A federal grand jury in Fresno, California returned a five-count indictment yesterday against 16 members and associates of La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott for the Eastern District of California announced.
The defendants are charged with assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering (two counts); conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana; and being an alien in possession of a firearm (two counts). The defendants are:
- Denis Barrera-Palma, 24, of Mendota, California, charged with assault with a dangerous weapon (a pipe) and drug conspiracy;
- Mario Alexander Garcia, 31, of Mendota, charged with drug conspiracy;
- Francisco Lizano, 24, of Mendota, charged with drug conspiracy and alien in possession of a firearm;
- Jefferson Guevara, 19, of Los Angeles, California, charged with drug conspiracy;
- Ever Membreno, 18, of Mendota, charged with drug conspiracy;
- Edgar Torres-Amador, 21, of Mendota, charged with assault with a dangerous weapon (a pipe);
- Lorenzo Amador, 20, of Mendota, charged with assault with a dangerous weapon (a stabbing instrument) and drug conspiracy;
- Jose Wilson Navarette-Mendez, 21, of Mendota, charged with drug conspiracy;
- Denis Alfaro-Torres, 22, of Mendota, charged with drug conspiracy;
- Santos Bonilla, 26, of Mendota, charged with drug conspiracy;
- Henry Bonilla, 18, of Mendota, charged with drug conspiracy;
- Marvin Villegas-Segovia, 21, of Mendota, charged with drug conspiracy;
- Christian Hidalgo, 21, of Mendota, charged with drug conspiracy;
- Brenda Yajaria Morales, 25 of Mendota, charged with drug conspiracy and alien in possession of a firearm;
- Claudia Lizaola, 39, of San Bernardino, California, charged with drug conspiracy; and
- Oscar Reyes, 29 of Mendota, charged with drug conspiracy.
According to the complaint and indictment, the defendants were allegedly members of MS-13 operating in Mendota and Los Angeles. MS-13 is a violent criminal street gang that engages in racketeering activity, including murder, kidnapping, extortion, and drug trafficking. Its members span the nation and are active internationally as well. The charges allege that in May 2018, Denis Barrera-Palma and Edgar Torres-Amador assaulted another individual with a dangerous weapon in furtherance of MS-13 and in order to gain entrance to, or maintain or increase their status within, MS-13. They further allege that in August 2018, Lorenzo Amador assaulted another individual with a dangerous weapon in furtherance of MS-13 and in order to gain entrance to, or maintain or increase his status within, MS-13. The charges also allege that all defendants, except Amador-Torres, engaged in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana.
These charges follow initial charges filed via complaint in August 2018, after which most of the defendants were arrested on Aug. 30. As set forth in the complaint, MS-13 allegedly engaged in street level drug sales to fund the gang’s various criminal activities. The gang allegedly would acquire drugs, parse them out among members with a directive that they sell the drugs within a certain period of time and return all proceeds to the gang. Those proceeds would then allegedly be used for a variety of purposes, including funding trips to obtain drugs or commit acts of violence, putting money on the books of incarcerated MS-13 members, sending money to MS-13 members in El Salvador, and obtaining more narcotics to sell. Among the alleged assaults gang members engaged in were the May 2018 pipe attack in front of an elementary school in Mendota and an Aug. 12 stabbing in Mendota. Both alleged events involved MS-13 members assaulting individuals believed to be members of a rival gang to MS-13.
