and was an innocent victim. Rodas, 26, fired three times using a .38 caliber handgun. FBI New York Director Mark Mershon called the killing an act of "wanton lawlessness" that "cannot be tolerated."MS-13 is currently Long Island's largest street gang. It is a violent international group whose members are often from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Long Island alone has seen 50 members convicted in the past three years in connection with federal felony charges, including murder conspiracy, the U.S. Attorney's office said.
MS-13 Killer Gets 40 Year Sentence - News Story - WNBC | New York
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