In Central Islip, New York, a key leader within the MS-13 gang in the suburbs of New York City received a 68-year prison sentence on Wednesday in a significant federal racketeering case. This case implicated him in eight murders on Long Island, including the highly publicized 2016 slayings of two high school girls that highlighted the alarming violence attributed to the Central American street gang.
Alexi Saenz, who previously pleaded guilty, was heavily involved in ordering these murders, which were part of a wave of violence that led then-President Donald Trump to visit Long Island multiple times. Trump called for severe penalties, including the death penalty, for Saenz and his gang members during his time in office.
At the sentencing, Elizabeth Alvarado, holding the ashes of her daughter, Nisa Mickens, expressed her anguish in court. “Why did you take her?” she questioned Saenz, who looked away, adding, “We are not supposed to bury our children.”
Prosecutors had initially aimed for a 70-year sentence, but with the death penalty now off the table, they pushed for a lengthy imprisonment of 70 years, while Saenz’s attorneys sought a term of 45 years. When Saenz addressed the court, he sought pardon from both divine and human entities, acknowledging his inability to undo the pain caused.
Despite this plea, prosecutor Paul Scotti maintained that Saenz’s apologies were more for personal gain, citing ongoing misconduct in custody that included assaults and contraband. “Actions speak louder than words,” Scotti insisted. Joseph Nocella, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, condemned Saenz’s tenure of violent dominance characterized by murder and crime.
Judge Gary Brown, acknowledging Saenz’s guilty plea and the influence on his brother Jairo to do likewise, slightly reduced the sentence to 68 years. Jairo, the second-in-command, had pleaded guilty to similar offenses and is awaiting his sentencing.
Saenz’s lawyer, Natali Todd, hoped the victims’ families could find solace, although she admitted, “There are no winners.” She pointed out Saenz’s cognitive challenges and traumatic background from El Salvador as factors in his recruitment and indoctrination into the gang.
Javier Castillo’s father, Santos Castillo, accepted the court’s decision, yearning for the maximum punishment during his emotional comments. Having emigrated from El Salvador seeking peace and prosperity, he mourned the violence that claimed his son. “Our lives will never be normal again,” he lamented.
Similarly, George Johnson, whose son Michael was a victim, shared his enduring grief, feeling guilty for letting his son associate with Saenz and other gang members. In a poignant moment, wearing a shirt with his son’s image, Johnson demanded Saenz face him, but Saenz looked away, later calling him “a coward.”
Known as “Blasty,” Saenz led the Sailors Locos Salvatruchas Westside faction of the Mara Salvatrucha in Brentwood and Central Islip. Last summer, he admitted to authorizing multiple killings, including the gruesome murders of Mickens and Kayla Cuevas, who were brutally attacked after one had a confrontation with gang members.
Saenz further confessed to engaging in arson, unlawful possession of firearms, and drug trafficking, with the proceeds supporting wider gang operations, including acquiring more arms and drugs.