Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced El Salvadorian national Miguel Angel Corea Diaz, a/k/a ‘Reaper,’ age 41, of Long Branch, New Jersey, to life in prison for conspiring to participate in La Mara Salvatrucha, a transnational criminal enterprise also known as MS-13 and for conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering and murder in aid of racketeering.
A federal jury convicted Corea Diaz of those charges on November 23, 2021, after a four-week trial.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Criminal Division; Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly; Assistant Director in Charge Steven M. D’Antuono, of the FBI Washington Field Office; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore Office; Administrator Anne Milgram of the Drug Enforcement Administration; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Bedford County (VA) Sheriff Michael W. Miller.
"The brutality of Corea Diaz is almost unfathomable. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to remove these violent gang members to keep our communities safe from the violence perpetrated by MS-13," said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron. "With the help of members of our communities we will work to bring to justice those MS-13 members who commit these horrible crimes."
"Miguel Angel Corea Diaz, also known as Reaper, reported directly to the gang’s top leadership in El Salvador and was responsible for implementing MS-13’s program of violence and intimidation on the East Coast," said Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly. "In 2017, our office, working with dedicated members of the Drug Enforcement Administration, began an investigation into illicit narcotics, which were being trafficked and distributed on Long Island. That investigation quickly mushroomed as we learned more about MS-13 and the reign of terror being directed by Corea Diaz. Working with more than 20 agencies, we disrupted MS-13 operations on the East Coast. I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland, the FBI, and our countless partners who helped bring Corea Diaz to justice."
"As members of MS-13, Corea Diaz and his co-conspirators were ruthless and showed no regard for human life by extorting innocent people, tampering with witnesses, and ordering a murder over a drug dispute," said Steven M. D’Antuono, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office. "With today’s sentence, Corea Diaz will no longer be able to commit senseless violence and homicidal acts on our streets. The FBI remains steadfast in our resolve to work with our partners to ensure that individuals like Corea Diaz are held accountable for their crimes and to eliminate MS-13’s violence from our communities."
MS-13 is a transnational gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants from El Salvador. Branches or ‘cliques’ of MS-13, one of the largest street gangs in the United States, operate throughout Maryland, including Frederick County, Anne Arundel County, Prince George’s County, and Montgomery County.
Related Federal Cases
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- Alvarado-Requeno and Diaz, Racketeering, Maryland 2024 · Washington
- Gregory George Branch, Armed Commercial and Bank Robberies, MD, 2023 · New Mexico
- John Doe, Assaulting Law Enforcement, Virginia 2021 · Washington
Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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