A Long Island woman known as “Diablita,” an associate of the violent MS-13 gang, was sentenced to 50 years in prison for her role in the brutal murders of four young men in Central Islip. Leniz Escobar, 24, was sentenced at the federal courthouse in Central Islip by U.S. District Judge Joseph F. Bianco after being convicted in 2022 on charges of racketeering, murder conspiracy, and obstruction of justice.
Escobar, of Islip Terrace, lured five men to a park in Central Islip on the evening of April 11, 2017, under the guise of friendship. Once there, four of the men—Justin Llivicura, Michael Lopez, Jorge Tigre, and Jefferson Villalobos—were hacked to death with machetes and other sharp objects by MS-13 members. The men were mistakenly believed to be part of a rival gang.
“The defendant demonstrated her allegiance to the MS-13 gang by luring four young men to their slaughter,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace in a statement. “Today’s significant sentence reflects not only the seriousness of her conduct but also the consequences of her actions, including the terror and suffering experienced by the victims and the life-altering grief that their families continue to suffer.”
In evidence presented during the trial, Escobar was recorded bragging about the murders to her boyfriend, a high-ranking MS-13 member, and destroying evidence linking her to the crime. Despite her attempts to evade justice, federal prosecutors successfully proved her key role in the deadly ambush.
The case is part of a broader effort to target MS-13’s violent grip on Long Island, part of an ongoing federal crackdown by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York on the violent gang with deep roots in Central America. Though its leadership is traditionally based in countries like El Salvador and Honduras, the gang has thousands of members and an increasing presence in the U.S., including on Long Island. Since 2003, hundreds of MS-13 members, including key leaders, have been convicted of crimes ranging from racketeering to murder. These efforts have resulted in over 70 murder indictments and numerous convictions in the region.
More than a dozen gang members have been charged in connection with the killings, and Escobar is the fifth person to be sentenced. The FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force has played a significant role in bringing these individuals to justice, as MS-13 continues to pose a serious threat to the region.
Suffolk County Police Acting Commissioner Robert Waring emphasized the impact of the gang’s brutality.
“The senseless and brutal murder of four young people by members of the transnational gang MS-13 terrorized the Central Islip community and sent shockwaves across the nation,” he said.
