4 Tren de Aragua Members Plead Guilty in 2024 Bronx Murders, Facing Life Sentences
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 3
4 Tren de Aragua Members Plead Guilty in 2024 Bronx Murders, Facing Life Sentences
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 3
Summary
Four Tren de Aragua members pleaded guilty in federal court to murdering two unarmed Americans in the Bronx in May 2024 and wounding a third victim.
The defendants — Keiber Jaen Martinez, Samuel Gonzalez Castro, Eferson Morillo-Gomez and Keineyer Ibarra-Mujica — admitted to murder through use of a firearm and using a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime.
Life in prison is the maximum penalty. A fifth gang member recently pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and a gunpoint carjacking, bringing total convictions in the case to eight.
Federal officials said the Venezuelan gang entered the U.S. illegally and expanded in New York through guns, drugs, sex trafficking and robberies, as the Justice Department vowed to dismantle the organization.
As a designated terrorist group, what new powers can the government now use to combat Tren de Aragua?
With TdA's top leader still free abroad, can U.S. crackdowns truly dismantle this transnational gang?
How did hundreds of gang members exploit a U.S. child victim program, and is the system now secure?
From Venezuela to the Bronx: The Rise of Tren de Aragua and America’s 2026 Crackdown
Overview
On June 3, 2026, four members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua pleaded guilty in federal court to the murders of two unarmed American citizens, Claretha LaQuesha Daniels and Justin Lawless, who were shot on a Bronx street in May 2024. A third person was also wounded in the attack. The defendants, all of whom entered the U.S. illegally, now face life in prison. Their convictions followed a major investigation involving several law enforcement agencies, highlighting the coordinated response to violent crimes linked to transnational gangs operating within the United States.