Accused gang member arrested in 2 killings

FBI agents arrested a Bay Shore man who they say is a member of the MS-13 street gang Tuesday on charges of murdering two people, including a Brentwood man in 2010 whose death was one of several that focused community attention on violence and gang activity in the area, according to officials.

Carlos Ortega, 23, pleaded not guilty to murder at arraignment Tuesday afternoon in federal District Court in Central Islip.

Ortega is accused of shooting to death David Sandler, 20, on a Brentwood street corner, according to court papers filed by Assistant United States Attorney John Durham. Durham, an Eastern District prosecutor, said that Ortega believed Sandler was a member of the rival Latin Kings street gang.

But Sandler's mother, Claribel Fiallo, who was in court to witness the arraignment, denied that her son was a gang member.

"My son was killed two years ago, but now justice is done . . . The FBI did a great job," Fiallo said. "Everyday I woke up in pain . . . But unfortunately my son is never coming back."

Fiallo said her son, who was 20 at the time of his death, had had trouble with gang members since he was in the 9th grade. "It all started over a girl," she said.

Ortega's cousin, Axsa Rodriquez, of Bay Shore, who also was in the courtroom, said afterward, "It's a shock. I don't think he can kill any body. He's friendly and was always playing with my daughter and nephew."

Ortega, who officials said was an El Salvadoran native, was also charged with taking part in the March 2010 death of Mario Alberto Quijada on the beach in Far Rockaway.

Quijada, of Queens, was a member of MS-13, and refused to attack members of rival gangs, according to Durham's court papers. As a result, Ortega and other MS-13 members hacked and stabbed him to death using machetes and knives, the papers said.

Ortega was held without bail by Magistrate William Wall. He faces a possible death sentence if convicted.

Community tension heightened when, in addition to Sandler, five other people were killed in the Brentwood area between August of 2009 and February of 2010, according to records.

Ortega is one of the 40 members of MS-13 who currently have been indicted on Long Island on federal charges that range from murder to racketeering to conspiracy, according to the court papers.