Jamaica Man Charged With Killing MS-13 Rival Gang Member: Feds

JAMAICA, QUEENS -- A Jamaica man and known gang member now faces federal murder conspiracy charges after he allegedly admitted in text messages to killing a rival gang member, prosecutors said Monday.

Yanki Misael Cruz-Mateo, 19, and three other accused gang members - two from Queens and one from New Jersey - were arraigned in a Brooklyn federal court on Monday afternoon for their alleged roles in the February slaying, said U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue.

The victim, a suspected MS-13 gang member referred to in court documents as John Doe 2, was shot repeatedly in his head and stomach in Jamaica Hills, according to the indictment. His body was found riddled with bullets near 160th Street and 85th Avenue on Feb. 2, authorities said.

Cruz-Mateo - also known as "Yankee Mateo," "doggy" and "wino" - allegedly organized the slaying with his cohorts because of the man's involvement with MS-13, federal prosecutors said.

He and his three codefendants - Yoni Alexander Sierra, 20, and Saudi Levy Ramirez, 25, of Queens; and Jose Jimenez Chacon, 20, of New Brunswick, New Jersey - belong to a violent gang called the '18th Street,' which operates mainly out of Jamaica and upstate in Kingston, prosecutors said.

Several days after the murder, Cruz-Mateo allegedly admitted in text messages to shooting the man because he believed he was a member of the rival MS-13 gang, according to the indictment.

All four men were charged with murder conspiracy. Cruz-Mateo also faces firearm-related charges.

"Gang warfare in our City streets puts every man, woman and child in danger," said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown. "We will not tolerate violent street gangs turning our neighborhoods into killing fields."

The case was investigated as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program renewed in 2017 by Attorney General Jeff Sessions that brings together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violence in their communities.

"We will continue to work with our state and local partners to break this senseless cycle of violence by eradicating all violent street gangs that threaten our communities,” Donoghue said.

(Lead photo via Shutterstock)