Key facts
- Three men, Jose Luis Reynaldo Reyes-Castillo, David Arturo Perez-Manchame, and Joel Vargas-Escobar, were convicted of murder and racketeering.
- Prosecutors alleged the men were members of the MS-13 gang.
- The convictions stem from a case involving nine killings in Las Vegas and Los Angeles between 2017 and 2018.
- The defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison without parole.
- A fourth co-defendant, Alexander De Jesus Figueroa-Torres, accepted a plea deal before the trial.
A jury in Nevada has convicted three men, identified by prosecutors as members of the MS-13 gang, on charges including murder and racketeering. The convictions are tied to a series of nine killings that occurred in Las Vegas and Los Angeles between 2017 and 2018. The trial lasted 43 days, during which prosecutors presented evidence of the defendants' involvement in violent crimes, including assault, kidnapping, robbery, and narcotics trafficking.
Jose Luis Reynaldo Reyes-Castillo, David Arturo Perez-Manchame, and Joel Vargas-Escobar were found guilty of multiple charges. They face a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison without parole. A fourth individual, Alexander De Jesus Figueroa-Torres, had been charged but entered into a plea agreement prior to the trial. The jury did not reach guilty verdicts on two other alleged killings.
FBI Director Kash Patel stated that the conviction represents a significant step in the administration's efforts to combat violent gangs, emphasizing the FBI's commitment to dismantling such organizations across the country. Prosecutors detailed the brutality of the crimes, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Melanee Smith describing extensive injuries to victims, including gunshot wounds, stab wounds, and choppings. Defense attorneys argued that cooperating witnesses, who testified in exchange for potential sentence reductions, lacked credibility and that their clients were either no longer associated with the gang or not directly involved in the charged offenses.
MS-13, formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1980s by Salvadoran immigrants, has a history of extreme violence and extortion and has expanded its presence in the U.S. and Central America. The sentencing hearing for the convicted men is scheduled for November 10.