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MS-13 Member Sentenced to 40 Years for Murdering Pimp in July 2009 ALEXANDRIA, VA—Adolfo Amaya Portillo, 27, of Alexandria, Virginia, was sentenced today to 480 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for his role in the murder of a pimp while robbing the pimp and a prostitute in Alexandria on July 29, 2009. Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Shawn Henry, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office; and Earl L. Cook, Alexandria Chief of Police, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge Anthony J. Trenga. On April 30, 2010, Portillo pled guilty to the use of a firearm during a crime of violence resulting in the death of the pimp, Claros Luna, through the use of a handgun. According to court records, Portillo and two other MS-13 gang members—Eris Ramon Arguera and Alcides Umaña—posed as potential customers for prostitution and lured Luna and a prostitute to Manor Road in Alexandria, Virginia, on July 29, 2009. Once Luna and the prostitute arrived at Manor Road, the prostitute exited the vehicle and entered the apartment building at 704 Manor Road. Arguera, brandishing a handgun, met the prostitute in the lobby and directed her to the nearby vehicle where Luna sat waiting in the driver’s seat. Arguera and the prostitute entered the rear driver’s side door of the vehicle. Portillo, armed with a handgun, entered the front passenger door. Umaña, armed with a knife, entered the rear passenger-side door of the vehicle. Portillo demanded rent or extortion payments from Luna. Luna attempted to grab Portillo’s handgun. Umaña then put his knife to Luna’s throat. Portillo and Arguera fatally shot Luna three times. Portillo fired two of the three fatal shots–one to Luna’s chest and a second contact wound to Luna’s head. A third shot entered the left side of Luna’s back and exited his chest. Portillo, Arguera, and Umaña then took the money that Luna and the prostitute had earned from the prostitution business that day. On July 9, 2010, Arguera was sentenced to 324 months in prison. Umaña was sentenced to 240 months on June 4, 2010. This case was investigated by the Alexandria Police Department and FBI’s Washington Field Office, with assistance from the Fairfax County and Arlington County Police Departments and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s Office of Investigations in Washington, D.C. Assistant United States Attorneys Ronald Walutes and Morris Parker prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. MS-13 Gang Leader Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Offenses, Including the Murder of a Witness GREENBELT, MD—Juan Carlos Moreira, a/k/a “Stokey” and “Stocky,” age 30, a native of El Salvador who resided in Silver Spring, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit murder in aid of a racketeering enterprise known as MS-13, conspiracy to participate in racketeering, murder in aid of racketeering, witness tampering murder and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering. The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Theresa R. Stoop of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Baltimore Field Division; Chief Roberto L. Hylton of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Special Agent in Charge William Winter of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Chief Darien L. Manley of the Maryland-National Capital Park Police. U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said, “Many dangerous criminals have been convicted and removed from Maryland as a result of superb work by law enforcement and prosecutors on the MS-13 investigation. Racketeering cases often are time-consuming, but they make a dramatic contribution to public safety.” “Today’s plea demonstrates how serious and determined we are in bringing violent criminals to justice, says ATF’s Special Agent in Charge Theresa R. Stoop. “ATF has, and will continue to work alongside our law enforcement partners to protect our communities from senseless acts of violence and intimidation.” Chief Roberto L. Hylton of the Prince George’s County Police Department stated, “The guilty plea of Juan Moreira is the result of an exhaustive, collaborative effort which began in Prince George’s County with the formation of the Regional Anti-Gang Enforcement Task Force. We appreciate the efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in partnering with us several years ago to form this task force. The later addition of other federal resources allowed us to make a huge impact in fighting the emerging threat to our community from MS-13.” According to Moreira’s plea agreement, he was a leader of the Sailor Locos Salvatruchos Westside (SLSW) clique of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13, a gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants of