Four Tren De Aragua Members Who Illegally Entered The U.S. Plead Guilty To Murdering Two U.S. Citizens On NYC Street

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, Acting Attorney General for the United States, Todd Blanche, United States Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, Director of Joint Task Force Vulcan ("JTFV"), Jacob Warren, Commissioner of the New York City Police Department ("NYPD"), Jessica S. Tisch, and Acting Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations ("HSI"), Pete Gizas, announced today that four members of the designated foreign terrorist organization Tren de Aragua ("TdA"), Keiber Jaen Martinez, a/k/a "Keybe," SAMUEL GONZALEZ CASTRO, a/k/a "Klei," a/k/a "Kley," EFERSON MORILLO-GOMEZ, a/k/a "Jefferson," a/k/a "Efe Trebol," and KEINEYER IBARRA-MUJICA, a/k/a "Keiner," each pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Denise L. Cote to two counts of murder through the use of a firearm and one count of using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence in connection with their participation in the May 24, 2024, murders of Claretha LaQuesha Daniels and Justin Lawless and the non-fatal shooting of a third victim ("Victim-3"), all of whom were unarmed American citizens and residents of New York City. A fifth codefendant and member of TdA, JARWIN VALERO-CALDERON, a/k/a "La Fama," pled guilty last week to one count of racketeering conspiracy and one count of using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence in connection with his participation in, among other crimes, a September 30, 2024, gunpoint carjacking in New York City. Three additional codefendants previously pled guilty to other offenses and have been sentenced, and all eight in-custody defendants charged in the TdA prosecution before Judge Cote have now been convicted.

"As they have now admitted, these four members of Tren de Aragua entered the United States illegally and then brutally murdered Claretha LaQuesha Daniels and Justin Lawless on May 24, 2024, in the middle of a residential street in the Bronx, which resulted in another victim being shot and injured," said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. "This recent Memorial Day Sunday marked a tragic date: two years to the day that Ms. Daniels and Mr. Lawless lost their lives. We extend our deep condolences to the family members of these victims and hope that today's guilty pleas bring some comfort to them. We are committed to investigating and charging all members of TdA and other international gangs who flout our immigration laws and flood our streets with guns, drugs, sex trafficking, and violence. Today, we delivered two things every New York family wants: these four gun-toting, murderous criminals off our streets; and a message to international gangs-'stay out of the United States.'"

"Thanks to the hard work of our law enforcement partners and prosecutors, these four Tren de Aragua gang members will now face justice for their part in the ruthless and senseless murders of two Americans and the attempted murder of a third person in the Bronx two years ago," said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. "As a former AUSA who prosecuted violent crimes and gangs in the Bronx, this case hits home for me. Tren de Aragua is a terrorist organization with no place and no future in the United States, and this Department of Justice will not stop until we have rooted out, dismantled, and destroyed them."

"I'm thankful that the victims and their families finally get the justice they deserve," said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. "Tren de Aragua is one of the most vicious gangs on planet earth. They rape, maim, and murder for sport. Under President Trump's leadership, we are targeting and removing gang members from our communities and ensuring those that committed crimes in our country face justice."

"Although TdA started as a prison gang in Venezuela, it became a transnational criminal organization and foreign terrorist organization that gained a foothold in many cities in the United States, including New York City," said JTFV Director Jacob Warren. "As they have now admitted, these four TdA members killed two unarmed American citizens in the Bronx during a brutal shooting on a public street, and they will finally be held accountable for their crimes. This case is directly in line with JTFV's mission: a collaborative, whole-of-government, and nationwide effort to totally eliminate TdA. To date, we have charged over 260 members and associates of TdA as part of these efforts. We are grateful for the ongoing partnership with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, and our law enforcement partners who worked tirelessly to investigate this case."

"The NYPD will not allow violent gangs to terrorize our streets and threaten our communities," said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. "These defendants, members of Tren de Aragua, viciously took two lives and shot a third victim, but thanks to our multi-agency investigation, they are now being held accountable. I thank the NYPD investigators and our federal law enforcement partners for their tireless efforts in this case. Together, we will continue to take down gangs, remove guns from our streets, and keep our neighborhoods safe."

"These defendants carried out acts of cruelty and calculated violence that resulted in the cold-blooded murders of Claretha Daniels and Justin Lawless and left a third victim grievously wounded, shattering families and communities in ways that can never be fully repaired," said HSI Acting Special Agent in Charge Pete Gizas. "Their conduct is emblematic of the Tren de Aragua's ruthless model of transnational gang activity, spanning the Bronx, Queens, and well beyond our borders-where extortion, human smuggling, sex trafficking, narcotics distribution, and gun violence are deployed to entrench their criminal enterprise and spread fear. HSI New York, through the Homeland Security Task Force, will not yield an inch of authority or control to criminal street gangs that threaten the safety of our communities."

