Central Islip NY
7-19-2025 10:43pm

MS-13 Member Admits To 2016 Murders; Man Accused Of Sex Trafficking: LI Crime Roundup

LONG ISLAND, NY — This week’s Long Island crime headlines include chilling admissions from a violent MS-13 gang member and disturbing new sex-trafficking charges against a Bay Shore man already facing rape allegations.

MS-13 Gang Member Pleads Guilty in Grisly 2016 Killings

Federal authorities say 26-year-old Kevin Cuevas Del Cid, known on the street as “Creeper,” has admitted to participating in two brutal MS-13 murders that took place in Nassau County in 2016. He pleaded guilty in federal court to racketeering charges that included both killings.

According to prosecutors, Del Cid lured 20-year-old Kerin Pineda to a wooded area in Freeport under the false promise of meeting a girl he had been talking to on Facebook. That profile, created by Del Cid and others, was part of an MS-13 plot to eliminate suspected rival gang members. Pineda was ambushed, hacked with machetes, and buried in a pre-dug grave.

Just months later, Del Cid and fellow gang members used the same tactic to lure 15-year-old Javier Castillo to a park in Roosevelt. Castillo was attacked and killed with machetes, and buried near the scene.

Del Cid also admitted to conspiring to distribute cocaine and marijuana as part of his involvement with MS-13. He faces a potential life sentence.

Bay Shore Man Hit with New Sex Trafficking Charges

In a separate case that has rocked the Suffolk County community, 37-year-old Daniel Soto of Bay Shore has been hit with multiple new charges, including three counts of sex trafficking and two counts of promoting prostitution.

Soto was already in custody facing charges related to the rape of 14-year-old Emmarae Gervasi, whose disappearance earlier this year drew national attention. Prosecutors now say he also forced a second woman into prostitution using threats of violence and fentanyl withdrawal, targeting her vulnerability and addiction.

Soto pleaded not guilty in Suffolk Supreme Court. He remains behind bars on $500,000 cash bail or $3 million bond. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years in prison.

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