Three leaders of a violent gang were sentenced Tuesday for their roles in murders, extortion and other gang crimes, according to the Department of Justice.
Noe "Gallo" Machado-Erazo, 32, of Wheaton, Maryland, and Jose "Crimen" Martinez-Amaya, 28, of Brentwood, Maryland,were sentenced to life in prison plus 10 years. Yester "Freeway/ Daddy Yankee" Ayala, 24, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
The men were members of MS-13.
The men were indicted in 2010 for criminal acts committed between 2008 and 2010 in D.C., Maryland, Virginia and other locations, including El Salvador. The three men were part of a larger group charged with violent crimes and gang activities. In all, twelve defendants have pleaded guilty to charges in the case.
According to the Department of Justice, MS-13 is an international gang with a strong, violent presence in D.C. Members of the group, which operates in the United States and Central America, engage in murder, narcotics distribution, extortion, robberies, obstruction of justice and other crimes.
Local MS-13 members were tied to multiple murders, including the brutal stabbing death of 14-year-old Giovanni Sanchez in 2008 and the murder of Louis Alberto Membreno-Zelaya, a fellow MS-13 member who had removed his gang tattoos. Sanchez was stabbed 11 times; Membreno-Zelaya was stabbed at least 20 times. Two of the men in sentenced Tuesday were also tied to a 2010 Montgomery County shooting that killed Felipe Enriquez, another MS-13 member.
“The lengthy sentences imposed on the MS-13 leaders convicted in this case reflect the vicious and calculated nature of the murders they committed and the gang they led,” Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said.
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During their 2013 trial, Machado-Erazo and Martinez-Amaya were found guilty of conspiracy to participate in racketeering activity, murder in aid of racketeering and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. Ayala was found guilty of conspiracy to participate in racketeering activity, two counts of murder in aid of racketeering, first-degree premeditated murder and second-degree murder.
Two of the men sentenced held leadership positions in separate cliques of MS-13.
