Two alleged MS-13 members from Hempstead have been federally indicted in connection with the fatal stabbing and beating of a teen who prosecutors say was targeted because the gang suspected he belonged to a rival street gang.
Isaac Eliseo Lopez Alvarez, 20, also known as “Flaco” and “Kofla,” and Denis Alexander Gonzalez Sorto, 22, also known as “Demon,” “Demon Boy” and “DM,” are members of MS-13’s Hempstead Locos Salvatruchas clique, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
The men are charged with racketeering conspiracy and related firearms and narcotics offenses connected to an alleged conspiracy to kill rival gang members and the June 28 killing of Michael David Grajeda Suazo. The indictment was unsealed Oct. 20, and the defendants were scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in federal court in Central Islip.
Prosecutors said Grajeda Suazo was targeted because MS-13 members suspected he belonged to the rival 18th Street gang. In the weeks before the killing, the defendants and other alleged MS-13 members discussed locating and killing suspected rivals and began surveilling Grajeda Suazo, according to the indictment.
On the evening of June 28, Grajeda Suazo was walking with two other people on Fulton Avenue in Hempstead when prosecutors say the defendants and another MS-13 member spotted him while riding bicycles. The three allegedly rode ahead, turned onto an adjacent street and got off their bikes before approaching Grajeda Suazo from behind.
Prosecutors allege Gonzalez Sorto repeatedly stabbed Grajeda Suazo, including in the chest, while Lopez Alvarez and the third alleged gang member kicked and stomped him as he lay mortally wounded. The three then fled on bicycles, authorities said.
Federal prosecutors also accused Lopez Alvarez and Gonzalez Sorto of conspiring to distribute cocaine and marijuana. Authorities said proceeds from MS-13 drug sales on Long Island were used to finance gang operations, including purchasing guns, ammunition and other weapons and sending money to gang leadership in Central America.
The defendants are also charged with being aliens in possession of a firearm. Prosecutors said investigators executing a search warrant recovered a 9mm P80 semi-automatic handgun without a commercial serial number from a bedroom the defendants shared at their Hempstead residence.
Both defendants were already in state custody on murder charges when the federal indictment was unsealed, according to prosecutors.
If convicted of the federal charges, each defendant faces up to life in prison or the possibility of the death penalty. The charges are allegations, and both defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Photo: The Alfonse M. D’Amato United States Courthouse in Central Islip, which houses the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
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