immigrants from El Salvador, with members operating throughout Prince George’s County and Montgomery County, Maryland and elsewhere inside and outside of the United States. Moreira was born in El Salvador where he was “jumped in” to the SLSW clique. In 1998, Moreira entered the U.S. illegally and, along with four other people, founded the SLSW clique in Maryland, in the summer of 2000. From that time until the summer of 2003, Moreira held the leadership position of “First Word” of the Maryland SLSW clique, which required him to lead clique meetings, represent the clique at general and regional meetings, direct the activities of the clique, and pay dues. According to the statement of facts, Moreira and other members of SLSW stabbed an MS-13 member from a Virginia clique on January 1, 2003, after Moreira and the other MS-13 member had a verbal confrontation at a party. Moreira also admitted that in the early months of 2003, he and the Sailors clique possessed a MAC-90 automatic assault rifle, as well as 7.62 mm ammunition for the rifle. On April 9, 2003, Moreira sold the rifle for $1,500 to an undercover law enforcement agent. According to the plea agreement, MS-13 members Nelson Bernal and Randy Calderon murdered a suspected rival gang member, Eliuth Madrigal, in Moreira’s apartment in Silver Spring on November 22, 2003. Moreira was in an upstairs bedroom at the time of the murder. When Moreira was informed of the murder, he ordered Calderon and Bernal to remove the body from the apartment and led the group in cleaning up the murder scene. Moreira later attempted to cover up the murder by painting the walls and changing the carpet in the apartment, where Madrigal had been stabbed repeatedly. Shortly after the Madrigal murder, and still on November 22, 2003, Moreira directed Bernal and Calderon to accompany him to the apartment of Israel Ramos-Cruz (a/k/a “Taylor”), who held the “first word” leadership position of the Sailors clique at the time. After arriving at the residence, Moreira and Ramos-Cruz had a private discussion in the kitchen area while the others were in the living room, then returned to the living room and told Calderon that he and others were to paint MS-13 graffiti in celebration of Calderon’s murder of Madrigal. Ramos-Cruz gave Calderon a can of blue spray paint and instructed another member of the Sailors clique, Santos Maximino Garcia, a/k/a “Curley,” to drive Moreira and Calderon to their destination. After Garcia and Calderon left the apartment, Ramos-Cruz gave Moreira a handgun. Moreira directed Garcia to take them to an area behind a 7-11 store in Mount Rainier, Maryland, where Sailors members had previously spray-painted graffiti. Moreira and Calderon exited the vehicle and a short time later Moreira fired a single shot into Calderon’s head, killing him. According to the statement of facts, Moreira and Ramos-Cruz later made statements to the effect that Calderon had to be killed because he would not have been tough and would have told police about the Madrigal murder. On January 5, 2005, Moreira and Omar Vasquez (a/k/a “Duke”), a fellow Sailors member, were involved in a fight with members of a rival gang at a McDonald’s restaurant in Alexandria, Virginia. Moreira and Vasquez lost the fight and Moreira admitted that in response, on January 21, 2005, he and multiple other MS-13 members went in search of the rival gang involved in the fight. They drove to an apartment building in Alexandria, Virginia, where they saw a group of youths that they believed included a member of the rival gang that had fought with Moreira earlier in the month. Moreira and another MS-13 member approached the group and each fired multiple shots at the group, wounding three juvenile males, one of whom died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds. Chief U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow has scheduled sentencing for September 14, 2010 at 9:30 a.m. The parties have agreed that a sentence of life in prison is the appropriate disposition of this case. As part of the plea agreement, the government has withdrawn its notice of intent to seek the death penalty against Moreira. Israel Ramos Cruz, a/k/a “Taylor,” a/k/a “Sastre,” age 33, Garcia, age 33, and Vasquez, age 32, were convicted at trial. Ramos Cruz and Vasquez were sentenced to life in prison and Garcia was sentenced to 32 years in prison. Bernal, age 29, of Hyattsville, pleaded guilty to charges related to his role in the gang; a sentencing date for Bernal has not been set. To date, this office has charged 51 MS-13 members with various federal offenses; 26 members have been convicted at trial or pled guilty to RICO charges and 19 have pleaded guilty to other charges, primarily immigration or gun violations. Four defendants have been sentenced to life in prison. United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein and Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer praised ATF’s RAGE Task Force, and thanked Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Glenn F. Ivey and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy for the assistance that they and their offices provided. Mr. Rosenstein and Mr. Breuer commended Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert K. Hur and William D. Moomau, Trial Attorney Michael Warbel of the Criminal Division’s Capital Case Unit, currently on detail to the Organized Crime and Gang Unit; and James M. Trusty, Principal Deputy Chief for Litigation of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit, who are prosecuting the case. MS-13 Gang Member Sentenced to Death After Conviction on Racketeering Charges Related to Double Murders CHARLOTTE, NC—Chief U.S. District Judge Robert J. Conrad, Jr. today formally imposed the federal death penalty sentence on Alejandro Enrique Ramirez Umana, aka “Wizard,” announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Anne M. Tompkins of the Western District of North Carolina. A 12-person federal jury in Charlotte voted unanimously on April 28, 2010 to impose the death penalty against Umana after having convicted him on April 19, 2010 on charges related to the murders of Ruben Garcia Salinas and his brother, Manuel Garcia Salinas, on December 8, 2007. Umana is the first MS-13 member in the country to receive the death penalty. Umana, 25, of Charlotte, was convicted by the jury on all charged counts, including conspiracy to participate in racketeering; two counts of murder in aid of the racketeering enterprise known as MS-13; two counts of murder resulting from the use of a gun in a violent crime; possession of a firearm by an illegal alien; one count of extortion; and two criminal counts associated with witness tampering or intimidation. During the sentencing phase, the jury also found that Umana was responsible for other murders. Specifically, the jury found that on July 27, 2005, Umana killed Jose Herrera and Gustavo Porras in Los Angeles, and on September 28, 2005, Umana participated and aided and abetted the killing of Andy Abarca in Los Angeles. Umana was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 23, 2008. Witnesses testified at his trial that Umana was a veteran member of MS-13 who came illegally to Charlotte to assist in reorganizing the Charlotte MS-13 cell. Witnesses also testified that on December 8, 2007, while in the Las Jarochitas, a family-run restaurant in Greensboro, Umana shot Ruben Garcia Salinas fatally in the chest and Manuel Garcia Salinas in the head. Witnesses testified that the shootings took place after the Garcia Salinas brothers had “disrespected” Umana’s gang signs by calling them “fake.” Firing three more shots in the restaurant, according to trial testimony, Umana injured another individual with his gunfire. Trial testimony and evidence showed that Umana later fled back to Charlotte with MS-13 assistance. Umana was arrested five days later in possession of the murder weapon. Additional evidence and testimony from the trial revealed that while Umana was incarcerated while awaiting trial, he coordinated attempts to kill witnesses and informants. During trial, Umana attempted to bring a knife with him to the courtroom, which was discovered by U.S. Marshals prior to Umana being transported to the courthouse. “Violent gangs like MS-13 terrorize communities across this country,” said Assistant Attorney General Breuer. “As the evidence in this case showed, murder and intimidation are a way of life for some members of this gang. Although there is no punishment that will bring back the lives taken by the defendant, this series of prosecutions of MS-13, and the punishments imposed, should make abundantly clear to gang members that we will not let them operate with impunity. As today’s sentence shows, their criminal actions have serious consequences.” U.S. Attorney Anne Tompkins said, “the imposition of the death penalty, the harshest sentence in the criminal justice system, is a sobering event for all involved in the investigation and prosecution. The death penalty in this case is fair, just, and merited. