8 MS-13 members plead guilty to violent crimes in Houston-area

HOUSTON - Eight El Salvadorian citizens living in Houston illegally have pleaded guilty to charges related to a racketeering conspiracy involving multiple murders and witness tampering.

They are accused of being members of the notorious transnational criminal organization Mara Salvatrucha, commonly known as MS-13, according to U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

MS-13 members plead guilty in large-scale racketeering conspiracy

Walter Antonio Chicas-Garcia, Wilson Jose Ventura-Mejia, Miguel Angel Aguilar-Ochoa, and Marlon Miranda-Moran entered plea deals on Tuesday.

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Luis Ernesto Carbajal-Peraza, Edgardo Martinez-Rodriguez, Carlos Alexi Garcia-Gongora, and Wilman Rivas-Guido also pleaded guilty to their roles in the racketeering conspiracy on Aug. 11.

The backstory:

As part of their plea deals, all eight admitted to being MS-13 members and having involvement in a criminal enterprise responsible for various violent crimes in the Houston-area from 2017 to 2018. These crimes included murder, extortion, drug trafficking, robbery, and obstruction of justice.

Court documents state MS-13 is an international street gang known for its violent activities across the United States, including Texas, Virginia, Maryland, New York, and California, as well as its significant presence in El Salvador and Honduras. The gang uses violence and intimidation to protect its power, reputation, and territory.

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The members also acknowledged murders were often ordered and approved by high-ranking MS-13 leaders in El Salvador. The murders were committed to keep their status within the gang and were targeted against people believed to be rival gang members or cooperating with law enforcement.

What they're saying:

"This case demonstrates the tremendous public safety threat that MS-13 and other criminal terrorist organizations pose to American communities," said U.S. Attorney Ganjei. "Here, defendants carried out a series of murders - bludgeoning, butchering, and strangling their victims with sadistic glee. These are people without remorse or pity. When it comes to eradicating these gangs, the United States cannot afford to either relent or fail. As the facts of this case show, the stakes are too high."

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"These defendants carried out brutal murders in the name of MS-13, killing victims with machetes, baseball bats and their bare hands, and then sending photos of the victims’ bodies to MS-13 leaders in El Salvador," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. "The defendants committed these unthinkable acts to maintain their status in a gang that spread fear in local neighborhoods and targeted those brave enough to cooperate with law enforcement. Today’s guilty pleas send a powerful message that the Justice Department will aggressively pursue and hold accountable MS-13 members who use violence and murder to terrorize our communities."

How long will they be sentenced to prison?

Sentencing for the defendants has been set for November by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown.

Chicas-Garcia, Ventura-Mejia, and Aguilar-Ochoa each face 50-year prison terms, while Miranda-Moran is set to receive a 35-year sentence. Martinez-Rodriguez, Garcia-Gongora, and Rivas-Guido have agreed to terms ranging from 45 to 50 years, and Carbajal-Peraza is expected to receive 40 to 45 years.