LONG ISLAND, N.Y. — A high-ranking leader of the violent MS-13 gang, who had been a fugitive for nearly four years, was arrested Tuesday night in New York for his alleged role in a brutal conspiracy tied to 11 murders across Nevada and California.
Joel Vargas-Escobar, known by the alias “Momia,” was apprehended in Long Island after being indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Nevada. He faces charges of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of murder in aid of racketeering, and multiple firearms violations, according to the Department of Justice.
Vargas-Escobar, a previously deported Salvadoran national, had illegally re-entered the United States after being removed in 2018. Prosecutors say he led the Parkview clique of MS-13 in Las Vegas and personally ordered at least two of the 11 murders listed in the indictment. Many of the victims, officials allege, were kidnapped and executed in remote desert and mountain locations.
“The American people are safer following the arrest of yet another MS-13 leader,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This terrorist entered our country illegally and is accused of orchestrating 11 murders.”
The operation to capture Vargas-Escobar was spearheaded by the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division and Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV), with assistance from multiple field offices in New York, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. The arrest marks a major success in JTFV’s ongoing mission to dismantle the notorious transnational gang, also known as La Mara Salvatrucha.
MS-13, composed largely of individuals from Central America, is believed to have more than 10,000 active members in the U.S. alone. The gang is known for its use of extreme violence, including murder, as well as drug trafficking, extortion, and armed robberies.
Court documents describe Vargas-Escobar and his co-defendants as top-tier leaders who helped direct gang operations from Las Vegas and California. The Parkview clique is accused of a year-long murder spree, targeting victims for torture and execution as part of the gang’s internal code of intimidation and control.