By Lindsay Press
An alleged high-ranking commander of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13, was recently arrested on Long Island after escaping justice for four years. This announcement was made by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Department of Justice.
Joel Vargas-Escobar appeared on April 2 for his initial court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge James M. Wicks of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in Central Islip. He was ordered detained and will be transferred to the District of Nevada for trial. If convicted, Vargas-Escobar faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison.
Vargas-Escobar, otherwise known as Momia, was indicted in the District of Nevada and charged with the following:
- Racketeering conspiracy that involved 11 murders
- Two counts of murder-in-aid of racketeering
- Associated firearms charges
He had previously been deported to El Salvador in 2018 and illegally returned to the United States. He has been a fugitive for almost four years.
Vargas-Escobar was allegedly part of MS-13’s command and control structure in Las Vegas and California and held leadership roles in the organization’s actions. The indictment charges associates of the “Parkview” clique of MS-13 with committing 11 murders in a year in Nevada and California. The indictment states that several victims were allegedly taken hostage by MS-13 members in remote locations in the mountains and desert, where they were tortured and killed. Vargas-Escobar was allegedly the leader of the Parkview clique.
The arrest was prepared by the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division in Washington D.C., and help was received from the FBI field offices in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and New York. The Criminal Division Violent Crime and Racketeering Section (VCRS), the United States Attorney’s Officer for the District of Nevada, and the Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV) also helped coordinate the arrest.
“The American people are safer following the arrest of yet another MS-13 leader thanks to the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division and Joint Task Force Vulcan,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi in a statement. “This terrorist entered our country illegally and is accused of orchestrating 11 murders – under President Trump’s leadership, we will not rest until this terrorist organization is completely dismantled and its members are behind bars.”
“The arrest of yet another violent and MS-13 leader is a major win for our FBI agents, law enforcement partners, and safer American streets,” FBI Director Kash Patel added. “Our agents and analysts are continuously coordinating across multiple field offices and investigating with our valued partners to keep this work going – and we will not stop until that work is done.”