Mara Salvatruch, or MS-13 is one of the largest gangs in the United States.
Six members, most in their 20s, were convicted by a federal jury on Tuesday Augist 30, 2011 of racketeering (RICO) conspiracy and murder
conspiracy. The conviction was a result of a 5 month intense trial.
The racketeering included murders, attempted murders, assaults, drug dealing, and extortion.
Three of the six were also found guilty of being involved in three gang related murders sin San Francisco in 2008.
Sentencing is scheduled for November 30th. The racketeering conspiracy conviction carry severe sentencing of up to life in prison and the murder conviction carry a mandatory life in prison sentence.
The prosecutors could have imposed a federal death penalty for the murders but chose not to do so.
These are some very serious convictions that the Federal government does not take lightly. RICO charges, murder charges, conspiracy charges all have severe and harsh penalties that may result in life term prison sentences.
At Hedding Law Firm, our
Los Angeles Defense Attorneys are here to be your advocates if you are facing any type of federal offense. We have a combined 75 years of experience and we are very knowledgeable when it comes to the Federal system and how the prosecutors work and think.
If you are facing federal criminal charges, do not hesitate, and contact our federal
lawyers in L.A. and set up a free face to face case evaluation.
***MS-13 History:
MS-13 first originated in El Salvador and Southern California and now is one of the largest gangs in California. MS-13 has more than 150,000 members all around the world. The founding members of MS 13 were children of immigrants fleeing the then war torn country of El Salvador.
Their identifying gang is the Surenos, who are identified by the color blue, and their principal rivals are the Nortenos, identified by the color red.
Once a member is brought in to the gang, they are in for life. They cannot act without the boss's consent, they cannot kill without reason, cannot talk to the police, and cannot skip gang meetings. MS-13 has no tolerance for gang members who drop out.
Ms-13 is one of the most violent, dangerous gangs in the United States - and one of the most organized. The MS-13 gang has cliques, or factions, located throughout the United States.