Eight MS-13 members plead guilty in brutal racketeering case tied to murders and witness intimidation
Houston, TX – Eight members of the violent international street gang MS-13 have pleaded guilty to federal charges stemming from a multi-year racketeering conspiracy that included multiple gruesome murders and coordinated efforts to intimidate witnesses, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The defendants—Walter Antonio Chicas-Garcia, Wilson Jose Ventura-Mejia, Miguel Angel Aguilar-Ochoa, and Marlon Miranda-Moran—were all unlawfully residing in Houston at the time of the offenses and are citizens of El Salvador. Each admitted to participating in gang-related murders using machetes, baseball bats, and bare hands. Victims were often mutilated, and photos of their bodies were sent to MS-13 leaders in El Salvador, some of whom listened to the murders via phone in real time.
According to their plea agreements, Chicas-Garcia, Ventura-Mejia, and Aguilar-Ochoa each face 50 years in federal prison, while Miranda-Moran will serve 35 years.
Four other MS-13 members—Luis Ernesto Carbajal-Peraza, Edgardo Martinez-Rodriguez, Carlos Alexi Garcia-Gongora, and Wilman Rivas-Guido—pleaded guilty last month to the same conspiracy. Sentencing ranges for those defendants span from 40 to 50 years, depending on the terms of each agreement. All four are also Salvadoran nationals residing unlawfully in the U.S.
The gang members admitted to conducting acts of murder, extortion, drug trafficking, robbery, and witness tampering from 2017 to 2018 in the Houston area. The victims were often selected for suspected ties to rival gangs or cooperation with law enforcement.
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The investigation was led by a coalition of federal, state, and local agencies, including the FBI, HSI, Houston Police, and multiple Texas law enforcement departments. The case falls under Operation Take Back America, a Department of Justice initiative aimed at dismantling violent transnational criminal organizations.
Sentencing hearings for all eight defendants are expected later this year.
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Key Points
Eight MS-13 members pleaded guilty in a racketeering conspiracy involving multiple murders
Defendants admitted to brutal killings and sharing photos with gang leaders in El Salvador
Sentences for the convicted members range from 35 to 50 years in federal prison