A federal grand jury indicted four MS-13 members for attempted murder and several other charges Thursday after the thugs planned a gang killing in order to maintain their membership.
MS-13 requires potential members to commit acts of violence before being admitted to the gang, and once in, they are required to keep committing violent crimes and killing rivals, known as “chavalas,” at every opportunity, according to the Department of Justice. The Thursday indictment charges four men, Fermin Gomez-Jimenez, 20; Manuel Martinez-Aguilar, aka “El Lunatic” and “Zomb,” 19; Moises Alexis Reyes-Canales, aka “Sicopita,” 19; and Marlon Cruz-Flores, 22, all of Annapolis, Md.
The four men planned and attempted to kill two people in Annapolis. They are also charged with the use, carrying and possession of a firearm during and in relation to a violent crime, and conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering.
The indictments come barely a week after Attorney General Jeff Sessions declared the MS-13 gang a priority threat Oct. 23, giving federal agents new tools to combat the transnational cartel. (RELATED: 3,800 Gang Members Charged In Massive International Operation)
“Now they will go after MS-13 with a renewed vigor and a sharpened focus,” Sessions said. “Just like we took Al Capone off the streets with our tax laws, we will use whatever laws we have to get MS-13 off of our streets.”
“With more than 10,000 members across 40 states, MS-13 is one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in the United States today,” Sessions has said in the past. “MS-13 members have killed children and pregnant women, extorted immigrant-owned businesses, and trafficked underage girls to sell them for sex. President Trump has ordered the Department of Justice to reduce crime and take down transnational criminal organizations, and we will be relentless in our pursuit of these objectives. Today’s charges are our next step toward making this country safer by taking MS-13 off of our streets for good.”
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