Twenty-Two MS-13 Members Sentenced for Violent Crimes

Twenty-two members of the international gang Mara Salvatrucha-13 (MS-13) have now been sentenced, many to life or decades in prison, for their roles in violent crimes in the Atlanta area between 2005 and 2010, including murders, attempted murders and armed robberies.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Acting U.S. Attorney John Horn of the Northern District of Georgia made the announcement.

On July 15, 2013, a jury convicted the following defendants:

    Miguel Alvarado-Linares, aka Joker, 26, of Norcross, Georgia, was convicted of Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) conspiracy involving murder, two counts of Violent Crime in Aid of Racketeering (VICAR) involving murder, two counts of VICAR involving attempted murder and four firearms offenses.  He was sentenced on Oct. 15, 2013, to serve three life sentences followed by 85 years in prison.

    Ernesto Escobar, aka Pink Panther, aka Flaco, 32, of Norcross, was convicted of one count of RICO conspiracy involving murder, one count of VICAR involving murder and one firearms offense.  He was sentenced on Dec. 20, 2013, to serve two life sentences followed by 10 years in prison.

    Dimas Alfaro-Granados, aka Toro, 32, of Duluth, Georgia, was convicted of one count of RICO conspiracy involving murder, two counts of VICAR involving murder and two firearms offenses.  He was sentenced on Oct. 30, 2013, to serve three life sentences followed by 35 years in prison.

    Jairo Reyna-Ozuna, aka Flaco, 30, of Norcross, was convicted of one count of RICO conspiracy and one firearms offense.  He was sentenced on Jan. 31, 2014, to serve 13 years in prison.

According to the evidence introduced at trial, Alvarado-Linares and Alfaro-Granados, along with another gang member, killed Lal Ko in October 2006.  Ko was a fellow MS-13 member, but Alvarado-Linares, one of the gang leaders, thought that Ko was cooperating with police and ordered his murder.

The trial evidence showed that in December 2006, when another MS-13 gang member wanted to quit the gang, Alvarado-Linares and Alfaro-Granados ordered him to kill a rival gang member as a condition of leaving MS-13.  Following orders, on Christmas Eve 2006, that gang member shot at a vehicle traveling on an interstate highway that he believed contained rival gang members.  A 20-year-old passenger in the vehicle was killed. 

The evidence at trial also demonstrated that on New Year’s Eve 2006, Alvarado-Linares shot two members of a rival gang.

Finally, the evidence introduced at trial showed that on Aug. 5, 2007, Reyna-Ozuna, who was a gang leader at the time, gave Escobar a .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun and instructed him to shoot a teenager with whom Escobar had an altercation earlier that day. 

On Nov. 21, 2013, a jury convicted the following defendants:

    William Espinoza, aka Cheberria, aka El Crazy, 33, of Norcross, was convicted of one count of RICO conspiracy involving murder, one count of VICAR involving attempted murder and one firearms offense.  He was sentenced on April 15, 2014, to serve 20 years and eight months in prison.

    Remberto Argueta, aka Pitufo, 26, of Lilburn, Georgia, was convicted of one count of RICO conspiracy involving murder, one count of VICAR involving murder and one firearms offense.  He was sentenced on Oct. 29, 2014, to serve two life sentences followed by five years in prison.

According to the evidence presented at trial, on April 13, 2007, Argueta, along with other gang members, attempted to rob Arpolonio Rios-Jarquin, who the defendants suspected was drug dealer.  After discovering that Rios-Jarquin was armed, Argueta and fellow MS-13 members engaged in a shootout with Rios-Jarquin, during which Rios-Jarquin was killed.

The trial evidence showed that, on Oct. 24, 2007, Argueta and several other MS-13 members shot at rival gang members, hitting one in the back and another in the hip and arm.

The evidence also demonstrated that, while at a nightclub in DeKalb County, Georgia, on July 20, 2008, Espinoza and other members of MS-13 engaged in a fight with persons they suspected were members of a rival gang.  During the fight, Espinoza shot a man in the stomach.

Just two days later, according to evidence introduced at trial, Espinoza and four other MS-13 members identified a victim to rob for beer money.  When the victim resisted, Espinoza shot him through the head.

On Oct. 7, 2014, a jury convicted the following defendant:

    Elio Marroquin-Lopez, aka Perico, 29, of Chamblee, Georgia, was convicted of one count of RICO conspiracy.  He was sentenced on Oct. 29, 2014, to serve seven years and two months in prison.

According to the evidence introduced at trial, on Dec. 15, 2008, Marroquin-Lopez, who was one of the gang leaders, and two other gang members shot at the owner of an apartment that the defendants were attempting to rob.

The trial evidence also showed that on March 13, 2009, Marroquin-Lopez fought two suspected gang members and shot at one of them.

Finally, the evidence at trial demonstrated that Marroquin-Lopez often distributed baggies of cocaine to fellow MS-13 members at meetings and instructed them to sell the cocaine at clubs.

The following defendants previously pleaded guilty and have been sentenced:

    Jose Delgado, aka Fantasma, 28, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy involving murder and two counts of VICAR involving murder, and was sentenced on July 31, 2015, to serve 12 years in prison.

    Alex Ferrufino, aka Whiskey, 35, Tucker, Georgia, pleaded guilty to two counts of VICAR involving attempted murder and one firearms offense, and was sentenced on Sept. 11, 2014, to serve 25 years in prison.

    Joseph Ivan Dias, aka Travieso, 27, of Gainesville, Georgia, pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy and was sentenced on April 1, 2015, to serve 14 years in prison.

    Miguel Guevara, aka Blacky, 31, of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy involving murder and a firearms offense, and was sentenced on Feb. 13, 2015, to serve 30 years in prison.

