NEW YORK — Three high-ranking members of the MS-13 street gang have pleaded guilty to their roles in nine killings in the New York City suburbs, federal prosecutors said.

Prosecutors say many of their victims were suspected members of rival gangs who were hacked to death with machetes and other weapons. Many of the bodies were dumped in shallow graves and weren’t discovered until months and years later.

Prosecutors say the three admitted to committing the killings to boost their status in the gang and to further its mission.

They each face a minimum of 40 years in prison under the terms of their plea agreements, with David Sosa-Guevara and Kevin Torres facing up to 65 years in prison and Victor Lopez-Morales facing a maximum of 60 years, according to prosecutors.

Jairo Saenz, a high-ranking member of another MS-13 clique, pleaded guilty to his role in seven murders.

— The Associated Press