MS-13 Gang Member In Hyattsville Gets 90 Months

GREENBELT, MD -- An MS-13 gang member who was residing in Hyattsville has been sentenced to 90 months in federal prison over gang-related crimes.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced in a statement Tuesday that 22-year-old Jeffrey Rodriguez, a citizen of El Salvador who had been living in Hyattsville, will get 90 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release due to his participation in the MS-13 gang. He will be deported following his sentence.

"As detailed in his plea agreement, Rodriguez admitted that from about August 2016, he was a member and associate of the Sailors clique of MS-13," the statement reads. "Rodriguez admitted that on August 9, 2016, he and other MS-13 members and associates planned and conspired to rob two individuals of a pound of marijuana, the sale of which would be used to benefit the Sailors clique."

On that date, Rodriguez and an MS-13 co-conspirator entered a vehicle occupied by two victims claiming that they were going to purchase a pound of marijuana from them, but they instead tried to rob them which led to a fight, the statement reads.

"Rodriguez and his co-conspirator became engaged in a violent struggle with the victims, who sustained serious injuries, including gunshot and stab wounds," the statement adds. "Rodriguez and his co-conspirator also sustained gunshot wounds. After being shot, Rodriguez and his co-conspirator ran from the victims’ vehicle, got into another vehicle in which another MS-13 member was waiting and drove to a local hospital, where Rodriguez was admitted for treatment."

The arrest is part of a larger crackdown on MS-13 by the DOJ.

"According to the plea agreement, MS-13 is a gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants of immigrants from El Salvador, with members operating in the State of Maryland, including Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, and Frederick County, and throughout the United States," the statement notes. "Branches or 'cliques' of MS-13 often work together cooperatively to engage in criminal activity and to assist one another in avoiding detection by law enforcement. MS-13 members and associates are required to commit acts of violence within the gang and against rival gangs. One of the principal rules of MS-13 is that its members must attack and kill rivals, known as 'chavalas,' whenever possible."

Image via Department of Justice