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Thirteen Alleged Members of MS-13 Gang Indicted on Racketeering Conspiracy Charges



WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Thirteen alleged members
of the street gang called La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, have been indicted
by a federal grand jury in the Middle District of Tennessee on charges that
they conspired to participate in a violent RICO enterprise responsible for
killings and other violent crimes in Nashville, Assistant Attorney General
Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Craig S. Morford
for the Middle District of Tennessee announced today.
The one-count racketeering indictment names the following 13
individuals, all of whom are currently in federal or state custody:
* OSCAR SERRANO, a/k/a "Diablin"
* ESCOLASTICO SERRANO, a/k/a "Chito"
* OMAR HIRBIN GOMEZ, a/k/a "Lil Homie"
* DAVID ALEXANDER GONZALEZ, a/k/a "Psycho"
* ERNESTO ISAI MENDEZ-TOVAR, a/k/a "Joker," a/k/a "Choey"
* FRANCISCO DAGO MENDEZ, a/k/a "Silent"
* WALTER HERNANDEZ, a/k/a "Spanky"
* HENRY GARBALLO-VASQUEZ, a/k/a "Cuervo"
* ELISEO IGLESIAS, a/k/a "Smokey"
* RONALD FUENTES, a/k/a "Spia"
* ERICKA CORTEZ, a/k/a "Shorty"
* GEOVANNI PENA, a/k/a "Rata," and
* JOSE ALFARO, a/k/a "Liche."
"This indictment strikes at the heart of the MS-13 organization in
Nashville, and continues our efforts to put members of gangs all across the
nation on notice that they will be held responsible for the violence and
mayhem they cause," said Assistant Attorney General Fisher. "We will
utilize the same tools we used to put Mafia leaders behind prison bars to
confront the threat posed by violent criminal enterprises like the MS-13."
"The facts alleged in this indictment reveal that MS-13 is a well-
organized and extremely violent criminal enterprise that required an
aggressive, cooperative response from local and federal authorities," said
U.S. Attorney Morford. "The indictment reflects the commitment of the
Department of Justice and my office to continue to work with all law
enforcement partners to ensure that those who engage in violent street gang
activities in Middle Tennessee go to jail and do so on the most serious
charges possible."
U.S. Attorney Morford praised the cooperative partnership and
outstanding efforts of the Nashville Metropolitan Police Department's Gang
Suppression Unit, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
(ATF), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the Department of
Homeland Security, the Davidson County District Attorney General's Office,
the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Middle District of Tennessee, and the
Department of Justice's newly formed National Gang Squad.
The indictment alleges that the defendants were members or associates
of the MS-13 street gang, a violent international criminal organization
composed primarily of immigrants or descendants of immigrants from El
Salvador. The purpose of this enterprise was to preserve and protect the
power, territory and profits of the MS-13 enterprise through violent
assault, murder, threats of violence, and intimidation.
The indictment further alleges that MS-13 originated in Los Angeles and
quickly spread across the country, including to Middle Tennessee. It
currently includes approximately 10,000 members in at least 10 states,
Mexico, Honduras and El Salvador, making it one of the largest street gangs
in the United States.
MS-13 gang members regularly engage in violent criminal activity,
including murders, assaults, and witness intimidation in order to maintain
membership and discipline within MS-13 and rivalries against other gangs,
according to the indictment. The violent nature of the enterprise and its
members is reflected by one of their mottos: "Mata, Viola, Controla"
("Kill, Rape, Control").
The indictment further alleges that MS-13 was organized in "cliques,"
including the Thompson Place Locos Salvatruchos clique (TPLS), which
operated in Nashville. The TPLS and other cliques allegedly worked together
cooperatively to commit acts of violence and their members operated under
the umbrella rules of MS-13.
According to the indictment, MS-13 members met on a regular basis to
report on acts of violence committed by their members with the goal of
inciting and encouraging even more violence. Leaders of MS-13 cliques from
across the United States allegedly met to discuss gang rules, gang
business, problem resolution, and issues involving members of different
cliques, and to promote overall unity between MS-13 gang members. Members
had to pay dues which were used to support MS-13 gang members imprisoned in
various places within the United States, including Middle Tennessee, as
well as those in El Salvador.
The indictment further alleges that Nashville-based MS-13 members and
associates killed three people, attempted to kill at least seven others,
and plotted to shoot or kill several more during 2006 in Nashville.
If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of life in prison
on the RICO conspiracy charge.
An indictment is merely an accusation and the defendants are presumed
innocent until proven guilty at trial beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jimmie Lynn
Ramsaur of the Middle District of Tennessee and Department of Justice Trial
Attorneys David Jaffe and John Han from the Criminal Division's Gang Squad.
Assistance was provided by agents and prosecutors from the National Gang
Targeting, Enforcement and Coordination Center (GangTECC). GangTECC is led
by the Criminal Division, and is comprised of representatives from the ATF,
Bureau of Prisons, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, the U.S.
Marshals Service and ICE, among others. The center coordinates overlapping
investigations, ensures that tactical and strategic intelligence is shared
between law enforcement agencies, and serves as a central coordinating
center for multi-jurisdictional gang investigations involving federal law
enforcement agencies.