Biden's DOJ grants lenient plea deal to notorious gang leader for seven murders.

This week, it was reported that a notorious MS-13 gang leader who confessed to being involved in at least seven murders as part of a federal racketeering case has received a plea deal, avoiding both the death penalty and life in prison.

Jairo Saenz, 28, will be sentenced to 40 to 60 years in federal prison for seven murders, multiple attempted murders, arson, and other charges. His brother Alexi, another gang leader, has already pleaded guilty to similar charges and is expected to receive a sentence of 70 years behind bars.

According to federal authorities, the Saenz brothers led a Suffolk County, New York, MS-13 branch called the Sailors, who were known for their brutality and violence, including the murder of two Brentwood High School girls with a machete and a baseball bat.

On September 13, 2016, two teenage girls, Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens, were attacked and killed by a gang after members saw them walking in a neighborhood. One of the girls had previously criticized the Sailors on Facebook. Their bodies were later discovered.

During President Trump's first term, a countrywide crackdown on MS-13 involved federal prosecutors and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who later offered a $15,000 reward for information on the case in Suffolk County.

When you look at how barbaric these crimes were, murdering young kids with machetes, baseball bats, this is a clear case for the death penalty. — Lou Civello, Suffolk PBA president

"Suffolk County PBA President Lou Civello condemned the plea deal of the killer who murdered young kids with machetes and baseball bats, stating that it is a disgraceful and an insult to the families. He argued that the barbaric nature of the crimes warrants the death penalty."

If Saenz receives the lower end of his sentence, it means less than six years per murder, according to Civello.

""We appreciate the federal partnership and the resources they contribute, but justice is crucial, and this person should never be released from prison again," he stated."

"The Saenz brothers were no longer at risk of receiving the death penalty, as per a statement from a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office to Planet Chronicle Digital. The office had been instructed by the U.S. Attorney General in 2023 not to seek the death penalty if they were convicted of capital counts."

In 2018, Planet Chronicle Digital reported that during a prior hearing, Saenz, his brother, and another gang member joked and laughed in court while the girls' families were forced to watch from the gallery.

WATCH: MS-13 members show no remorse for murders

Robert Capers, the former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, stated at the time of their arrests that MS-13 had been administering their own form of capital punishment for an extended period.

Biden has commuted the death sentences of 37 out of 40 federal death row inmates, and his predecessors had previously taken death off the table for the ringleader.

According to federal prosecutors, the gang frequently drove around town searching for rivals to murder, sometimes in broad daylight and often by enticing or ambushing their victims. However, it was unclear how many of the individuals they targeted were actually gang members.

On January 30, 2017, a masked gunman assassinated Esteban Alvarado-Bonilla, 29, in the back of the head while he was standing in line at a deli. The bullet also injured a woman at the counter. Saenz was involved in organizing the murder as a symbol for another gang.

During President Trump's first term, he personally visited Long Island to meet with the families of Cuevas and Mickens, who were victims of MS-13 violence. He then enlisted then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions in an attempt to remove the gang from the streets, claiming that they were using immigration "loopholes" to enter the U.S.

He portrayed MS-13 as a ruthless gang that has violated our borders and turned once peaceful neighborhoods into bloodstained killing fields during the meeting.

The federal crackdown resulted in thousands of deportations of Saenz and his group, and former Attorney General Bill Barr's office later announced it was seeking the death penalty.

Evelyn Rodriguez, Cuevas' mother, was a determined anti-gang activist who tragically passed away before seeing justice. She was struck down near her daughter's memorial in 2018, and the driver was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide.

In 2023, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace announced that Attorney General Merrick Garland had instructed him to halt the pursuit of the death penalty. Peace resigned on Friday and was replaced by acting U.S. Attorney Carolyn Pokorny, who will hold the position until Trump-nominated Joseph Nocella Jr. is confirmed.

Trump has pledged to not only lift Biden's moratorium on capital punishment but also to broaden the scope of offenses that can be punishable by death to include child rape, human trafficking, and the murder of U.S. citizens by illegal immigrants. During his first term, thirteen federal inmates were put to death, the most under any president in recent years. However, executions were halted by Biden after he assumed office in 2021.

According to Planet Chronicle Digital, experts believe that the deal struck between the government and Saenz is light. However, there are several reasons why the deal could have taken shape, including if Saenz agreed to cooperate against his co-conspirators. By avoiding a trial, the government saves resources and spares the victims' families from having to relive the horror in court or see the murderers continue to act smugly and jokingly.

Still, prosecutors could have sought a stiffer punishment without seeking execution.

David Gelman, a New Jersey-based defense attorney and former prosecutor, stated that this sentence is very light, given the circumstances of the case.

"I would have offered life in prison without parole as the only plea deal. These gang members will receive an opportunity to leave while still alive and may be released earlier than expected."

Trump's inauguration on Monday may bring new leadership and improve public safety in Venezuela, according to Civello, who also mentioned the growing threat of the Tren de Aragua prison gang.