A dangerous MS-13 local ringleader believed to be linked to nearly a dozen murders in the US was arrested on Long Island Tuesday night after four years on the run.
Joel Vargas-Escobar, who also went by “Momia,” was nabbed by FBI agents in Westbury, Nassau County, for his alleged role in 11 murders across Nevada and California, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada announced Wednesday evening.
The El Salvadoran national, who was in the country illegally, was the alleged leader of the Parkview clique, an MS-13 subset in Las Vegas, where he ordered the slaughter of at least two of the 11 victims in 2017, officials alleged.
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His arrest comes amid the Trump administration’s ongoing crackdown on migrants who are in the country illegally — especially those linked to gangs, drug cartels and crime. The Justice Department has deemed gangs like MS-13 and Tren de Aragua terrorist organizations.
“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,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement Wednesday.
Vargas-Escobar was deported in 2018 to his home country, but illegally crossed into the US after he was tossed out and had been a wanted fugitive for nearly four years, according to the US Attorney’s Office.
The MS-13 “shot caller” was finally captured on Long Island — which has long been plagued by MS-13 violence seeping into its sleepy suburban neighborhoods — thanks to a joint effort by several federal law enforcement agencies like the FBI and the Justice Department.
“The arrest of yet another violent and dangerous MS-13 leader is a major win for our FBI agents, law enforcement partners, and safer American streets,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement. “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.”
Vargas-Escobar was hit with racketeering conspiracy, two counts of murder in aid of racketeering and related firearms charges.
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He faces mandatory life in prison if convicted.
The alleged gangbanger was ordered detained and is set to be transferred to Nevada, where he was initially charged in a 2021 federal indictment and will have his trial.
