Neris Moreno-Martinez, Kidnapping Conspiracy, Maryland 2019

A Maryland man has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for his role in a kidnapping conspiracy that resulted in the murder of a rival gang member.

Neris Moreno-Martinez, 22, of West New York, New Jersey, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis for his involvement in the kidnapping of Jordy Mejia.

According to court documents, Moreno-Martinez was a member of the L.A. clique of MS-13, a gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants of immigrants from El Salvador. Moreno-Martinez created a social media account in the name 'Shaila Smith' and posed as the person to trick Mejia into coming to Maryland, where he was murdered by Moreno-Martinez and his co-defendants.

Mejia was lured to a wooded area in Gaithersburg, Maryland, where he was killed. Moreno-Martinez, along with his co-defendants Jose Israel Melendez-Rivera and Reynaldo Granados-Vasquez, were involved in the kidnapping conspiracy.

Melendez-Rivera, 21, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for his role in the conspiracy. Granados-Vasquez, 23, of Gaithersburg, is scheduled to be sentenced on July 9, 2019.

MS-13 members are required to commit acts of violence to maintain membership and discipline within the gang. The gang's creed is based on the motto 'Mata, roba, viola, controla,' which translates to 'kill, steal, rape, control.'

The sentencing was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur, Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations, Acting Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department, and Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/pr/ms-13-associate-sentenced-30-years-federal-prison-kidnapping-conspiracy-connection-murder