24 MS-13 Gang Members Indicted For Murder, Drug Sales: DOJ

BALTIMORE, MD — A federal grand jury charged 21 alleged MS-13 gang members with racketeering in four Maryland counties, while two others are accused of conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, and one other reputed gang member is charged with money laundering conspiracy. Two of the defendants were arrested in Montgomery County for their alleged involvement in a brutal stabbing of a man whose body was found in Wheaton Regional Park in September.

Montgomery County Police arrested Miguel Lopez Abrego in November and Albaro Rosa Moreno in December for the murder of a man at Wheaton Regional Park. The unknown victim's body was found in a grave in Wheaton Regional Park Sept. 5. There was trauma to the body and the Medical Examiner's office in Baltimore ruled the manner of death a homicide by sharp force injuries. Police said the victim was stabbed over 100 times.

Abrego and Moreno were among the two dozen defendants charged with conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise in the indictment recently unsealed in the U.S. District Court in Baltimore.

The six-count indictment alleges that from 2015 and continuing through 2017, MS-13 members and associates engaged in racketeering activity that included murders, conspiracies to commit murder, attempted murders, extortion, robbery, kidnapping, drug trafficking and money laundering, prosecutors said.

“We will not allow MS-13 and its members or their affiliates to bring their nefarious and deadly activities into our neighborhoods,” Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of the FBI said in a statement. “I am proud of the dedicated agents who have duly executed their duties in our collective pursuit of law, order and justice.”

SEE ALSO:

• MS-13 Gang Members Charged In Wheaton Park Murder
• MS-13 Gang Member Charged In Wheaton Regional Park Murder
• Police Release Photos To Help Identify Man Found Dead In Wheaton Park
• Police Seek Identity Of Man Found Dead In Wheaton Park
• 2 Bodies Found In Montgomery County Parks Within A Day: Police

The indictment says the defendants allegedly murdered five people in Frederick, Anne Arundel and Montgomery Counties. Three of the victims were dismembered, prosecutors said.

"In addition, the defendants allegedly conspired to murder eight individuals, maiming and assaulting one of the individuals with a machete, shooting one individual in the head, and kidnapping and threatening another individual with a firearm to extract payment for extortion," the indictment said.

Those charged in the indictment are:

• Jorge Raul Guerra Castillo, a/k/a “Pelon,” age 36
• Carlos Hernandez Diaz, a/k/a “Positivo,” age 25
• Milton Portillo Rodriguez, a/k/a “Little Gangster,” and “Seco,” age 23
• Juan Carlos Sandoval Rodriguez, a/k/a “Picaro,” age 19
• Francisco Ramirez Pena, a/k/a “Tepo,” and “Advertencia,” age 24
• Jose Alberto Sibrian Garcia, a/k/a “Chango,” age 26
• Darwin Arias Mejia, a/k/a “City,” and “City Boy,” age 25
• Miguel Lopez Abrego, a/k/a “Timido,” age 30
• Albaro Rosa Moreno, a/k/a “Slow,” age 23
• Ervin Arrue Figureoa, a/k/a “Tricky,” age 19
• Ronald Mendez Sosa, age 20
• Edwin Ruiz Urrutia, a/k/a “Sylvestre,” age 19
• Brenda Argueta Argueta, a/k/a “Prima,” age 19
• Carlos Ventura Morales, a/k/a “Pantaya,” age 30
• Danny Hernandez Solorzano, a/k/a “Titre,” age 20

The names of six other defendants charged in the racketeering conspiracy remain sealed.

“MS-13 is ravaging communities throughout the United States with brutal violence, recruiting children to their murderous ranks, destroying families, and leaving behind countless victims,” Acting Assistant Attorney General Cronan said in a statement. “This indictment — which charges two dozen alleged MS-13 members with senseless acts of violence — is the latest example of the Department of Justice’s unwavering commitment to combatting violent gangs that prey on communities, whether in Maryland or elsewhere in our country.”

The maximum sentence for the racketeering conspiracy is 20 years in prison, or up to life if special circumstances are proven; a maximum of 10 years in prison for conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering; and a maximum of 20 years in prison for money laundering conspiracy.

(Photos of Moreno and Abrego via MCPD)