Juan Pablo Escalante-Melgar, et. al., Murder and Racketeering, New Jersey 2015

MS-13 Leaders Convicted of Murder and Racketeering in New Jersey

A federal jury in New Jersey has convicted three El Salvadoran nationals on Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) charges, including murder in aid of racketeering, stemming from their participation in Mara Salvatrucha, a violent international criminal racketeering enterprise commonly known as MS-13.

Juan Pablo Escalante-Melgar, aka Humilde, 32, Elmer Cruz-Diaz, aka Locote, 33, and Oscar Sanchez-Aguilar, aka Snappy, 25, participated in the affairs of MS-13 by committing multiple racketeering offenses, including murder, extortion, witness tampering, and drug trafficking.

The evidence presented at trial showed that in June or July 2015, Escalante-Melgar and Sanchez-Aguilar instructed an MS-13 member and an MS-13 recruit to kill a suspected rival gang member so that the MS-13 recruit could become a full member of MS-13.

On July 1, 2015, Jose Urias-Hernandez, then 19 years old, was shot and killed execution-style with a single shot to the back of his head as he entered his apartment building.

“These defendants brutally murdered Jose Urias-Hernandez because they believed he was a rival gang member, when he was actually an innocent victim,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

“MS-13 is a violent multinational criminal organization that engages in drug trafficking, intimidation, and the murder of witnesses, rival gang members, and – as happened here – innocent victims,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig for the District of New Jersey.

“This verdict demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to combat MS-13’s ruthless violence in America and internationally,” said Acting Assistant Director Jay Greenberg of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division.

MS-13 is a violent criminal gang founded in Los Angeles, California, and now active in El Salvador, Central America, and Mexico and numerous states across the United States, including New Jersey.

MS-13 is governed by a core set of rules, including a standing order to kill rival gang members and a strict rule against cooperating with law enforcement.

The three defendants will be held accountable for their actions and the harm caused to the victim’s family and the surrounding community.

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