Two MS-13 Gang Members Indicted for the Murder of a Teen in Hempstead

 

Two members of the violent transnational criminal organization La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as the “MS-13,” will be arraigned today in federal court in Central Islip on an indictment charging them with racketeering conspiracy and related firearms and narcotics offenses in connection with a conspiracy to kill rival gang members, the June 28, 2026 murder of Michael David Grajeda Suazo, and a narcotics trafficking conspiracy (the Indictment).  Isaac Eliseo Lopez Alvarez, also known as “Flaco” and “Kofla” (Lopez Alvarez) and Denis Alexander Gonzalez Sorto, also known as “Demon,” “Demon Boy” and “DM” (Gonzalez Sorto), are both members of the Hempstead Locos Salvatruchas (Hempstead) clique of the MS-13.  The defendants are scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon at the federal courthouse in Central Islip.  The indictment was unsealed on October 20, 2026.  The defendants were in state custody on murder charges.

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); Pete Gizas, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI New York); and Patrick J. Ryder, Commissioner, Nassau County Police Department (NCPD) announced the charges. 

“As alleged, the defendants carried out a planned and savage killing, stabbing and beating a teen on the street in Hempstead in furtherance of MS-13, a vicious transnational gang,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “Our Office, along with federal and local law enforcement, will not rest until we have eradicated MS-13 and other violent street gangs in our district.” 

Mr. Nocella expressed his grateful appreciation to all the members of the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF), NCPD, the Hempstead Police Department, and the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office for their tremendous assistance and partnership in this case.

“Acts of gang-related violence, regardless of who is involved, are senseless and deeply damaging to our communities. The brutality displayed in this case took the life of a young person and inflicted lasting harm on their family. Today's indictments mark an important step toward securing justice, and the FBI and Long Island Safe Streets Gang Task Force remain committed to reducing gang related harm and protecting New York communities,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.

“These defendants are accused of bringing MS-13’s ruthless brand of gang violence to Hempstead — targeting, stalking and brutally murdering a young man in a calculated act of retaliation that endangered the entire community. Their alleged involvement in narcotics trafficking and possession of an untraceable firearm underscores the corrosive threat violent transnational criminal organizations pose to the safety of Long Island neighborhoods. As a co-leader of the Homeland Security Task Force, HSI New York and our law enforcement partners will relentlessly pursue violent gang members, dismantle their criminal networks and protect our communities from those who terrorize them,” stated Acting HSI New York Special Agent in Charge Gizas.

“Today’s indictments are a reminder that we will hold violent criminals fully accountable and never tolerate gang violence in Nassau County.  Our investigators will work with our partners to see these cases through. County Executive Blakeman and I will use all of the resources at our disposal to keep Nassau County safe, and fight back against those who look to do others harm,” stated NCPD Commissioner Ryder.

The Murder of Michael David Grajeda Suazo

As alleged in the Indictment, Grajeda Suazo was stabbed to death on Fulton Avenue in Hempstead after being targeted by the MS-13, who suspected him of being a member of the rival 18th Street gang.  The murder was retaliation for several prior attacks on MS-13 members by the 18th Street gang.  In the weeks leading up to the murder, Gonzalez Sorto, Lopez-Alvarez, and other members of the Hempstead clique discussed plans to identify, locate, and kill suspected members of the 18th Street gang.  They targeted and began surveilling Grajeda Suazo prior to the homicide.  On the evening of June 28, Grajeda Suazo was walking with two other individuals on Fulton Avenue when he was spotted by the defendants and a third MS-13 member.  The three MS-13 members rode their bikes ahead of the victim, turned down an adjacent street and dismounted from their bikes.  When Grajeda Suazo walked past, the MS-13 members pursued and approached him from behind. Gonzalez Sorto, armed with a knife, stabbed Grajeda Suazo numerous times, plunging the blade into the victim’s chest before fleeing.  Simultaneously, Lopez Alvarez and the third MS-13 member kicked and stomped Grajeda-Suazo as he lay on the ground mortally wounded.  The three gang members then fled on bicycle.  

Narcotics and Firearms Offenses

The Indictment further charges the defendants with conspiring to distribute cocaine and marijuana.  These charges stem from the MS-13 cliques’ street-level sales of cocaine and marijuana on Long Island, the proceeds of which were used to help finance the MS-13’s criminal operations, including purchasing firearms, ammunition and other weapons, and sending money to MS-13 leadership in Central America. 

Finally, the defendants are charged with being aliens in possession of a firearm. This charge follows the recovery, pursuant to a lawfully executed search warrant, of a 9mm P80 semi-automatic handgun from a bedroom the defendants shared at their Hempstead residence.  The P80 is a type of firearm known as a “ghost gun” because it is made from privately assembled pieces that lack a commercial serial number, making it untraceable by law enforcement.

The Indictment is the latest 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 is comprised primarily of immigrants from Central America, and it has leaders in El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, and the United States, with thousands of members all over the world.  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 alone, this Office has obtained indictments charging MS-13 members with carrying out more than 75 murders in the Eastern District of New York, and it has convicted dozens of MS-13 leaders and members in connection with those murders.  These prosecutions are the product of extensive collaboration with numerous law enforcement agencies, including HSI, FBI and our local and state partners. 

The charges in the Indictment are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.  If convicted, each of the defendants faces up to life in prison, or the possibility of the death penalty. 

This 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. 

This case is also part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion.  The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad.  Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigation, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children.  The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division.