Man living in Denver, an alleged former member of Gambian death squad, convicted of torture

An alleged former member of a Gambian death squad has been convicted of torture.

Michael Sang Correa, who was living in Denver, Colorado, was sentenced to more than 67 years in prison for one count of conspiracy to commit torture and five counts of torture. His violent acts included burning victims with molten plastic and beating them with different weapons. 

Correa, 46, obtained a visa and arrived in the U.S. in December 2016. The Department of Justice noted that he eluded the authorities until 2019, when ICE officers arrested him. He later went to trial for his crimes in Denver in April 2025. 

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According to the Human Rights Watch, Correa’s trial happened because U.S. laws recognize universal jurisdiction over certain serious crimes under international law, often termed "atrocity crimes," like torture, genocide, and war crimes. 

The organization added that universal authority allows for investigating and prosecuting these crimes no matter where they were committed, and regardless of the nationality of the suspects or victims.

Who is Michael Sang Correa?

The backstory:

Michael Sang Correa served in an armed unit known as the "Junglers," which reported to The Gambia’s former President Yahya Jammeh. 

According to a Department of Justice release, Correa in his role as a Jungler plotted with others to commit torture and personally tortured five victims, who were targeted based on suspicions that they had schemed against Jammeh. 

Correa and his co-conspirators took the victims to The Gambia’s main prison in 2006. The DOJ noted that the victims were subjected to serious abuse, including beatings, stabbing, burnings, and electrocutions. 

Some of the victims subjected to the violence by the Junglers testified at Correa’s trial that they were burned, suffocated, and beaten while hung upside down.