Maryland
A Maryland man pleaded guilty Wednesday to a conspiracy involving racketeering enterprise by murdering a suspected rival gang member and attempting to murder two other victims, officials stated.
The crimes were committed in connection with MS-13 gang activities.
MS-13 gang member, Moises Reyes-Canales and the government have agreed that, if the court accepts the plea terms, Reyes-Canales will be sentenced to 35 years in federal prison.
Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar scheduled sentencing for Reyes-Canales on Sept. 19.
The murder of Jose Hernandez-Portillo, 22, of Annapolis in 2016 was one of three in the Annapolis area attributed to the gang.
Four other people pleaded guilty to killing Jennifer Rivera-Lopez, a 21-year-old Annapolis woman who was found buried in a secret grave in a Crownsville park in September 2017, the Baltimore Sun reported.
And two of those gang members admitted to participating in the murder of Neri Giovani Bonilla-Palacios, a 17-year-old who was found dead Oct. 3, 2017, in a wooded area off Open View Lane in Annapolis, according to the Baltimore Sun.
According to his plea agreement and other court documents, from March 2016, Moises Alexis Reyes-Canales, aka Sicopita, 23, of Annapolis, was a member and associate of MS-13, and participated in a racketeering conspiracy that included assaults, murder, attempted murder, robbery, and drug trafficking.
Specifically, Reyes-Canales admitted that he participated in the murder of a suspected rival gang member and conspired and attempted to murder two victims in Annapolis.
In addition, between January 2016 and February 2017, Reyes-Canales and other MS-13 members/associates sold marijuana to raise funds for the gang.
The drug proceeds were used for, among other purposes, the purchase of more narcotics, weapons, and to send to MS-13 members and associates in other states and in El Salvador.
“Reyes-Canales and his co-defendants committed murder, attempted murders, and other violent crimes on behalf of MS-13, causing lasting harm to victims and the Annapolis community,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Through the diligent efforts of law enforcement and department prosecutors, these defendants will no longer harm and intimidate the Annapolis community. We will continue our relentless pursuit of MS-13 gang members, both in the United States and internationally.”
Co-defendants Marlon Cruz-Flores, 25, and Manuel Martinez-Aguilar, aka “El Lunatic” and “Zomb,” 22, both of Annapolis, previously pleaded guilty to the racketeering conspiracy and gun charge.
Cruz-Flores was sentenced to 38 years in prison and Martinez-Aguilar was sentenced to 24 years.
Co-defendant Fermin Gomez-Jimenez, 23, of Annapolis, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise and to using, carrying, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 18.
Co-defendant David Diaz-Alvarado, 20, of Annapolis, pleaded guilty to murder in aid of racketeering in connection with his MS-13 gang activities.
Co-defendant, Juan Carlos Sandoval-Rodriguez, 23, of Annapolis, was convicted on Oct. 31, 2019, of murder in aid of racketeering and conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering after an 11-day jury trial for the murder of Victim 1.
He faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison at his sentencing which will be scheduled at a later date. All of the defendants remain detained.