An illegal alien member of the MS-13 gang is facing life in prison after pleading guilty on Monday to the murders of four young men in Long Island, New York.
Josue Portillo, 17, who was charged as an adult, pleaded guilty Monday in a federal courtroom to murdering Justin Llivicura, Jefferson Villalobos, Michael Lopez Banegas, and Jorge Tigre in Central Islip, New York, in April 2017, and to several racketeering charges, Fox News reported.
Portillo, a Salvadorean national who entered the U.S. illegally, admitted to plotting the murders with fellow gang members under the premise that the four men were members of a rival gang.
The victims were lured to a wooded area before being attacked with knives, machetes, and clubs.
“The Eastern District, together with our partners on the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, will never tire nor relent in our efforts to dismantle MS-13 and bring to justice their members who have no respect for human life,” U.S. attorney Richard Donoghue said in a statement.
Portillo was 16 years old when the murders took place, and authorities initially charged him as a juvenile. But a judge ruled that Portillo should be tried as an adult because he posed a risk to the community and had been charged with “four heinous, premeditated murders.”
President Trump shed light on the case at an event during a visit to Long Island in May—the heart of many MS-13 gang killings in the country—to push for stronger controls on immigration. The families of three of the victims attended the event.
Trump has referred to the gang members as “animals” on multiple occasions, especially in discussions about border security and immigration.
Portillo is due back in court on January 10 for sentencing. He faces up to life in prison.