SAN FRANCISCO — Jaime Balam, a 27-year-old Mexican national and admitted MS-13 gang member, was sentenced today to 330 months in federal prison for a violent crime spree that culminated in a cold-blooded, random shooting dead of an innocent man in Daly City. Balam, also known as “Tweety,” pleaded guilty on August 16, 2016, to conspiracy to commit murder, racketeering, and illegal use and possession of firearms. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge William H. Alsup, marks a hard blow against the transnational gang’s grip on Bay Area streets.
Balam admitted to participating in a coordinated “hunt” for rival gang members across San Francisco and Daly City on February 19, 2009. Riding in a stolen vehicle with other MS-13 members, Balam targeted a parked car near the Daly City BART station. Without hesitation, he and another gang member opened fire from behind, killing one man and critically wounding two others. According to court documents, the victims were not gang members — just four friends out for dinner and drinks on what should have been an ordinary Thursday night.
Since 2008, Balam operated as a committed soldier in La Mara Salvatrucha, a brutal criminal enterprise with branches across Central America and the United States. His plea agreement details how he conspired to further the gang’s criminal agenda through a pattern of racketeering that included murder, attempted murder, and violent retaliation. Advancing within MS-13, Balam acknowledged, required killing perceived enemies — whether confirmed or not.
Indicted on August 21, 2012, Balam faced a litany of federal charges: racketeering conspiracy (18 U.S.C. § 1962(d)), conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering (18 U.S.C. § 1959(a)(5)), three counts of attempted murder in aid of racketeering, firearm use during a crime of violence (18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)), and illegal possession of a firearm as an undocumented alien (18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(5)). He was extradited from Mexico in February 2015 to face justice. Ultimately, he pleaded guilty to all charges except one count of murder in aid of racketeering.
In addition to his 27-year-plus prison term, Judge Alsup ordered five years of supervised release and mandated $21,650 in restitution to the father of the slain victim. The sentence underscores the federal government’s ongoing crackdown on violent transnational gangs operating on U.S. soil. Officials emphasized that no act of senseless violence, especially one targeting innocents, would go unanswered.
The prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Scoble, with support from Lance Libatique and Kevin Costello. The case was the result of a joint investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the San Francisco Police Department, and the Daly City Police Department — agencies that continue to dismantle the infrastructure of organized street terror one conviction at a time.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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