NEW YORK — Following a multiagency investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York, in coordination with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, the FBI’s New York field office and the New York City Police Department, two MS-13 gang associates have pleaded guilty in connection with the April 23, 2018, murder of 17-year-old Andy Peralta in Kissena Park in Flushing, Queens.
As part of their guilty pleas, defendants Juan Amaya-Ramirez, 26, and Oscar Flores-Mejia, 24, both of Queens, admitted to murdering Peralta to gain entrance into MS-13. The defendants also admitted to crimes including cyberstalking resulting in death, murder conspiracy in aid of racketeering, assault conspiracy in aid of racketeering, and assault in aid of racketeering.
“MS-13’s ruthless violence is boundless. The defendants’ admissions to murder serve as a reminder of how the violent nature of street gangs results in countless, senseless deaths,” said HSI New York acting Special Agent in Charge Darren B. McCormack. “HSI New York and the entire law enforcement community remain committed to disrupting and dismantling MS-13 and other violent gangs in furtherance of public safety in our communities.”
According to the investigation, Amaya-Ramirez, Flores-Mejia and a third MS-13 associate plotted to kill Peralta because they wanted to join MS-13 and mistakenly believed that Peralta was a member of a rival gang. The defendants recruited Amaya-Ramirez’s then-girlfriend, Leyla Carranza, to lure Peralta to Kissena Park in Flushing so he could be murdered. Carranza communicated with Peralta on social media and eventually convinced him to meet her in Kissena Park on April 23, 2018. Once inside the park, Peralta was confronted by Amaya-Ramirez, Flores-Mejia and the third MS-13 associate. The three men beat, stabbed and strangled Peralta to death. After the murder, Amaya-Ramirez took a photograph of himself and his coconspirators flashing MS-13 hand signs over Peralta’s body.
Carranza previously pleaded guilty to cyberstalking resulting in the death of Peralta and faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
“The senseless murder of Andy Peralta exemplifies the casual cruelty of MS-13’s violence, and with their pleas today the defendants acknowledge their role in this brutal event,” stated U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace. “This office and our law enforcement partners will continue to bring justice and safety to affected victims and communities by holding MS-13 members and associates accountable for their terrible crimes.”
“NYPD investigators, in close collaboration with our law enforcement colleagues, pledge to remain tireless in pursuing justice against gang members, wherever and whenever their barbaric acts are committed,” stated NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban. “I applaud and commend our various federal partners for their vital efforts, which ultimately delivered today’s successful outcome.”
Under the terms of their plea agreements, the defendants will be sentenced to at least 30 years and could be sentenced up to life imprisonment. The proceeding was held before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph A. Marutollo.
This case was investigated as part of the ongoing efforts of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), a partnership that brings together the combined expertise of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, gangs and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.