MS-13 Member Convicted of Witness Assault, Cocaine Distribution
Nashville, TN – Gerson Serrano-Ramirez, a 31-year-old MS-13 gang member and illegal alien from El Salvador, was convicted today by a federal jury of using physical force to tamper with a witness, being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, and multiple counts of cocaine distribution, announced U.S. Attorney Don Cochran of the Middle District of Tennessee and Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski.
Serrano-Ramirez, aka Frijole, was indicted in August 2017 and convicted today on all counts after a 3-day jury trial in U.S. District Court in Nashville.
According to evidence and testimony presented at trial, in July 2017 Serrano-Ramirez and other MS-13 gang members were disrupting the normal operation and business of a local night club. An acquaintance asked Serrano-Ramirez to tone down their behavior, but he later invited the individual to his home in the Antioch, Tennessee area, where he assaulted him by pointing an assault rifle at him, strangling him with the rifle strap, spraying bleach into his eyes, and attempting to suffocate him by placing a plastic bag over his head.
Evidence introduced during the trial included video of the assault captured on an in-home security system at Serrano-Ramirez’ house and videos of him packaging and selling cocaine from the residence. The video was discovered and seized during the subsequent execution of a search warrant, which also turned up an AK-47 assault rifle, multiple rifle magazines, 582 rounds of ammunition, body armor, and a small amount of cocaine and marijuana.
Serrano-Ramirez faces a mandatory minimum sentence of at least 30 years, up to life in prison, when he is sentenced on January 28, 2019.
U.S. Attorney Cochran said, “The jury’s verdict will ensure that another violent criminal alien will be removed from our community for a very long period of time and he will have little, if any, chance of ever inflicting harm outside of his new home – a federal penitentiary.” Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski added, “MS-13 is one of the most violent and dangerous gangs in America, and the conduct that occurred in this case is further evidence of the gang’s ruthlessness.”
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations – Immigration & Customs Enforcement, and the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department Gang Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ahmed Safeeullah and Department of Justice Trial Attorney Matthew Hoff prosecuted the case.
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Key Facts
- State: Tennessee
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime|Weapons
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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