MINEOLA, N.Y. — A Hicksville man prosecutors said used guns, threats and his alleged MS-13 gang affiliation to terrorize and sexually assault a woman over several months has been convicted on multiple felony charges, including predatory sexual assault.
Jayden Abadi Alvarado Velasquez, 40, was found guilty Wednesday after a jury trial in Nassau County Court, according to Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly.
Prosecutors said the defendant subjected a 32-year-old woman to escalating violence beginning in August 2023, trapping her in a pattern of abuse that culminated in a sexual assault at gunpoint.
The jury deliberated for less than four hours before convicting Velasquez of predatory sexual assault, multiple weapons offenses, assault and aggravated harassment.
He now faces up to 25 years to life in prison when sentenced June 11.
Prosecutors Say Threats and Violence Escalated Over Months
According to the district attorney’s office, Velasquez first met the victim at a neighborhood deli on Aug. 26, 2023.
The following day, prosecutors said he appeared at her apartment and threatened her with a firearm, beginning what investigators described as months of intimidation, violence and coercion.
Authorities said the abuse intensified over several weeks before culminating in a sexual assault inside the defendant’s Hicksville residence.
On Nov. 26, 2023, prosecutors said Velasquez smashed the victim’s cellphone and physically assaulted her during an altercation inside her vehicle.
Investigators said he then drove the victim to a psychiatric center in Brentwood, where he allegedly threatened to cut off her hand and claimed he had previously murdered and buried another woman on the property.
Prosecutors said he threatened to kill and bury the victim there as well.
Afterward, authorities said Velasquez drove the woman back to his Hicksville home, where he sexually assaulted her.
Key Points
• A Hicksville man linked to MS-13 was convicted of predatory sexual assault and weapons charges
• Prosecutors said the victim endured months of threats and violence involving firearms
• The defendant faces up to 25 years to life in prison at sentencing in June
Guns, Ammunition and Multiple IDs Recovered
Investigators said Velasquez continued threatening the victim days later.
On Nov. 29, 2023, prosecutors said he sent intimidating text messages that included video showing firearms previously used to threaten her.
That same day, Nassau County police executed a search at the defendant’s residence and recovered a handgun, ammunition, a magazine and several New York identification cards displaying the defendant’s photo under different names.
Police also recovered a loaded handgun and ammunition from a jacket Velasquez was wearing at the time of his arrest, authorities said.
He was taken into custody Nov. 29, 2023, by Nassau County Police Department’s Criminal Intelligence Rapid Response Team.
DA Says Conviction Ends Defendant’s Control
District Attorney Donnelly said the victim lived under constant fear because of the defendant’s repeated threats and access to weapons.
“This defendant trapped the victim in a cycle of violence and believed his affiliation with MS-13 made him untouchable,” Donnelly said in a statement.
“The jury’s conviction ensures this predator will be the one complying with demands, from the inside of a prison cell,” she added.
Velasquez was convicted of predatory sexual assault, three counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, attempted second-degree assault, additional weapons offenses, assault and aggravated harassment.
The case was prosecuted by Nassau County prosecutors assigned to the Special Victims Bureau.