An alleged leader of the MS-13 gang complained to a New York judge that he faces a hard life behind bars because he has limited access to a phone and faces “discrimination” at his jail, according to a Monday report.
Miguel Angel Corea Diaz, 35, pleaded with State Supreme County Justice Patricia Harrington to alleviate his “suffering” while he is incarcerated in Nassau County Jail, Newsday reported.
“Discrimination. I’m suffering in this county. They call me ‘El Chapo.’ Die, scary guy,” the alleged East Coast gang leader told the court July 31, noting he received “a lot of death threats” from people outside of the jail and cannot speak with his children.
Corea Diaz’s lawyer, Scott Gross, says his client has been locked in his cell for 23 hours a day with limited phone access.
Harrington said she would investigate getting him more phone access, but told him she does not control where the jail decides to place inmates.
An indictment accused the alleged gang leader of ordering killings and beatings while he ran MS-13’s drug operations in New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Texas, and other places throughout the U.S., WPIX reported.
The Nassau County District Attorney’s Office said Corea Diaz reported directly to gang leaders in El Salvador.
The Salvadoran national faces up to 25 years to life in prison for multiple charges, including three counts of major drug trafficking and five counts of second-degree conspiracy. Corea Diaz pleaded not guilty to all counts in April.
President Trump has made it a priority of his administration to crack down on the gang’s alleged activities, and has referred to the gang members as “animals.”
The president, in his push for tighter enforcement of immigration laws, told FBI National Academy graduates in December it is cheaper to deport MS-13 gang members than to imprison them.