Clayton said the defendants maintained control over victims through intimidation, violence, and threats against victims and their families.
minute read
A federal grand jury in Manhattan has returned a 38-count superseding indictment charging 27 alleged members of “Anti-Tren,” a splinter faction tied to the designated foreign terrorist organization Tren de Aragua (TdA), with a sweeping racketeering case that includes murder, kidnapping, sex trafficking, and robbery allegations.
The superseding indictment, described by the Justice Department as an “S4 indictment,” adds new charges and new defendants to an earlier case. Twenty-one of the 27 defendants had already been charged in a prior 12-count indictment, while six defendants are newly named. Prosecutors said five of those newly added defendants are now in federal custody. In total, the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) says it has charged about 38 TdA members or associates, including individuals connected to Anti-Tren.
US Attorney Jay Clayton said the group is accused of bringing “murder, sex trafficking, and intimidation” into New York, alleging that Anti-Tren members carried out gunpoint robberies and murders while exploiting “vulnerable young women” through sex trafficking. Clayton said the defendants maintained control over victims through intimidation, violence, and threats against victims and their families, and vowed that SDNY prosecutors will continue targeting gangs that “prey on the vulnerable” and use violence to control neighborhoods.
Acting Executive Associate Director John A. Condon of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) said HSI New York and its partners are prioritizing investigations into TdA and Anti-Tren, describing the groups as fast-emerging transnational criminal organizations operating with “ruthless tactics” and a disregard for human life. He said the Homeland Security Task Force is focused on dismantling the organizations and ensuring they cannot evade prosecution.
Christopher Eason, a co-director of Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV), said the case reflects a broader “whole-of-government” effort to destroy TdA and its factions. He noted that JTFV was created in 2019 to eradicate MS-13 and has since expanded to target Tren de Aragua, calling the alleged crimes in the indictment, including murder-for-hire, kidnapping, and sex trafficking, conduct that will be met with the full force of the justice system.
According to the indictment, Anti-Tren is made up almost exclusively of former TdA members and associates and operated in New York City, particularly the Bronx and Queens, along with New Jersey and other parts of the country, including Illinois and Washington. Prosecutors allege the group’s goals included preserving its power and territory through violence and threats, including violence directed at TdA members; enriching members through human smuggling, sex trafficking, drug trafficking, including a substance described as “tusi,” and armed robberies; and keeping victims and potential victims in fear through intimidation and assaults. The indictment also alleges Anti-Tren provided logistical support to members facing prosecution, including lodging, transportation, and bail assistance, while using threats and violence to deter witnesses and obstruct law enforcement.
Prosecutors say Anti-Tren allegedly smuggled women and girls from Venezuela into the United States, then forced some of them, referred to as “multadas,” to repay smuggling debts through commercial sex. The indictment alleges members enforced compliance by threatening victims and their families, physically assaulting victims, shooting or killing victims, and tracking down and kidnapping those who tried to flee.
The superseding indictment includes allegations tied to specific acts of violence and exploitation. Prosecutors allege that on April 15, 2024, three defendants conspired to murder and caused the shooting deaths of two men in the Bronx. Other allegations include multiple murder-for-hire conspiracies in 2025 targeting intended victims in New York and Florida; orders to shoot gang members in the leg as punishment on Oct. 5, 2024; and gunpoint robberies in Yonkers and the Bronx in January 2025, including a home invasion robbery and an alleged robbery of a drug trafficker. The indictment also alleges sex trafficking offenses in 2024 involving two Venezuelan victims, including claims that one victim was threatened with a gun, kidnapped, and had immigration documents seized.
The superseding indictment, described by the Justice Department as an “S4 indictment,” adds new charges and new defendants to an earlier case. Twenty-one of the 27 defendants had already been charged in a prior 12-count indictment, while six defendants are newly named. Prosecutors said five of those newly added defendants are now in federal custody. In total, the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) says it has charged about 38 TdA members or associates, including individuals connected to Anti-Tren.
US Attorney Jay Clayton said the group is accused of bringing “murder, sex trafficking, and intimidation” into New York, alleging that Anti-Tren members carried out gunpoint robberies and murders while exploiting “vulnerable young women” through sex trafficking. Clayton said the defendants maintained control over victims through intimidation, violence, and threats against victims and their families, and vowed that SDNY prosecutors will continue targeting gangs that “prey on the vulnerable” and use violence to control neighborhoods.
Acting Executive Associate Director John A. Condon of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) said HSI New York and its partners are prioritizing investigations into TdA and Anti-Tren, describing the groups as fast-emerging transnational criminal organizations operating with “ruthless tactics” and a disregard for human life. He said the Homeland Security Task Force is focused on dismantling the organizations and ensuring they cannot evade prosecution.
Christopher Eason, a co-director of Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV), said the case reflects a broader “whole-of-government” effort to destroy TdA and its factions. He noted that JTFV was created in 2019 to eradicate MS-13 and has since expanded to target Tren de Aragua, calling the alleged crimes in the indictment, including murder-for-hire, kidnapping, and sex trafficking, conduct that will be met with the full force of the justice system.
According to the indictment, Anti-Tren is made up almost exclusively of former TdA members and associates and operated in New York City, particularly the Bronx and Queens, along with New Jersey and other parts of the country, including Illinois and Washington. Prosecutors allege the group’s goals included preserving its power and territory through violence and threats, including violence directed at TdA members; enriching members through human smuggling, sex trafficking, drug trafficking, including a substance described as “tusi,” and armed robberies; and keeping victims and potential victims in fear through intimidation and assaults. The indictment also alleges Anti-Tren provided logistical support to members facing prosecution, including lodging, transportation, and bail assistance, while using threats and violence to deter witnesses and obstruct law enforcement.
Prosecutors say Anti-Tren allegedly smuggled women and girls from Venezuela into the United States, then forced some of them, referred to as “multadas,” to repay smuggling debts through commercial sex. The indictment alleges members enforced compliance by threatening victims and their families, physically assaulting victims, shooting or killing victims, and tracking down and kidnapping those who tried to flee.
The superseding indictment includes allegations tied to specific acts of violence and exploitation. Prosecutors allege that on April 15, 2024, three defendants conspired to murder and caused the shooting deaths of two men in the Bronx. Other allegations include multiple murder-for-hire conspiracies in 2025 targeting intended victims in New York and Florida; orders to shoot gang members in the leg as punishment on Oct. 5, 2024; and gunpoint robberies in Yonkers and the Bronx in January 2025, including a home invasion robbery and an alleged robbery of a drug trafficker. The indictment also alleges sex trafficking offenses in 2024 involving two Venezuelan victims, including claims that one victim was threatened with a gun, kidnapped, and had immigration documents seized.
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