Queens MS-13 Gang Member Pleads Guilty To Attempted Murder: Feds

JAMAICA, QUEENS -- A Queens member of the notoriously violent MS-13 gang faces years behind bars and then deportation for beating and shooting a suspected rival gang member, federal prosecutors said.

Kevin "Stomper" Paniagua, 19, pleaded guilty to attempted murder after he and two other gang members allegedly unleashed the execution-style attack in 2016 on the then-16-year-old boy, leaving him paralyzed.

Paniagua and the two others - Jose Gonzalez, 19, and Francisco Ramos, 24 - allegedly plotted the murder attempt because they suspected the boy was a member of MS-13's rival 18th Street gang.

“MS-13 spreads fear throughout the community by killing suspected rival gang members and others who cross their path," said U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue.

Paniagua admitted that on Oct. 23, 2016, he and the other gang members searched and waited for the teen in Jamaica, beating him as soon as he walked by.

He then pulled out a gun and shot the teen in the face, but when he attempted to finish the job with a second shot, the gun jammed, according to court filings.

Paniagua - who has "no legal status" in the U.S. - faces anywhere from 10 years to life in prison for the murder attempt, followed by deportation.

His conviction is the latest in a series of federal prosecutions targeting members of MS-13. The gang's leadership is based in El Salvador and Honduras but thousands of members have planted roots across the United States.

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, Donoghue said. The office has charged members with more than 45 murders in the district since 2010.

Lead photo via Shutterstock