Daniel Flores-Ventura, MS-13 Murder, Maryland 2023

Baltimore, Maryland – In a harsh blow to the notorious MS-13 gang, Daniel Flores-Ventura, a.k.a. ‘Necio,’ 26, of Aspen Hill, Maryland, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for his involvement in a violent racketeering conspiracy, including a murder.

On July 16, 2015, Flores-Ventura and his co-conspirators lured Victim 1 from Maryland to Virginia, where they brutally murdered the victim in a wooded area in Woodbridge, Virginia. According to the plea agreement, the victim was killed to maintain or increase the status of MS-13 in the community and the status of the MS-13 members who participated in the murder.

The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur for the District of Maryland, along with other law enforcement officials. “This sentence reaffirms the message that the violence perpetrated by MS-13 members and associates will not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.

Flores-Ventura was a member and associate of the Uniones clique of MS-13 in Maryland and conspired with other MS-13 members and associates, including Vilas Sail Argueta-Bermudez, Wilians Ernesto Lovos-Ayala, and Michael Campos-Lemus, who were also members of the MS-13 Uniones and Molinos cliques.

The MS-13 gang is a violent and organized crime syndicate composed primarily of immigrants or descendants of immigrants from El Salvador, with members operating in the State of Maryland and throughout the United States. Members and associates of MS-13 are required to commit acts of violence within the gang and against rival gangs, and one of the principal rules of MS-13 is that its members must attack and kill rivals, known as “chavalas,” whenever possible.

“Gang members and their violent crimes have no room here in Maryland,” said HSI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge John Eisert. “This significant sentencing pulls one more of these dangerous operatives off of the streets and weakens the larger illicit organization, one member at a time.”

Flores-Ventura was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

Mandatory Facts: Defendant: Daniel Flores-Ventura; Exact Criminal Charges: Participation in a violent racketeering conspiracy, including a murder; City and State: Baltimore, Maryland; Exact Date: N/A; Sentence or Outcome: 30 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/pr/maryland-ms-13-member-sentenced-30-years-federal-prison-his-participation-violent