Texas Mexican Mafia Members, RICO, VICAR, Texas 2023
Fourteen members of the Texas Mexican Mafia, including leader Jesus Lopez (aka “Worst Ever”), are in custody today charged with violating the Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organization (RICO) Act to include alleged acts of murder, extortion, and drug trafficking in the Eagle Pass area.
A five-count federal grand jury indictment, returned on Wednesday and unsealed today, charges all 14 defendants with one count of conspiracy violate the RICO Act. Jesus Lopez, Anselmo Flores, Francisco Hernandez, Hector Martinez, and Esteban Munoz are also charged with two counts of Violent Crime in Aid of Racketeering. Raul Herrera and Reynaldo Vivian are each charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
The indictment alleges that Flores, under the direction of Lopez and others, stabbed and murdered Eagle Pass resident Angel Cantu on January 22, 2011, while other TMM members stood guard with weapons. TMM members provided Flores with money to leave town after the murder to deflect law enforcement attention from the criminal enterprise.
The indictment also alleges that all 14 defendants conspired in the distribution of narcotics as well as the extortion of cocaine distributors in Eagle Pass since 2009. According to the indictment, proceeds from the distribution and extortion were transferred to the San Antonio branch of the TMM.
Hernandez, Lopez, Flores, Martinez, and Munoz face a mandatory life in prison sentence upon conviction of violent crime in aid of racketeering. Those five defendants, along with Herrera, face up to life in federal prison upon conviction of the RICO Conspiracy charge. The other eight defendants face up to 20 years in federal prison upon conviction of the RICO Conspiracy charge.
Beginning last night and continuing this morning, federal, state, and local authorities arrested Michael Eric Cantu, Esteban Munoz, and Reynaldo Vivian in Eagle Pass; Claudio Salinas in Del Rio; and, Anselmo Flores near Bismarck, ND. The remaining defendants were already in custody prior to today.
Name: Jesus Lopez (aka “Worst Ever”), Age: 35, Residence: Eagle Pass
Defendant Name: Jesus Lopez (aka “Worst Ever”), Crime: RICO, VICAR, State: Texas, Year: 2023
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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