MS-13 Members Sentenced to Decades in Prison for Brutal Murders Committed at Direction of Gang Leaders in El Salvador

Eight illegal aliens and members of the violent transnational criminal organization Mara Salvatrucha, commonly known as MS-13, have been sentenced for participating in a racketeering conspiracy that included witness tampering and multiple murders of individuals as young as 14. “These defendants, acting on behalf of a transnational criminal gang, carried out brutal murders, killing victims with machetes, baseball bats, and their bare hands, and then glorifying their violent acts by sending photos of their carnage to MS-13 leaders in El Salvador,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Department commends the brave law enforcement officers and those who came forward to help law enforcement to resolve these cases. The lengthy sentences imposed send an unmistakable message that MS-13 and its accompanying violence are not welcome in the United States. The Criminal Division will relentlessly pursue MS-13 and hold those accountable who bring MS-13 violence to American communities.” “This case centers on when MS-13 violence was at its peak in Houston. These gang members are among the most ruthless and violent criminals we’ve seen. They made our communities their killing fields,” said Special Agent in Charge Jason Hudson of the FBI Houston Field Office. “Today’s hefty sentences should send a message to other violent terrorist organizations that the rule of law and justice will eventually catch up to you. This investigation, and today’s sentences, would not have been possible if it weren’t for our partnerships with the Houston Police Department, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, and our law enforcement partners in El Salvador.” Edgardo Martinez-Rodriguez also known as Largo, 35, was sentenced to 50 years in prison and Wilman Rivas-Guido also known as Inquieto, 30, was sentenced to 45 years in prison. Six other MS-13 members have been sentenced to lengthy terms of imprisonment in connection with this case: Miguel Angel Aguilar-Ochoa also known as Darki, 40, Wilson Jose Ventura-Mejia also known as Discreto, 30, and Walter Chicas-Garcia, 28, each received 50-year sentences. Marlon Miranda Moran, 26, was ordered to serve 35 years in prison, while Luis Ernesto Carbajal-Peraza, 34, and Carlos Garcia-Gongora, 28, were ordered to serve 45 years in prison. All have been and will remain in custody. All are El Salvadoran nationals illegally present in the United States. They previously pleaded guilty, admitting to being members of MS-13 and participating in a criminal enterprise responsible for murders, extortion, drug trafficking, robbery and obstruction of justice in and around the Houston area from 2017 through 2018. In February 2025, the U.S. State Department designated MS-13 as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. MS-13 engages in violent criminal activity across the United States, including in Texas, Virginia, Maryland, New York and California, and throughout the countries where it operates, such as El Salvador and Honduras. MS-13 routinely uses intimidation and violence, including murder and assault with deadly weapons like machetes, baseball bats, firearms, and ligature strangulation, all to maintain power, reputation and territory. According to court documents and statements made in court, Martinez-Rodriguez and Rivas-Guido, who were sentenced today after admitting to involvement in murder ordered and approved by high-ranking MS-13 leaders in El Salvador, who at times monitored executions by phone. Members carried out the murders to increase or maintain rank within the gang and targeted individuals believed to be rival gang members, law enforcement cooperators or people working against MS-13’s interests. After the murders, members sent photos of the victims’ bodies to leadership in El Salvador as proof of the executions and in an effort to rise in rank, sometimes further mutilating or dismembering the bodies before sending the photos. Martinez-Rodriguez was a high-ranking leader in the conspiracy and initiated numerous murders ordered and approved by MS-13 leaders in El Salvador.