Delgado Sentencing Caps Prosecution of 22 MS-13 Members after Three Trials

ATLANTA – Jose Delgado, a/k/a Fantasma, the last of twenty-two Mara Salvatrucha-13 (MS-13) gang members charged with murder, attempted murder and armed robbery, has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison.  All defendants were members of the violent street gang which operated in Gwinnett County and DeKalb County, Georgia, and they will all be serving their sentences in federal prison.

“MS-13 is a ruthless street gang that used violence to spread fear through Gwinnett, DeKalb and Fulton Counties,” said Acting U.S. Attorney John Horn. “The 8-year federal investigation identified and convicted the local leadership of the gang and dismantled the membership of a brutal and merciless criminal enterprise in the Atlanta region.  While the gang preyed mostly on other rival gang members, this case demonstrates the tragic violence that harmed innocent citizens when the gang’s activities spilled out into the community.”

According to Acting U.S. Attorney Horn, the charges and other information presented in court: MS-13 is an international criminal gang that was operating in the Atlanta area since at least 2005 and up until the grand jury issued its indictment in February 2010. Almost all of the members came from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. During that time, MS-13 staked out areas within Gwinnett and DeKalb Counties as its territory.

MS-13 gang members held meetings where they discussed attacking and killing gang members, collected dues, shared firearms, and disciplined members who broke gang rules. Dues money was used to buy additional weapons and to post bond for gang members in jail. Gang leaders would keep MS-13 leaders in their home countries informed of gang activity, and they would often send back a portion of dues as “rent.”

The following defendants were convicted by a jury on July 15, 2013:

• Miguel Alvarado-Linares, a/k/a 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 October 15, 2013, to three life sentences to be followed by 85 years.

• Ernesto Escobar, a/k/a Pink Panther, a/k/a Flaco, 32, of Norcross, 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 December 20, 2013, to two life sentences to be followed by 10 years.

• Dimas Alfaro-Granados, a/k/a 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 October 30, 2013, to three life sentences to be followed by 35 years.

• Jairo Reyna-Ozuna, a/k/a Flaco, 30, of Norcross, Georgia, was convicted of one count of RICO conspiracy and one firearms offense. He was sentenced on January 31, 2014, to 13 years in prison.

The evidence at trial showed that 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. Additionally, 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. On Christmas Eve 2006, that gang member, following orders, shot at a car on I-85 that he believed contained rival gang members. The passenger, Angel Gonzalez, was murdered.  He was 20 years old.

On New Year’s Eve 2006, Alvarado-Linares was at an apartment complex where he exchanged insults with two members of a rival gang.  Alvarado-Linares pulled out a gun and shot the men. On August 5, 2007, Escobar got into a scuffle with two teenagers at a Shell gas station in Gwinnett County.  Escobar reported the incident to Reyna-Ozuna, who was the gang leader at the time. Reyna-Ozuna gave Escobar a .45 caliber semi‑automatic handgun to retaliate. Escobar went back to the Shell station and shot one of the teenagers as he was painting lines in the parking lot.  The victim, David Hernandez, was only 16 years old.

A jury convicted the following defendants on November 21, 2013:

• William Espinoza, a/k/a Cheberria, a/k/a El Crazy, 33, of Norcross, Georgia, 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 20 years, eight months in prison.

• Remberto Argueta, a/k/a 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 October 29, 2014, to two life sentences to be followed by five years.

The evidence presented at their trial showed that on April 13, 2007, Argueta, along with other gang members, planned to rob Arpolonio Rios-Jarquin, a suspected drug dealer, at a hotel in DeKalb County. When Rios-Jarquin turned out to have his own gun, Argueta and his fellow MS-13 members engaged in a shootout that resulted in the murder of Rios-Jarquin. Six months later, on October 24, 2007, Argueta and several other MS-13 members were at an apartment complex in Gwinnett County when Argueta spotted suspected rival gang members. He approached them and asked them who they “claimed” – that is, what gang they belonged to. When one of them responded that he and his friend were members of a rival gang, Argueta pulled out a handgun and started chasing and shooting at them. He shot one in the back and the other in the hip and arm.

