WASHINGTON D.C.
A federal judge sentenced three MS-13 leaders to long prison sentences for racketeering, multiple murders and violent assaults, according to officials.
Twelve other gang members plead guilty in this racketeering case, which also involved the murder of an ex-gang member for removing his gang tattoos, officials said.
“MS-13 is a brutally violent gang that has plagued communities in many parts of this country, including Washington, D.C.,” said Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell. “The lengthy sentences imposed on the MS-13 leaders convicted in this case reflect the vicious and calculated nature of the murders they committed and the gang they led.”
These are the three gang members who were sentenced:
Noe Machado-Erazo aka Gallo, 32, of Wheaton, Maryland, was sentenced to life in prison plus 10 years in prison.
Jose Martinez-Amaya, aka Crimen, 28, of Brentwood, Maryland, was sentenced to life in prison plus 10 years in prison.
Yester Ayala, aka Freeway or Daddy Yankee, 24, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Senior U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth sentenced the trio
MS-13 is a large, criminal street gang that operates in the United States and Central America. Members engage in racketeering activity including murder, narcotics distribution, extortion, robberies, obstruction of justice and other crimes.
“This prosecution shows our commitment to purging MS-13’s bloody brand of violence from the District of Columbia,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Vincent Cohen. “These killers brought lawless vengeance to our community and left a 14-year-old boy dead. These gang members will now have decades in prison to reflect on their heinous crimes.”
In August 2013, following a month-long trial, Machado-Erazo and Martinez-Amaya were found guilty of conspiracy to participate in racketeering activity, murder in aid of racketeering and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.
Ayala was found guilty of conspiracy to participate in racketeering activity, two counts of murder in aid of racketeering, first-degree premeditated murder and second-degree murder.
According to evidence, these are the facts and circumstances surrounding this case:
A number of small MS-13 groups, or cliques, operate in the Washington, D.C., area.
The evidence showed that the cliques have frequent contact with MS-13 leadership in El Salvador, and that they act in accordance with the MS-13’s international strictures, including the requirement that members remain unfailingly loyal to the gang.
The evidence presented at trial showed that both Machado-Erazo and Martinez-Amaya were members of the Normandie clique, and that Martinez-Amaya held a leadership position in the group; and that Ayala was a leader of the Sailors, another clique.
The evidence also showed that Machado-Erazo coordinated the activities of local MS-13 cliques.
At trial, the government presented evidence that Ayala helped carry out orders to murder Louis Alberto Membreno-Zelaya, a fellow MS-13 member who had removed his gang tattoos.
Membreno-Zelaya’s body was found on Nov. 6, 2008, in Northwest Washington, D.C. He had been stabbed at least 20 times.
Ayala also participated in the Dec. 12, 2008, murder of 14-year-old Giovanni Sanchez near the Columbia Heights Metro station in Washington D.C. Giovanni was stabbed 11 times.
The evidence at trial also demonstrated that Machado-Erazo and Martinez-Amaya took part in the killing of Felipe Enriquez, an MS-13 member whose body was found on March 31, 2010, in Montgomery County, Maryland.
The government presented evidence that Enriquez was lured to a remote park where he was fatally shot by Martinez-Amaya. Evidence presented during the trial showed that Machado-Erazo provided the gun used in the shooting.
The three defendants sentenced today are among numerous individuals charged in a 2010 indictment alleging criminal acts committed between 2008 and 2010 in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia and other states, as well as in El Salvador.
Twelve defendants have plead guilty to charges in the case.