Photo Courtesy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
Reputed MS-13 member Luis Rivas (c., navy blue T-shirt) has been charged in the Oct. 22, 2018 attack.
By Forum Staff
Three members of La Mara Salvatrucha, commonly known as MS-13, have been indicted for allegedly beating and stabbing a suspected rival gang member while incarcerated last year at the Manhattan Detention Complex, federal prosecutors announced on Friday.
Luis Rivas, 23, from Jamaica; Javier Rodriguez, 33, a Flushing resident; and Dennis Cabrera, 27, of the Bronx have been charged with assault-in-aid-of racketeering. According to court filings, on Oct. 22, while the defendants were incarcerated on state charges at MDC, they allegedly assaulted a fellow inmate who they suspected to be a member of the rival Latin King gang—punching, kicking, and stabbing him with a makeshift knife, first in his cell and then in a hallway of the facility. The attack was captured on video surveillance footage. At the conclusion of the assault, Rivas allegedly flashed an MS-13 hand sign at the victim, who suffered multiple puncture wounds to his back, torso, and arms, including two deeper lacerations that required stitches.
“As alleged, the defendants are members of the MS-13, an international gang known for its culture of violence,” said Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue. “Unprovoked, they assaulted and stabbed an inmate housed with them for no other reason than the inmate’s suspected affiliation with a rival gang.”
If convicted, Rivas, Rodriguez, and Cabrera face a maximum of 20 years’ imprisonment.
“The gang members charged in this investigation displayed once again their disregard for obeying the law and for human life, allegedly stabbing and beating another inmate while incarcerated for other crimes,” added Bill Sweeney, Jr., assistant director-in-charge, FBI New York.