According to the allegations contained in the Superseding Information and other public filings in this case:

TdA is a criminal organization that operated throughout New York City, including the boroughs of the Bronx and Queens, as well as internationally in Venezuela, Peru, and elsewhere. The purposes of TdA included:

• Preserving and protecting the power and territory of TdA and its members and associates through acts involving murder, assault, robbery, other acts of violence, and threats of violence, including acts of violence and threats of violence directed at former members and associates of TdA who associated with a splinter organization known as Anti-Tren.
• Enriching the members and associates of TdA through, among other things:
• The unlawful smuggling of individuals, including young women from Venezuela, into Colombia, Peru and the U.S.;
  • The sex trafficking of young women (whom members and associates of TdA often refer to as "multadas") who had been unlawfully smuggled into Peru and the U.S.;
• The trafficking of controlled substances, including a mixed substance called "tusi" that contains ketamine;
• And armed robberies, including carjackings.
• Keeping victims and potential victims in fear of TdA and its members and associates through threats and acts of violence.
• Promoting and enhancing TdA and the reputation and activities of its members and associates.
• Providing assistance to members and associates of TdA who committed crimes for and on behalf of TdA, such as lodging and interstate transportation for members and associates of TdA to flee prosecution.
• Protecting TdA and its members and associates from detection and prosecution by law enforcement authorities through acts of intimidation, threats, and violence against potential witnesses to crimes committed by members of TdA.
• Members and associates of TdA transported young women, again often referred to by members and associates of TdA as "multadas," from Venezuela into Peru and the U.S. in exchange for debts that the young women would pay back to TdA by engaging in commercial sex work. Members of TdA enforced compliance among these young women by, among other things:
• Threatening to kill the young women and their families,
  • Assaulting the young women,
• Shooting or killing the young women,
• And tracking down and kidnapping the young women who tried to flee.

Members of TdA also committed and conspired, attempted, and threatened to commit, acts of violence, including acts involving murder and assault, to protect and expand TdA's criminal operations; resolve disputes within TdA; to retaliate against rival organizations, including Anti-Tren; and to maintain control over sex trafficking victims. TdA members and associates also trafficked controlled substances, committed robberies, and obtained, possessed, trafficked, and used firearms and ammunition.

On May 24, 2024, TdA members JAEN MARTINEZ, GONZALEZ CASTRO, MORILLO-GOMEZ, and IBARRA-MUJICA agreed to kill Claretha LaQuesha Daniels and Justin Lawless and to shoot Victim-3 in the vicinity of 2290 Davidson Avenue in the Bronx, New York. JAEN MARTINEZ, GONZALEZ CASTRO, MORILLO-GOMEZ, and IBARRA-MUJICA then aided and abetted, caused, and otherwise facilitated the shooting of Daniels, Lawless, and Victim-3, which resulted in the deaths of Daniels and Lawless, and multiple non-fatal gunshot wounds to Victim-3. Claretha LaQuesha Daniels was 44 years old, and Justin Lawless was 36 years old.

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A chart containing the names, charges, and maximum penalties for the defendants is set forth below.

The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of Homeland Security Investigations ("HSI"), including the Field Offices in New York, Seattle, Denver, Chicago, and Hawaii, and the NYPD. He also thanked the Bronx County District Attorney's Office, the Arapahoe County District Attorney's Office in Colorado; the Aurora Police Department in Aurora, Colorado; Joint Task Force Vulcan; the New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force of the U.S. Marshals Service ("USMS"); the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's National Gang Unit and New York Human Intelligence Division; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's New York Enforcement and Removal Operations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives ("ATF"); and the New York City Crime Analysis Center at the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.

This case is part of Joint Task Force Vulcan ("JTFV"), which was created in 2019 to eradicate MS-13 and now expanded at the direction of the Attorney General to target Tren de Aragua. JTFV is comprised of U.S. Attorney's Offices across the country, including the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; Eastern and Western Districts of North Carolina; Western District of Virginia; Southern District of Florida; Eastern District of Texas; Western District of Oklahoma; Northern District of Indiana; District of Nevada; and District of Arizona; as well as the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, and the Department of Justice's National Security Division and Criminal Division. Additionally, the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration ("DEA"), HSI, ATF, USMS, and the Bureau of Prisons are essential law enforcement partners with JTFV.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force ("HSTF") 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 United States law enforcement toward identifying, investigating, 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. HSTF New York comprises agents and officers from HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, and the IRS with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.

This case is being handled by the Office's Violent Organizations and Crime Unit and Joint Task Force Vulcan. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jun Xiang, Kathryn Wheelock, Timothy Ly, Andrew K. Chan, and Jared Hoffman are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialists Ananya Sankar and Sandy Alcantara.