On July 20, 2008, Espinoza and other members of MS-13 were at a nightclub in DeKalb County when a fight broke out with suspected members of a rival gang. Espinoza went out to the parking lot and retrieved a .380 handgun from a car. He approached the club entrance and shot Jayro Arango-Sanchez in the stomach. Just two days later, Espinoza and four other MS-13 members drove to an apartment complex in Gwinnett County to look for pedestrians to rob. After spotting a victim, Espinoza and another gang member got out of their SUV and approached the victim, Aurelio Vasquez. Espinoza put his .380 handgun to Vasquez’s head while the other MS-13 member started to search Vasquez’s pockets for money. Vasquez resisted being robbed, so Espinoza shot him through the head. Espinoza and his fellow gang members wanted to rob Vasquez to get money for beer.

A jury convicted the following defendant on October 7, 2014:

• Elio Marroquin-Lopez, a/k/a Perico, 29, of Chamblee, Georgia, was convicted of one count of RICO conspiracy. He was sentenced on October 29, 2014, to seven years, two months in prison.

The evidence at his trial showed that on December 15, 2008, Marroquin-Lopez and two other gang members broke into an apartment to rob it. When the owner returned, one of the gang members shot at him. On March 13, 2009, Marroquin-Lopez got into a fight with two suspected rival gang members and shot at one of them. Marroquin-Lopez, who was one of the gang leaders, often gave out baggies of cocaine to fellow MS-13 members at meetings and instructed them to sell the cocaine at clubs.

The following defendants entered guilty pleas and have been sentenced:

• Jose Delgado, a/k/a Fantasma, 28, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, was sentenced on July 31, 2015, to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to RICO conspiracy involving murder and two counts of VICAR involving murder.

• Alex Ferrufino, a/k/a Whiskey, 35, Tucker, Georgia, was sentenced on September 11, 2014, to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of VICAR involving attempted murder and one firearms offense.

• Joseph Ivan Dias, a/k/a Travieso, 27, of Gainesville, Georgia, was sentenced on April 1, 2015, to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to RICO conspiracy.

• Miguel Guevara, a/k/a Blacky, 31, of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., was sentenced on February 13, 2015, to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to RICO conspiracy involving murder and a firearms offense.

• Kenedis Bonilla, a/k/a Mago, 33, of Tucker, Georgia, was sentenced on June 13, 2015, to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to RICO conspiracy involving murder and a firearms offense.

• Salvador Franco, a/k/a Smiley, 30, of Norcross, Georgia, was sentenced on September 11, 2014, to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to RICO conspiracy and a firearms offense.

• Edwin Menjivar, a/k/a Chilly Willy, a/k/a Vago, 33, of Norcross, Georgia, was sentenced on November 21, 2014, to 11 years in prison after pleading guilty to RICO conspiracy and VICAR involving attempted murder.

• Omar Cubillos, a/k/a Pancho, 30, of Gainesville, Georgia, was sentenced on June 15, 2015, to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to RICO conspiracy involving murder and a firearms offense.

• Carlos Mendoza, a/k/a Catracho, 30, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced on April 30, 2105, to 17 years, 6 months in prison after pleading guilty to RICO conspiracy involving murder and a firearms offense.

• Emmanual Hidalgo, a/k/a Scooby, 29, of Chamblee, Georgia, was sentenced on November 21, 2014, to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to RICO conspiracy involving murder and a firearms offense.

• Christopher Castro Ramirez, a/k/a Demente, 26, of Norcross, Georgia, was sentenced on November 1, 2012, to two years, six months in prison after pleading guilty to RICO conspiracy.

• Enzo Baires, a/k/a Ghost, 25, of Norcross, Georgia, was sentenced on May 11, 2015, to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to RICO conspiracy involving murder.

• Irvin Mejia-Cruz, a/k/a Lil Triste, a/k/a Triste, 25, of Duluth, Georgia, was sentenced on February 13, 2015, to nine years in prison after pleading guilty to RICO conspiracy.

• Walter Aldana, a/k/a Goofy, 25, of Norcross, Georgia, was sentenced on February 13, 2015, after pleading guilty to RICO conspiracy.

• William Pineda, a/k/a Slayer, 32, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, was sentenced on December 11, 2104, to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to RICO conspiracy.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, Gwinnett County Police Department, DeKalb County Police Department, Norcross Police Department, Chamblee Police Department, and the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Paul R. Jones and Kim S. Dammers and Department of Justice Organized Crime and Gang Section Trial Attorney Joseph Wheatley.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the home page for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia Atlanta Division is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.