A former leader of the Huntington chapter of the MS-13 street gang has been convicted of murder and federal racketeering charges.
A jury found 25-year-old Julio “Flechita” Chavez guilty following a trial at federal court in Brooklyn along with Oscar “Taz” Fuentes, 30, former leader of the New York state chapters of MS-13.
Prosecutors said the two men killed 21-year-old Maurice Parker in Flushing in May 2007 because his friend was wearing a red sweatshirt—a color often worn by members of the rival Bloods street gang.
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“The convictions have ensured that the defendants will never again walk the streets,” Loretta Lynch, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement.
Both men face mandatory minimum sentences of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Parker was shot six times, including three shots to the head. He died at the scene.
The convictions come 11 days after federal investigators announced a slew of new charges against other Long Island members of MS-13.
