MS-13 Members Plead Guilty To 2018 Attack At Arlington Park

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Two MS-13 gang members pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to a December 2018 shooting and stabbing that took place in Four Mile Run Park along the border of Arlington and Alexandria, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Juan Francisco Rivera-Pineda, 25, and Jefferson Noe Amaya, 24, both of Alexandria, are members of Pinos Locos Salvatrucha, which is a clique of MS-13 that operates in the City of Alexandria and Arlington County, according to court documents.

Rivera-Pineda and Amaya shot and stabbed the victim on Dec. 30, 2018, in Four Mile Run Park. PLS had warned the victim's nephew that if they were going to sell drugs in PLS territory, they would need to pay rent, according to court documents. Rivera-Pineda, Amaya and another unidentified suspect confronted the victim in the park, stabbing him in the back and shooting him in the arm and throat, authorities said. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital where he was treated for his injuries.

On Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020, both Rivera-Pineda and Amaya pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering activity and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, according to the release. They will be sentenced on April 24, and face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum sentence of life in prison.