SAN FRANCISCO- A federal grand jury returned a second superseding indictment charging 13 current and former Bay Area residents for a broad range of racketeering crimes, including allegations that many defendants participated in gang-related murders and attempted murders as part of a racketeering conspiracy, announced Acting United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Tatum King. The second superseding indictment handed down on November 4, 2021, and is now unsealed includes new allegations against defendants previously indicted on February 18, 2020, and adds charges against three new defendants.
“We will never stop seeking justice for murder,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Hinds. “The new indictment reflects our commitment to a partnership of federal, state, and local law enforcement to protect our community against violence, especially from criminal street gangs such as MS-13.”
“Public safety is paramount for the HSI San Francisco investigative team,” wrote HSI Special Agent in Charge Tatum King. “Our agents and analysts are focused on apprehending the most dangerous criminals. This new indictment contains allegations that should concern everyone and is the result of effective collaboration with the San Francisco Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and local law enforcement agencies, all of whom are committed to holding criminals accountable for their actions.”
According to the second superseding indictment, the defendants were members of the transnational criminal organization MS-13. MS-13 operates in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, and at least 20 states in the United States. The MS-13 clique in San Francisco is the 20th Street clique. The second superseding indictment describes how the 20th Street clique relies on crime to operate, including to avoid detection by law enforcement, to initiate new recruits, to enhance the reputation of the gang and individual gang members, to maintain control of drug distribution channels, and to intimidate people who might testify against or otherwise defy the gang.
The second superseding indictment builds on the February 18, 2020 indictment by describing additional violent crimes the defendants have allegedly committed, including three murders. It alleges that, on or about March 17, 2017, Elmer Rodriguez, a/k/a “Gordo,” ordered another gang member to kill a victim perceived to be a gang rival outside the Beauty Bar in the Mission District of San Francisco. It further alleges that on May 25, 2017, Edwin Alvarado Amaya, a/k/a “Muerte,” murdered a fellow member of the 20th Street clique with a bladed weapon in Bernal Heights under the direction of Rodriguez because they believed the victim had violated gang rules. Finally, it alleges that on February 13, 2018, Abner Marroquin Alegria, a/k/a “Coche” or “Chapin,” Jose Maria Tercero Perez, a/k/a “Delito,” Kevin Reyes Melendez, a/k/a “Neutron,” Kevin Guatemala Zepeda, a/k/a “Mision,” and Fernando Romero Bonilla, a/k/a “Black,” all played a culpable role in the murder, or its aftermath, of a suspected gang rival in the parking lot of the Gray Whale Cove trail in Pacifica. According to the indictment, Tercero Perez, Reyes Melendez, Guatemala Zepeda, and Romero Bonilla encountered the victim at the Mission Playground, which is at the heart of the gang’s territory. Marroquin then drove Tercero Perez, Reyes Melendez, and the victim to the Gray Whale Cove parking lot, where Reyes Melendez and Tercero Perez attacked and murdered the victim with a bladed weapon and a 9mm firearm. Guatemala Zepeda and Romero Bonilla later arrived on scene to remove potentially incriminating evidence.
The second superseding indictment also alleges that on April 20, 2018, Tercero Perez, Reyes Melendez, and Brigido Josue Gonzales Sales, a/k/a “Inocente” or “Kiko” attempted to murder a suspected gang rival near South Van Ness Avenue and Adair Street in the Mission District of San Francisco.
In all, the second superseding indictment alleges 15 overt acts of violence – including murders, attempted murders, and assaults with a dangerous weapon – allegedly perpetrated by the defendants in furtherance of the racketeering conspiracy. The charges pending against each defendant are as follows:
The court also may order additional terms of supervised release, fines, and restitution. Nevertheless, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is being prosecuted by the Organized Crime Strike Force of the Office of the United States Attorney. The prosecution is the result of an investigations by HSI, the San Francisco Police Department Homicide unit and Community Violence Reduction Team, San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office Gang Intelligence Unit and Investigations Bureau, Daly City Police Department, Pinole Police Department, Redwood City Police Department Street Crimes Reduction Team, and San Pablo Police Department.
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