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MS-13 Gang Members Charged in Attack that Left New York Teen Paralyzed

Four alleged members of an international criminal gang were charged with the attempted murder of a 16-year-old teen which left the victim paralyzed, according to a statement by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of New York on Friday

Melvi Amador-Rios, Santos Amador-Rios, Yan Carlos Ramirez and Antonio Salvador, all members of MS-13, a savage El Salvadoran gang, were charged in a four-count indictment with assault, murder conspiracy, and attempted murder in-aid-of racketeering, along with a related firearms offense. Melvi Amador-Rios is the leader of the Centrales Locos Salvatruchas (CLS) clique of MS-13, which operates in the Jamaica, Queens borough of New York City and is accused of ordering the murder.

According to court documents, the teen was shot in the head execution style but survived and is now paralyzed from the neck down.

During the early morning hours of October 23, 2016, in Jamaica, Queens, the three CLS chequeos confronted the suspected member of the rival 18th Street gang, beat the victim and shot him in the head. The victim survived the attack, but is now a paraplegic says the Justice Department.

“As alleged, the defendants are members of MS-13, an international gang known for its culture of violence and murder,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue. “They used their positions to direct, instruct and assist lower-level gang members to shoot and kill a suspected rival on the streets of Jamaica, Queens.”

“Since January 2016, the FBI Safe Streets Gang Task Forces in Queens and Long Island have arrested more than 45 of the most violent MS-13 members in the area and charged them with murder, attempted murder, arson, and assault,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William Sweeney.

The Defendants:

MELVI AMADOR-RIOS (also known as “Letal” and “Pinky”)
Age: 27
Briarwood, New York

SANTOS AMADOR-RIOS (also known as “Rayo”)
Age: 31
Jamaica, New York

YAN CARLOS RAMIREZ (also known as “Demente”)
Age: 28
Jamaica, New York

ANTONIO SALVADOR (also known as “Pantro”)
Age: 30
Jamaica, New York

U.S. Attorney Richard P. Donoghue, FBI Assistant Director William Sweeney, Jr., and NYPD Police Commissioner James O’Neill announced the indictment on Friday.