    Kenedis Bonilla, aka Mago, 33, of Tucker, pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy involving murder and a firearms offense, and was sentenced on June 13, 2015, to serve 15 years in prison.

    Salvador Franco, aka Smiley, 30, of Norcross, pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy and a firearms offense, and was sentenced on Sept.11, 2014, to serve 12 years in prison.

    Edwin Menjivar, aka Chilly Willy, aka Vago, 33, of Norcross, pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy and VICAR involving attempted murder, and was sentenced on Nov. 21, 2014, to serve 11 years in prison.

    Omar Cubillos, aka Pancho, 30, of Gainesville, pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy involving murder and a firearms offense, and was sentenced on June 15, 2015, to serve 20 years in prison.

    Carlos Mendoza, aka Catracho, 30, of Atlanta, pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy involving murder and a firearms offense, and was sentenced on April 30, 2015, to serve 17 years and six months in prison.

    Emmanual Hidalgo, aka Scooby, 29, of Chamblee, pleading guilty to RICO conspiracy involving murder and a firearms offense, and was sentenced on Nov. 21, 2014, to serve 25 years in prison.

    Christopher Castro Ramirez, aka Demente, 26, of Norcross, pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy and was sentenced on Nov. 1, 2012, to serve two years and six months in prison.

    Enzo Baires, aka Ghost, 25, of Norcross, pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy involving murder and was sentenced on May 11, 2015, to serve 12 years in prison.

    Irvin Mejia-Cruz, aka Lil Triste, aka Triste, 25, of Duluth, pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy and was sentenced on Feb. 13, 2015, to serve nine years in prison.

    Walter Aldana, aka Goofy, 25, of Norcross, pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy and was sentenced on Feb. 13, 2015, to serve 10 years in prison.

    William Pineda, aka Slayer, 32, of Lawrenceville, pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy and was sentenced on Dec. 11, 2014, to serve seven years in prison.

These cases were investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, the Gwinnett County, Georgia, Police Department, the DeKalb County Police Department, the Norcross Police Department, the Chamblee Police Department, and the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office.

These cases were prosecuted by Trial Attorney Joseph Wheatley of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul R. Jones and Kim S. Dammers of the Northern District of Georgia.

Former EPA Agent Sentenced for Making a False Statement in Connection with Pyramid Scheme

BOSTON – A Waterford, Conn. woman was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Connecticut yesterday in connection with her role in a pyramid scheme.

Annette Campe, 50, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Alvin W. Thompson in the District of Connecticut to one year of probation, a fine of $500, and ordered to pay $7,500 in restitution.

Campe was an 18-year veteran Special Agent with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in New Haven, Conn.  In December 2009, Campe joined the “Gifting Tables,” which was a four-level pyramid scheme.  Each level was named according to the courses of a dinner, starting with the “Appetizer” and progressing through the “Soup and Salad,” “Entree,” and “Dessert” levels.  A new participant would join the scheme at the bottom “Appetizer” row by paying $5,000 in cash to the participant in the top “Dessert” level.  Participants then moved up the pyramid as additional women were recruited to join.  Ultimately, after eight new participants had joined and paid a $5,000 “gift” to the woman occupying the “Dessert” level at the top of the pyramid, the so-called “Dessert” then left that Gifting Table, keeping the amassed $40,000.  By October 2011, Campe had reached the “Dessert” level when she received about $2,500 in cash from an individual who had recently joined at the bottom level.

As an EPA Special Agent, Campe was required each year to complete a financial disclosure report to disclose any gifts she received that totaled more than $350 from any one source or any income greater than $200 earned during that calendar year.  Despite receiving a $2,500 in cash (which she repaid at a later date), Campe intentionally concealed from the EPA the fact that she had received cash from the Gifting Table when she filed her annual financial disclosure report in January 2012.

United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and Christopher Gaffney, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of the Inspector General, made the announcement today.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Chao of Ortiz’s Public Corruption Unit.

11 Indicted on Federal Drug Charges in Meth Ring Roundup

Memphis, TN – Eleven people were indicted this week on conspiracy charges for their alleged roles in a methamphetamine distribution ring.

On Wednesday, July 29th, Johnnie Wilborn, Travis Huston, Fred Wilson, Dexter White, Patrice Lee, Brittany Huston, Deontoe Huston, Larry Cassidy Jr., Robert Earl Williams Jr., Phillip Sean Mosley, and Janice White were all indicted by a federal grand jury for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. Wilborn, Travis Huston, Dexter White, Brittany Huston, and Janice White were also indicted for conspiracy to launder drug proceeds.

The Memphis Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Division; Memphis Police Department Organized Crime Unit (OCU); West Memphis Narcotics Division; and the Federal Bureau ofInvestigation (FBI) conducted the investigation of the defendants.

Agencies who assisted the investigating agencies with arresting the defendants on Wednesday were the 25th Judicial District Drug Task Force; Germantown Police Department; Bartlett Police Department; and the United States Marshals Service.

Search warrants were executed on multiple residences identified during this investigation. During the roundup, officers seized:

• 4 assault rifles

• 1 shotgun

• 4 handguns

Those charged with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine include: Johnnie Wilborn, Travis Huston, Fred Wilson, Dexter White, and Patrice Lee. If convicted, they each face up to life in prison and up to a $10 million fine.

Those charged with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine include: Brittany Huston, Carlos Lewis, Deontoe Huston, Larry Cassidy Jr., Robert Earl Williams Jr., and Phillip Sean Mosley. If convicted, they each face up to 40 years imprisonment and up to a $5 million fine.

Wilborn, Travis Huston, Dexter White, Brittany Huston, and Janice White have also been charged with conspiracy to launder drug proceeds. If convicted for the offense, they each face up to 20 years imprisonment and up to a $500,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel French is representing the government in these cases.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.