Monday, July 14, 2025
Nassau County prosecutors brought the county’s first case against alleged members of Tren de Aragua, indicting two men for a May 22, 2024 attempted robbery and shooting in Hempstead.
Bernardo Raul Castro Mata, 20 of East Elmhurst and 21‑year‑old Frederick Morillo Chavez of New York City allegedly rode a moped into a Front Street parking lot just after midnight. When a woman walking home from a bus stop passed by, Castro Mata jumped off, brandished a handgun and tried to snatch her bags. After a struggle over a tote containing personal electronics, Castro Mata returned to seize her lunch bag. When she refused to let go, he fired a shot into her right arm, then the pair fled with both bags. Morillo Chavez was arraigned on June 4 and Castro Mata on June 17 before Judge Robert McDonald, pleading not guilty to charges that include attempted murder, multiple counts of robbery, assault and weapons offenses. Each faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted. Morillo Chavez is slated to return to court on July 15; Castro Mata is due back on July 7. Castro Mata is also serving a 28‑year sentence following a June 2024 Queens County conviction for the attempted murder of two NYPD officers.
“Tren de Aragua is no different from other violent gangs we’ve targeted,” District Attorney Anne Donnelly said in a news release. “My office will aggressively pursue any criminal activity this gang commits in our communities and put their members behind bars.”
