Guilty Pleas For Murder, Conspiracy Put MS-13 Gang Members In Prison.

GREENBELT, MD — A Silver Spring man was one of two MS-13 gang members sentenced in federal court on Tuesday for their roles in a racketeering conspiracy, including murder, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

La Mara Salvatrucha gang, also known as “MS-13,” is made up of immigrants from El Salvador who operate in Montgomery, Prince George’s and Frederick counties in Maryland, as well as other locations across the country, according to police.

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced 25-year-old Agustin Eugenio“Terrible” Rivas Rodriguez of Silver Spring to 16 years in federal prison. Xinis also sentenced 22-year-old Hernan “Recio” Yanes-Rivera of Adelphi to 22 years in federal prison. The sentences for both are followed by three years of supervised release.

As part of their plea agreement, Rivas Rodriguez and Yanes-Rivera admitted in federal court in March that from about August 2018 through July 2021 they were members and associates of Weedams Locos Salvatrucha, an MS-13 clique that mostly operated in Adelphi, according to court documents.

Rivas Rodriguez and Yanes-Rivera admitted that they, along with co-defendant and MS-13 member 26-year-old Franklyn Edgardo “Delinquente” Sanchez of Adelphi, shot and killed a former WLS member in retaliation for the victim’s suspected cooperation with law enforcement, according to court documents.

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Police testified that the victim had sat for interviews in connection with a local robbery and a co-defendant of the victim had pleaded guilty to the crime prior to the shooting, according to court documents. WLS members told the victim that if they made amends, their cooperation with law enforcement would be forgiven.

On Feb. 23, 2020, a junior member of the gang drove the victim to a wooded location near Hyattsville. Acting on the direction of an MS-13 superior, Yanes-Rivera and Sanchez shot the victim, who later died from their injuries, according to a release. For his participation in the fatal shooting, Yanes-Rivera received a promotion within the MS-13 hierarchy.

Sanchez and another MS-13 member were also accused of killing another person who was suspected of cooperating with law enforcement on Aug. 8, 2020 at a park in Prince George’s County, according to court records. At first, WLS members dragged the victim’s body to a stream and left it there. But, after concerns that Sanchez’s DNA and other evidence might link him to the crime, Rivas Rodriguez and other WLS members recovered the victim’s body and buried it in a wooded area nearby.

Rivas Rodriguez and other MS-13 members also conspired to kill a female member of the rival 18th Street gang at her home, according to police. After the MS-13 members had gathered with guns in preparation for the killing, law enforcement officers arrived and prevented them from going through with their plans.

According to the plea agreement, Rivas Rodriguez and Yanes-Rivera admitted that they were responsible for collecting extortion payments from at least two victims. Yanes-Rivera also admitted to laundering the extortion money by giving it to MS-13 members and sending it to associates in El Salvador.

Sanchez, who pleaded guilty to the same charges on March 7, was sentenced on May 19 to 28 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release.