Two female associates of MS-13 lured five men into a Central Islip park in April, where four of them were killed with machetes, knives and wooden clubs, according to federal court documents.
Federal prosecutors say "when the females got to the park, they led the five individuals to a wooded area and sent a text message of the location to several of the MS-13 members."
Family members of the victims – Michael Banegas, Jefferson Villalobos, Jorge Tigre and Justin Llivacura – were then alerted by the fifth teen who escaped the apparent set-up.
On Thursday, the FBI's Long Island Gang Task Force arrested three alleged members of MS-13 for that attack – Alexis Hernandez, Santos Ortiz-Flores and Omar Antonio Villalta.
A fourth person has been charged in the indictment, but that name has been redacted. A law enforcement source says that's because the person has not yet been arrested. Federal law enforcement sources say they believe eight to 10 people are responsible for the murders of the four young men in Central Islip.
According to the indictment, the three suspects committed the murders for the purpose of gaining entrance to and increasing position in MS-13. It also links the gang to more than a dozen murders since 2013.