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, based upon the facts and evidence, advocated for the death penalty, and the jury agreed that Umana deserved nothing less than the death penalty. I commend the investigators and prosecutors for engaging in this critical process with professionalism and integrity.” “While the outcome of today’s hearing does not change that two innocent people are dead, it will hopefully bring closure to the families and loved ones of the men who were killed and the many other victims left in the wake of the MS-13 crime spree. This case has spanned international borders, taken years of investigation and thousands of hours of arduous work. It proves our law enforcement partners are determined to bring those who break the law to justice, regardless of the obstacles that may block the path,” said Owen D. Harris, Special Agent in Charge of the Charlotte Division of the FBI. “Our goals as law enforcement officers are to put an end to gang violence and see that those who are responsible are punished. This sentence serves as a reminder that gang violence has harsh consequences, and those who choose to be involved in gangs need to understand that their actions will not be tolerated. We have the motivation and determination to keep pursuing gang members. That motivation creates a safer Charlotte,” said Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Rodney Monroe. The investigation of the MS-13 enterprise in Charlotte has led to charges against 26 MS-13 members. In addition to Umana, six defendants were convicted at trial in January 2010, and 18 others have pleaded guilty. One defendant remains in custody in El Salvador. To date, 11 of the 25 defendants convicted have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from two to 20 years. The case was investigated by the Charlotte Safe Streets Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Chief Criminal Assistant U.S. Attorney Jill Westmoreland Rose of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina, and Trial Attorney Sam Nazzaro from the Criminal Division’s Gang Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Don Gast and Adam Morris of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina were also members of the government’s trial team. Umana’s case is automatically appealed under the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. He will be incarcerated while his appeal is pending at a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility which has not yet been designated. Manhattan U.S. Attorney Files Additional Charges Against Former Acting Boss of Genovese Organized Crime Family and Four Others Allegations Involve 2003 Murder of Individual Whose Body was Found in Massachusetts in April 2010 PREET BHARARA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the unsealing of a superseding indictment charging three additional individuals for their involvement in the alleged racketeering, murder, and other criminal activities of the Genovese Organized Crime Family. FELIX TRANGHESE and TY GEAS were arrested this morning in Springfield, Massachusetts. EMILIO FUSCO remains at large. Defendants ARTHUR NIGRO, the alleged former acting boss of the Genovese Organized Crime Family, and FOTIOS GEAS, an alleged family associate—who were incarcerated on other charges when the underlying indictments in this case were unsealed—were previously transferred to the Southern District of New York for prosecution. An underlying indictment in this case previously charged NIGRO and FOTIOS GEAS with racketeering and the 2003 murder of ADOLFO BRUNO, among other crimes. The superseding indictment unsealed today charges TRANGHESE, an alleged capo; FUSCO, an alleged made member; and TY GEAS, an alleged associate, each of the Genovese Organized Crime Family, with racketeering and participating in the same murder. In addition, FUSCO, FOTIOS GEAS, and TY GEAS, are charged with the November 4, 2003, murder of GARY WESTERMAN, whose body was uncovered in Agawam, Massachusetts, in a coordinated search by the FBI and the Massachusetts State Police in April 2010. NIGRO, FOTIOS GEAS, and TY GEAS, are also charged with the May 19, 2003 attempted murder of FRANK DADABO, and with conspiring to murder LOUIS SANTOS in Fall 2003. According to anindictment unsealed earlier today in Manhattan Federal Court: In their capacities within and associated with the Genovese Organized Crime Family, NIGRO, TRANGHESE, FUSCO, FOTIOS GEAS, and TY GEAS conspired to murder and aided and abetted in the November 2003 murder of ADOLFO BRUNO, to maintain and increase their position in the Genovese Organized Crime Family as well as to prevent BRUNO from providing information to law enforcement about crimes committed by members and associates of the Genovese Organized Crime Family. Similarly, FUSCO, FOTIOS GEAS, and TY GEAS conspired to murder and murdered GARY WESTERMAN on November 4, 2003, to maintain and increase their position in the Genovese Organized Crime Family as well as to prevent WESTERMAN from providing information to law enforcement about crimes committed by members and associates of the Genovese Organized Crime Family. A conference in this case is scheduled before United States District Judge P. KEVIN CASTEL on July 26, 2010, at 11:00 a.m. Mr. BHARARA praised the work of the Joint Organized Crime Task Force—including agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and detectives of the New York City Police Department. Mr. BHARARA also thanked the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, the Hampden County District