A federal jury has convicted Carlos Ramirez, the leader of the notorious Sunset Trinitarios gang, of racketeering conspiracy, murder, and firearms-related charges. The verdict brings closure to the families of two teenagers who were brutally murdered by the gang nearly a decade ago.
Ramirez, 29, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit racketeering, murder in aid of racketeering, and using a firearm to commit murder following a two-week trial. The conviction marks the culmination of a long and complex investigation into the Sunset Trinitarios, a violent street gang and drug trafficking organization that terrorized Brooklyn’s Sunset Park neighborhood for years.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams hailed the verdict as a major victory for justice, saying that the jury’s decision holds Ramirez accountable for his role in the gang’s reign of terror. “For more than a decade, the family members of Michael Beltre and Jordanny Correa have waited for justice. Their wait is now over,” Williams said.
According to prosecutors, Ramirez participated in the murders of Beltre, 17, and Correa, 19, in 2013 and 2014, respectively. He also attempted to murder a former gang leader in 2023 while in federal detention. Ramirez’s rise to leadership within the gang was marked by his involvement in numerous violent crimes, including armed robberies and multiple murders.
As a high-ranking member of the Sunset Trinitarios, Ramirez earned the moniker “devil soldier messenger” and got two tattoos commemorating the murders. His conviction is the latest in a series of guilty pleas and sentences handed down to members of the gang. Ten co-conspirators have pleaded guilty, with some awaiting sentencing and others already serving prison terms ranging from multiple years to life.
Ramirez is scheduled to be sentenced on January 9, 2025, and faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison for the charge of murder in aid of racketeering, as well as up to life in prison for each of the other two charges.
