DA: Brentwood man gets 7 years for MS-13 attempted kidnap

A Suffolk judge on Thursday sentenced a Brentwood man accused of being an MS-13 gang member to 7 years in prison for attempting to kidnap a teenage boy with the intent of killing him, the Suffolk district attorney's office said.

Jorge Bermudez Cedillo, 19, was the fourth of five defendants sentenced in the case by state Supreme Court Justice Fernando Camacho after they pleaded guilty to various crimes arising out of the Dec. 7, 2017, incident.

“This was an outstanding case where the Suffolk County Police Department literally prevented a murder at the hands of MS-13 gang members,” District Attorney Timothy Sini said in a statement. “Because of excellent police work and prosecution, not only are four gang members who conspired to commit murder now in prison, but a 16-year-old boy’s life was saved. This was a significant win for our community.”

Prosecutors said Bermudez Cedillo was part of a group that was driving around Brentwood in a van, looking for someone to kidnap and kill to increase their status in the gang. Officers interrupted the attempted kidnapping of a 16-year-old boy and found two knives, two bats, a lead pipe, a tarp and duct tape in their van.

Bermudez Cedillo's attorney, Toni Marie Angeli, of Uniondale, did not respond to a request for comment.

The other defendants are Miguel Rivera, 21, of Brentwood; Vidal Ortiz Contreras, 19, of Brentwood; Oscar Fuentes, 19, of Brentwood; and Lilliana Villanueva, 17, of Brentwood.

Rivera, Ortiz Contreras, and Fuentes all pleaded guilty to second-degree conspiracy. Rivera and Fuentes were sentenced to 2 to 6 years in prison. Ortiz Contreras was sentenced to 1 1/3 to 4 years in prison.

Villanueva's case is still open.