A 23-year-old MS-13 gang member who violently kidnapped and beat a 15-year-old inside Pilgrim Psychiatric Center was sentenced today in Suffolk County Court, bringing an end to a terrible case that attracted national attention and resulted in a deportation detainer from federal immigration officials.
Yeison “Yerba” Chavez Campos, of Huntington Station, was found guilty of gang assault, kidnapping, and other crimes after prosecutors claimed he and other MS-13 members lured the teenage boy into an abandoned structure at the Brentwood psychiatric institution and carried out a vicious attack. The man, who had sustained significant head injuries, was discovered bruised and bloodied after being confined overnight.
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The assault took place in September inside a shuttered section of the sprawling Pilgrim State complex, where Chavez Campos and others allegedly tied up the teen, beat him with blunt objects, and recorded parts of the attack to intimidate rivals, according to authorities during trial proceedings earlier this year.
Chavez Campos, who unlawfully entered the United States from El Salvador, was sentenced to 25 years in prison by Supreme Court Justice Anthony S. Senft, Jr., on Wednesday morning in the Arthur M. Cromarty Court Complex. The sentence followed his June conviction on charges of first-degree gang assault, second-degree kidnapping, conspiracy, and criminal possession of a weapon.
After finishing his sentence, Chavez Campos will be turned over to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement under a detainer issued by the department. Officials stated that after his release from state detention, he will face deportation proceedings.
Following the sentencing, District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney addressed media outside the courtroom, emphasizing his office’s commitment to eradicating dangerous street gangs in Suffolk County. He underlined the importance of local, state, and federal collaboration in prosecuting transnational criminal organizations such as MS-13.
The teen victim survived the attack but is still recovering from long-term injuries. Prosecutors stated he was targeted by MS-13 for alleged gang-related conflicts, although he was not verified to be a member.
The Pilgrim Psychiatric Center, historically the largest psychiatric hospital in the country, has long housed abandoned structures that authorities claim are periodically utilized by criminal gangs for illegal activities.
Authorities are still imprisoning Chavez Campos in Suffolk County and will transport him to a state penitentiary facility in the coming days.
