Three high-ranking members of the 18th Street gang were sentenced to more than 115 years in prison for racketeering conspiracy, according to an April 7 announcement from the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Jose Douglass Castellano, also known as “Chino,” received more than 35 years’ imprisonment for his role in the October 25, 2017 murder of Jonathan Figueroa in Saugerties, New York. Junior Zelaya Canales (“Terco”) and Walter Fernando Alfaro Pineda (“Clever”) were each previously sentenced to forty years.
The sentencing concludes a lengthy federal investigation into violent crimes linked to the international street gang. The case involved multiple murders, attempted murders, assaults, and other violent acts carried out across New York and Texas. Prosecutors say these sentences are intended to send a strong message about combating gang violence.
“The defendants were high-ranking members of an international criminal organization fueled by violence and fear that left a wake of sorrow and destruction in its path,” said United States Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr. “These significant sentences send the message that our Office will never waiver in its efforts to eradicate the scourge of gang violence. It is my sincere hope that the justice meted out provides a measure of comfort and closure for the victims of these senseless crimes. The arrest, prosecution, and incarceration for decades of violent gang members achieves the goal of the Administration’s Operation Take Back America: protecting our communities from those individuals like these defendants who cause the greatest harm.”
FBI Assistant Director James Barnacle said: “For years, these three high-ranking 18th Street gang members plagued our community with senseless violence, death, and tragedy without any consideration for public safety. May today’s significant sentences highlight the shared determination of the FBI’s Long Island Safe Streets Task Force and our law enforcement partners to dismantle a notorious international gang’s hierarchy, and offer a small sense of closure to the victims of their unthinkable actions.”
According to court filings cited during proceedings, members engaged in murder—including those involving Joshua Guzman (2016), Jonathan Figueroa (2017), Oscar Antonio Blanco Hernandez (2018)—as well as attempted murder over territorial disputes with rival gangs such as MS-13.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office credited multiple agencies including local police departments across New York State and Texas with supporting this multi-year investigation.
The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York operates as the designated federal prosecutor’s office covering Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Nassau County, and Suffolk County; it maintains offices in Brooklyn and Central Islip; handles both federal crime prosecutions and civil matters representation; supports community outreach efforts; is currently led by Breon Peace; all according to the official website.
