WESTBURY, NY – A high-ranking MS-13 leader, Joel Vargas-Escobar, also known as “Momia,” was arrested on Long Island after nearly four years as a fugitive. Vargas-Escobar, an El Salvadoran national who had previously been deported in 2018, illegally re-entered the United States and was apprehended in Westbury, New York. He faces charges in Nevada, including racketeering conspiracy involving 11 murders, two counts of murder in aid of racketeering, and related firearms charges.
As the alleged leader of the “Parkview” clique of MS-13 operating in Las Vegas, Vargas-Escobar is accused of ordering at least two murders in 2017. The indictment details that MS-13 members kidnapped victims, transporting them to remote locations where they were tortured and killed.
Attorney General Pam Bondi emphasized the administration’s commitment to dismantling MS-13, stating that under President Trump’s leadership, efforts will persist until the organization is completely dismantled and its members are incarcerated.
Vargas-Escobar is set to be transferred to Nevada for trial. If convicted, he faces a mandatory life sentence.
