Miguel Zelaya, Murder in Aid of Racketeering, North Carolina 2016

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – In a shocking turn of events, two MS-13 gang members have been sentenced to life in prison for their roles in a gruesome murder in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Miguel Zelaya, 22, and Luis Ordonez-Vega, 37, were found guilty of conspiracy to participate in racketeering activity, murder in aid of racketeering, and other related charges.

Zelaya, a member of the “Coronados Little Cycos Salvatrucha” clique, was convicted of shooting and killing Jose Orlando Ibarra on December 18, 2013. Zelaya admitted to law enforcement that he shot Ibarra because he owed him money for a gun and because Ibarra and his brother were looking for one of Zelaya’s associates with a shotgun.

Ordonez-Vega, a self-admitted member of MS-13 from Nassau County, New York, was convicted of shooting and killing Noel Navarro Hernandez on June 6, 2013. Ordonez-Vega and other MS-13 members targeted Navarro because they believed he was a rival gang member due to the way he talked, wore red, and his haircut.

U.S. Attorney Jill Westmoreland Rose announced the life sentences, which were handed down by U.S. District Judge Robert J. Conrad, Jr. A third MS-13 gang member, Jorge Garcia, 27, of Charlotte, was also sentenced to 70 months in prison and two years of supervised release for his role in a RICO conspiracy and attempted murder in aid of racketeering charges.

The MS-13 gang, with over 6,000 members in the United States and 30,000 internationally, originated in Los Angeles, California, and has spread to states across the country, including North Carolina. The gang’s members are mostly immigrants or descendants of immigrants from El Salvador and other Central and Latin American countries.

The investigation into the MS-13 gang members was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina.

Related Federal Cases