Notorious LI MS-13 Gang Leader Sentenced To 25 Years In Prison

BRENTWOOD, NY — A Long Island MS-13 gang leader was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Tuesday. Ronald Catalan, who prosecutors say led the Brentwood faction of MS-13, pled guilty to racketeering and firearms charges.

Catalan, nicknamed "Stranger" or "Extrano," once led the "Brentwood Locos Salvatruchas," (BLS) part of MS-13. He was sentenced in Central Islip for offenses that include a 2009 shooting in Brentwood and a 2015 shooting in Bay Shore, wounding three victims.

He also pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana and illegally using firearms in connection with crimes of violence. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Catalan was the frontman of the gang from 2015 until he was arrested in July 2017 by federal agents.

“Catalan will deservedly spend decades in prison for the violent and brutal acts he committed and directed others to carry out as a leader of the MS-13. His ruthless and retaliatory attacks on his so-called ‘rivals’ to enhance his own status in the MS-13 demonstrate his complete and callous disregard for human life,”Acting United States Attorney Mark Lesko said in a statement.

The FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force and the Eastern District of New York were thanked for their efforts on the case.

The two shooting attacks were reportedly attempts to shoot rival Bloods and Latin Kings gang members. The Attorney's Office of the Eastern District of New York is cracking down on MS-13 members, considered the most violent street gang on Long Island.