Attorney’s Office, and the Massachusetts State Police for their valued assistance in the investigation. Manhattan U.S. Attorney PREET BHARARA said: "For years, the Genovese Organized Crime Family allegedly has terrorized the city of Springfield, Massachusetts, with a series of violent crimes. It has been nearly seven years since Adolfo Bruno was murdered on a city street in Springfield and Gary Westerman was murdered and buried in the woods in Agawam. Today, through the tireless and coordinated efforts of numerous law enforcement agencies, the defendants stand accused of an array of racketeering and murder charges that stretched far beyond Springfield." This case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Organized Crime Unit. Assistant United States Attorney MARK LANPHER is in charge of the prosecution. The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.Count Charge Defendants Potential Penalties MAJOR GANG TAKEDOWN
78 Bloods, Latin Kings Indicted In the pre-dawn chill of upstate New York, nearly 600 local, state, and federal law enforcement officers assembled at the armory this morning to prepare for one of the area's largest gang takedowns in recent memory. Indictments were unsealed against 78 members of two violent street gangs—the Bloods and the Latin Kings—and many of the unsuspecting gang members were about to wake up to SWAT teams, handcuffs, and a variety of federal drug charges. “There are a number of neighborhood gangs in Newburgh, but these two national gangs are responsible for much of the drugs and crime in the city,” said Special Agent Jim Gagliano, who headed a 16-month, FBI-led Safe Streets Task Force investigation that culminated in this morning’s raids. “These arrests will severely disrupt and dismantle both organizations in Newburgh,” Gagliano said. “We are taking most of the local leaders of the Bloods and the Latin Kings off the streets. Some of them will likely be put away for so long they will never return to the city.” Newburgh is located about 70 miles north of Manhattan. For a relatively small city of 29,000 people, it has an unusually large crime problem. When Gagliano arrived there two years ago, Newburgh led the state in per capita homicides, and everyone agreed that drug-related gang violence was at the root of the problem. The Bureau established the Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force in April 2009—which now consists of about 20 local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies—and began dual investigations on the two gangs, dubbed Operation Blood Drive and Operation Black Crown. The plan was for the task force’s cooperating witnesses and undercover officers to make small street-level drug buys—mostly crack cocaine—from gang members over a period of time. In all, the task force made nearly 100 drug buys, totaling more than five kilos of crack cocaine. “The majority of these buys were done while we recorded video and audio,” Gagliano said. “Not only did we get the subject’s voice on tape, we also see the exchange.” He added, “In a city as small as Newburgh and as violent—there have already been four homicides this year, all directly related to gang violence—these arrests will have a substantial effect on the crime rate in the city.” After an early-morning briefing, agents and officers fanned out over the city in teams. Those arrested were brought back to the armory for processing and booking. Of the 60 members of the Bloods and 18 members of the Latin Kings who were indicted—some were already in jail on other charges—approximately 61 were in custody by early this afternoon. The sweep also netted four guns and a large amount of cash. The search for those still at large is ongoing. George Venizelos, acting assistant director in charge of our New York Field Office, had nothing but praise for today’s operation and the Safe Streets Task Force. “I have never been involved with a task force that had this many different member agencies who worked so well together,” Venizelos said. “It’s been a terrific partnership, and the proof of our success can be seen in today’s arrests.” Gangs at a Glance Approximately one million gang members belonging to more than 20,000 gangs were criminally active within all 50 states and the District of Columbia as of September 2008. Gang members are increasingly migrating from urban to suburban areas. Criminal gangs commit as much as 80 percent of the crime in many communities. Much gang-related crime involves drug trafficking, but gang members engage in a wide variety of criminal activity. The original Bloods were formed in the early 1970s in Los Angeles. Membership nationwide is estimated to be as high as 30,000. The Latin Kings were formed in Chicago in the 1960s. Membership nationally is estimated to be 20,000 to 35,000. Source: National Gang Threat Assessment.
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