MS-13 gang members indicted for gang-related murders and racketeering.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced the indictments of ten Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang members and associates.
The ten were charged with a RICO conspiracy and murder in aid of racketeering U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
“When reports surfaced that MS-13 had established a presence in the City of Mendota in the Central Valley, a multi-agency investigation was launched,” U.S. Attorney Talbert said. “Today’s announcement is a direct result of the arrests in 2018 of 25 individuals on federal and state charges in connection with their Mara Salvatrucha (MS 13) gang activities. One of the highest priorities of my office and of the federal law enforcement agencies we work with is to partner with the police departments, sheriff’s offices, and district attorneys in our district to reduce violent crime.”
Those named in the court documents are:
Martin Alfredo Leiva-Leiva, 43, of Richmond
Juan Carlos Urias-Torres, 34, of Stockton
Angel Antonio Diaz-Morales, 32, of Salinas
Jose Rene Barrera-Martinez, 34, of Mendota
Luis Fausino Diaz-Pineda, 28, of Mendota
Angel Antonio Castro-Alfaro, 29, of Mendota
Jose Joaquin Amaya-Orellana, 31, of Mendota
Julio Cesar Recinos-Sorto, 28, of Leesburg, Virginia
Jose Armando Torres-Garcia, 27, of El Salvador
Jose Santos Hernandez-Otero, 29, of El Salvador
The criminal organization’s members and associates engage in acts of violence, including acts involving murder, extortion, kidnapping, assault, and other crimes often with the purpose of intimidating rival gang members, victims of extortion, and members of the community, and to protect their “turf” and fellow gang members.
MS-13
According to court documents, MS-13 (Mara Salvatrucha) was formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1980s by Salvadoran immigrants and is known for committing brutal acts of violence against rival gang members and nongang members. MS-13 in Los Angeles is beholden to the Mexican Mafia, which is a criminal organization that united Hispanic gang members under a single alliance operating within the California state prison system, the streets and suburbs of large cities throughout Southern California, and elsewhere.
MS-13 in Fresno County
Since 2015, there are more than 14 homicides alleged to be related to MS-13 in Mendota. These homicides are alleged to be related to MS-13 for a variety of reasons that include: the locations where the homicide victims were recovered (in and around Mendota), the association between the homicide victims and known MS-13 gang members, and the cause of death or condition the homicide victims have been found, including gruesome attacks caused by machetes, a weapon commonly used by MS 13 gang members.
The MS-13 subsets operating in Mendota have a direct connection to, and originate from, MS-13 from Los Angeles. Investigators allege that the individuals charged in the indictment were associated with a Mara Salvatrucha subset in Mendota known as Vatos Locos Salvatruchos (VLS).
Murder of an adult male on Jan. 26, 2016
Leiva-Leiva and Diaz-Morales are charged with the murder of an adult male on Jan. 26, 2016, in San Benito County for the purpose of gaining entrance and maintaining and increasing position in MS-13.
Murder of an adult female on July 13, 2016
Leiva-Leiva and Urias-Torres are charged with the murder in Fresno County of an adult female that occurred on July 13, 2016, for the purpose of gaining entrance and maintaining and increasing position in MS-13.
Murder of an adult female and an adult male on Oct. 30, 2016
Leiva-Leiva, Hernandez-Otero, Torres-Garcia, Amaya-Orellana, and Recinos-Sorto are charged with murdering an adult female and an adult male on Oct. 30, 2016, in Fresno County for the purpose of gaining entrance and maintaining and increasing position in MS-13.
Murder of an adult male in January 2017
Leiva-Leiva, Barrera-Martinez, Diaz-Pineda, and Angel Antonio Castro-Alfaro are charged with the January 2017 murder of an adult male in Fresno County for the purpose of gaining entrance and maintaining and increasing position in MS-13.
Murder of an adult female on Dec. 13, 2017
Leiva-Leiva and Urias-Torres are charged with the murder of an adult female on Dec. 13, 2017, for the purpose of gaining entrance and maintaining and increasing position in MS-13.
If convicted, the defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison and a maximum statutory penalty of death.