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Teens In L.I. Hate Crime Stabbing Face Sentencing

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (AP) -- Four Long Island teenagers who admitted being part of a gang that targeted Hispanics for violence face long prison terms for their roles in the killing of an Ecuadorean immigrant.

The four pleaded guilty to gang assault and other charges in the 2008 stabbing death of immigrant Marcelo Lucero in Patchogue, about 50 miles east of New York City. They're set to be sentenced Wednesday.

The killing focused attention on the treatment of Hispanics in Suffolk County. Suffolk has seen an influx of immigrants from Central and South America in the past decade.

In May, 19-year-old Jeffrey Conroy was sentenced to 25 years in prison following his conviction on manslaughter as a hate crime. He's the one who actually stabbed Lucero.

Two other suspects face sentencing at a later date.

(Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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