Long Island MS-13 Gang Member Sentenced to 42 Years in Prison for His Role in Two 2016 Murders in Nassau County

Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Kevin Cuevas Del Cid, also known as "Creeper," "Malcriado," "Sombra," "Vinky" and "Dabura," a member of the Sailors Locos Salvatruchas Westside (Sailors) clique of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as the MS-13, a transnational criminal organization, was sentenced by United States District Judge Joan M. Azrack to 42 years' imprisonment for his role in the May 21, 2016 murder of Kerin Pineda and the October 10, 2016 murder of Javier Castillo, both of whom were killed in Freeport, New York, as well as a conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana. Del Cid had previously pleaded guilty to these crimes in [month, year].

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Patrick J. Ryder, Commissioner, Nassau County Police Department, announced the sentence.

"Today, the defendant faces justice for his role in the brutal murder of two innocent victims, young men who were targeted and tortured by the MS-13 street gang," stated United States Attorney Nocella. "This defendant used social media to lure Kerin Pineda to his death, and this callous disregard for human life has now been met with a just punishment thanks to the work of our Office."

"Today's sentencing marks an important step in holding violent MS-13 gang members accountable for the harm they inflict on innocent civilians. Kevin Cuevas Del Cid, an alleged MS-13 gang member, is facing punishment for the abhorrent crimes he committed. Rest assured that the FBI with its partners will continue to dismantle the MS-13 gang presence in New York and across the United States," stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.

"Gang activity will never be tolerated here in Nassau County. The County Executive and I will dedicate any resources necessary to combat criminal behavior. Our department worked aggressively to investigate these cases with our partners in the FBI and US attorneys' office. Today's sentencing demonstrates our commitment to holding the defendant accountable for these murders," stated NCPD Commissioner Ryder.

According to court filings and statements by the defendant at the guilty plea proceeding, the defendant participated in the murder of 20-year-old Kerin Pineda, who was killed because of his suspected membership in the 18th Street gang. Specifically, in May 2016, Del Cid and other MS-13 members devised a plan where Del Cid created a fake Facebook profile of a young female to communicate with Pineda and lure him out to be killed. On May 21, 2016, Pineda went to a secluded wooded area near the Merrick-Freeport border believing that he was meeting the young female he had been communicating with on Facebook, who was, in fact, Del Cid. When Pineda arrived, he was surrounded and violently attacked by Del Cid and the other MS-13 members, each of whom took turns hacking and slashing him with the machetes. Pineda's body was then buried in a hole that had been dug in the ground the day before, in anticipation of the murder. Del Cid is the first of six participants in the Pineda murder, all of whom have pleaded guilty, to be sentenced for that crime.

Del Cid also pleaded guilty to the murder of 15-year-old Javier Castillo, who, like Pineda, was killed because the MS-13 suspected him of being a member of the 18th Street gang. On October 10, 2016, members of the Sailors clique in Brentwood convinced Castillo, who lived in Central Islip, to go with them to Freeport - approximately 30 miles away - to smoke marijuana. Del Cid and the other MS-13 members took Castillo to an isolated marsh area along the water in Cow Meadow Park in Freeport, where they attacked and killed him, taking turns hacking him with a machete. Thereafter, the MS-13 members dug a hole and buried Castillo's body, which was not recovered until one year later, in October 2017. More than a half dozen MS-13 members have been charged and pleaded guilty in connection with the Castillo murder.

Del Cid, who was 16 years-old at the time of the Pineda and Castillo murders, initially was charged by a juvenile information filed under seal on May 20, 2020. The government subsequently filed a motion to transfer Del Cid to adult status for prosecution, and an evidentiary hearing was held on June 3, 2022. On July 6, 2022, United States Circuit Judge Joseph F. Bianco, sitting by designation, issued a Memorandum and Order granting the government's motion, and ordering Del Cid be prosecuted as an adult.

Today's sentencing is the latest achievement in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York targeting members of the MS-13, a violent, transnational criminal organization. The MS-13's leadership is based in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico, but the gang has thousands of members across the United States. With numerous branches, or "cliques," the MS-13 is the most violent criminal organization on Long Island. Since 2003, hundreds of MS-13 members, including dozens of clique leaders, have been convicted on federal felony charges in the Eastern District of New York. A majority of those MS-13 members have been convicted on federal racketeering charges for participating in murders, attempted murders and assaults. Since 2010, this Office has obtained indictments charging MS-13 members with carrying out more than 75 murders in the Eastern District of New York, resulting in the convictions of dozens of MS-13 leaders and members in connection with those murders. These prosecutions are the product of investigations led by the FBI's Long Island Gang Task Force, which is comprised of agents and officers of the FBI, NCPD, Suffolk County Police Department, Nassau County Sheriff's Department, Suffolk County Probation Office, Suffolk County Sheriff's Office, the New York State Police, the Hempstead Police Department, the Rockville Centre Police Department and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a Department of Justice initiative aimed at eradicating transnational criminal organizations, combating violent crime, and restoring the rule of law.

The government's case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office's Long Island Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Paul G. Scotti, Justina L. Geraci and Megan E. Farrell are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Kerry Ucci and Automated Litigation Specialist Michael Compitello.

The Defendant:

KEVIN CUEVAS DEL CID (also known as "Creeper," "Malcriado," "Sombra," "Vinky" and "Dabura")
Age: 26
Freeport, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 20-CR-251 (S-1) (JMA)