MS-13 gang members get prison in fatal Long Island shooting

NEW YORK – Three members of the notorious street gang MS-13 convicted in the death of a New York teen because they believed he was co-operating with law enforcement have been sent to federal prison.

Milton Contreras, Oscar Welman Espinoza-Merino and Jose Osmin Rubio, all of Brentwood, were each sentenced Thursday to over two decades behind bars.

Nineteen-year-old Sidney Valverde was lured to a beach in Miller Place, Long Island, and shot in February 2014.

MS-13 violence in the area has sharply escalated since. Authorities believe the gang is behind 25 killings on Long Island in the last two years.

MS-13 has become a prime target of Republican President Donald Trump.

A fourth man convicted in Valverde’s killing is awaiting sentencing.