MS-13 Gang Members Face Life In Prison After Being Convicted By A Federal Jury

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — Three members of La Mara Salvatrucha – a transnational criminal enterprise also known as MS-13 – have been convicted by a federal jury in the District of Maryland for racketeering conspiracy.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, between August 2018 and April 2019, Jose Domingo Ordonez-Zometa, aka Felon, 33, of Landover Hills; Jose Rafael Ortega-Ayala, aka Impaciente, 30, of Greenbelt; and Jose Henry Hernandez-Garcia, aka Paciente, 29, of Annandale, Virginia, participated in the MS-13 criminal enterprise by engaging in acts of violence, including murder, the destruction of evidence and witness tampering, among other crimes. The criminal acts were committed by gang members to increase MS-13’s power in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, including Maryland and Virginia, according to court documents.

Ordonez-Zometa, Ortega-Ayala and Hernandez-Garvia were members and associates of the Los Ghettos Criminales Salvatruchas (LGCS or Ghettos) clique of MS-13 and Ordonez-Zometa was the leader of the LCGS clique.

On March 8, 2019, Ordonez-Zometa called a meeting of the LCGS clique at his house to discuss clique matters, including recent contacts that an LCGS clique member (victim 1) had with the police. During the meeting, Ordonez-Zometa questioned victim 1 about his/her cooperation with police, according to court documents.

During the questioning, the defendants and at least one other MS-13 member assaulted victim 1 based on their incorrect suspicions that victim 1 was cooperating with law enforcement, court documents indicated. They also assaulted another MS-13 member who attempted to defend victim 1. The assault culminated with Ordonez-Zometa, as LGCS clique leader, ordering that victim 1 be killed. Ortega-Ayala, Hernandez-Garcia, and other MS-13 members then stabbed and murdered victim 1 in Ordonez-Zometa’s basement, court documents showed.

According to trial testimony, after the murder, Ordonez-Zometa ordered Ortega-Ayala, Hernandez-Garcia and other LCGS clique members and co-conspirators to conceal and destroy evidence of the murder. Ortega-Ayala and other MS-13 members transported victim 1’s body to a secluded location in Stafford County, Virginia, set the victim’s body on fire and then destroyed and concealed evidence of the murder from the vehicle used to transport the victim. Ordonez-Zometa, Hernandez-Garcia and another MS-13 member stayed at the crime scene and attempted to remove, destroy and conceal evidence of the murder, including the blood of victim 1.

Ordonez-Zometa, Ortega-Ayala and Hernandez-Garcia were convicted of racketeering and murder in aid of racketeering conspiracies, committing murder in aid of racketeering and conspiracy to destroy and conceal evidence connected to their participation in MS-13. They each face a mandatory sentence of life in prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.