Jorge Flores, RICO Conspiracy, Tennessee 2021

Three notorious MS-13 gang members were convicted of RICO conspiracy and violent crime conspiracy in a federal court in Tennessee.

Jorge Flores, 30, also known as Peluche, Kevin Tidwell, 29, also known as Miklo, and Jose Pineda-Caceres, 24, also known as Demente, were found guilty of committing heinous crimes, including murder in aid of racketeering, attempted murder in aid of racketeering, drug trafficking, and destruction of evidence.

The three defendants, who were members of the La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, gang, were part of a larger conspiracy that spanned from 2014 to 2021. MS-13 is a national and transnational gang composed largely of individuals of Salvadoran or Central American descent.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, the defendants were part of a clique of MS-13 members who operated in Nashville, Tennessee. They were required to follow the gang’s rules, which included the prohibition of cooperating with law enforcement and the punishment of death for anyone who assisted the police.

The defendants committed numerous crimes, including the murder of a victim on April 6, 2016, in an attempt to gain entrance into MS-13. Pineda-Caceres also murdered another victim on July 31, 2016, and was involved in the murder of three more victims, including one on May 21, 2017, and another on May 27, 2017.

The three defendants will be sentenced at a later date and each face a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison. Their conviction is a significant blow to the MS-13 gang and a testament to the dedication of law enforcement agencies in Tennessee who worked tirelessly to bring them to justice.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Thomas J. Jaworski for the Middle District of Tennessee, and Special Agent in Charge Marcus Watson of the ATF Nashville Field Division commended the efforts of the law enforcement agencies involved in the case.

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