Alleged MS-13 leader suffering because of jail restrictions, asks judge for help

A man identified by prosecutors as the East Coast leader of the MS-13 gang says he’s suffering from his Long Island jail lockdown.

Newsday reports that Miguel Angel Corea Diaz recently asked a judge for an improvement in jail conditions.

His lawyer, Scott Gross, says Corea Diaz has been locked in a cell for about 23 hours a day and only has limited phone access.

Corea Diaz says he has been unable to talk to his children. He also said he had received death threats from outside the jail.

The judge said she would look into his request. Nassau County declined to comment.

An indictment alleges Corea Diaz ordered beatings and killings while directing MS-13 drug operations in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Texas and elsewhere. He has pleaded not guilty.

MS-13, or La Mara Salvatrucha, recruits young teenagers from El Salvador and Honduras – though many gang members were born in the U.S.