Four Tren de Aragua Members Plead Guilty to 2024 Murders of Two New York City Residents

Four members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua who entered the United States illegally pleaded guilty Thursday in the Southern District of New York to federal charges stemming from the May 24, 2024, street murders of two New York City residents and the shooting of a third.

Keiber Jaen Martinez, also known as “Keybe,” Samuel Gonzalez Castro, also known as “Klei” or “Kley,” Eferson Morillo-Gomez, also known as “Jefferson” or “Efe Trebol,” and Keineyer Ibarra-Mujica, also known as “Keiner,” each admitted 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.

The victims, Claretha LaQuesha Daniels and Justin Lawless, were unarmed American citizens; a third victim survived.

The scope of the case reaches the first admitted federal killings by members of Tren de Aragua on U.S. soil since the organization was designated a foreign terrorist organization. All four defendants are Venezuelan nationals who crossed the border illegally before the shootings in New York City.

The guilty pleas change the posture of the case from prosecution to sentencing. U.S. District Judge Denise L. Cote accepted the pleas. Sentencing dates have not been set, but the convictions trigger mandatory minimum sentences attached to the firearm-murder counts and require the defendants to forfeit any assets linked to the crimes.

Downstream, the convictions provide the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security with court-established facts that TdA members directed lethal violence against U.S. civilians inside the country. Immigration authorities must now complete removal proceedings once criminal sentences are served.

The Joint Task Force Vulcan, created to counter TdA, gains evidentiary support for expanded operations. New York City police and federal prosecutors can use the admissions in any parallel gang-related investigations. Congress and the White House receive verified examples of TdA activity that can inform future funding and policy decisions on border enforcement and transnational gang designations.

This is the first time TdA members have pleaded guilty in federal court to murders committed on U.S. streets. The announcement was made jointly by U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, JTF Vulcan Director Jacob Warren, NYPD Commissioner Jessica S.

Tisch and HSI New York Acting Special Agent in Charge Pete Gizas.