The ex-leader of the Central Islip chapter of the Ñetas street gang was sentenced Tuesday to 37 years in prison for ordering the execution-style murders of two teenagers in a rival gang a decade ago.
Jason “J-Live” Cabral, 37, had pleaded guilty in February at Central Islip federal court to ordering the murders of Anthony Marcano and Fabian Mestres, both 17, on August 10, 2004.
“For eight years Cabral thought he had outsmarted law enforcement and gotten away with murder,” said Loretta Lynch, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
Prosecutors said Cabral ordered his members to kill Marcano because of his affiliation with the rival Latin Kings street gang. Cabral’s subordinates lured Marcano to a house in Brentwood, where he arrived with Mestres, a fellow “Pee Wee” member of the Latin Kings.
Once inside, the victims were tied up with duct tape. They were robbed of their drugs, money and jewelry. Then they were stuffed into the trunk of a car and driven to a warehouse in Queens, where they were each fatally shot in the head.
The victims’ bodies were found behind a warehouse in Queens the following day.
Judge Joanna Seybert also sentenced Cabral to five years of post-release supervision.
Cabral’s co-conspirators have also pleaded guilty.
