MS-13 Gang Members Convicted For Roles In Attempted Murders

NORTHERN VIRGINIA — A federal jury convicted four Northern Virginia men Thursday of drug distribution, racketeering and two attempted murders in Prince William County in 2019, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Roberto Cruz Moreno, 22, of Woodbridge, and Marvin Torres, 21, of Manassas, Kevin Perez Sandoval, 24, of Warrenton, and Jose Rosales Juarez, 27, of Manassas were found guilty.

According to court records and evidence presented during a three-week trial, Cruz Moreno and Torres were “chequeos,” or soldiers, in the Guanacos Lil Cycos clique of the MS-13 gang. Perez Sandoval was an “observacion,” or lower level soldier in the GLCS clique, and Rosales Juarez was a “paro,” or entry level member of the GLCS clique.

In March 2019, Cruz Moreno picked up three other GLCS gang members and a victim identified as E.P.A. and drove them to an isolated wooded area in Bristow, where one GLCS gang member shot the victim multiple times and another stabbed the person in the neck, according to evidence.

The person was shot and stabbed because GLCS gang members believed E.P.A. was disrespecting MS-13 and associating with a rival gang, the U.S. attorney’s office said Friday. The person survived the attack.

In April 2019, police officers in Fairfax County found Cruz Moreno in possession of the same firearm used to shoot E.P.A and several grams of packaged cocaine in his vehicle, along with three other GLCS gang members traveling with him in the vehicle.

In July 2019, Torres identified a victim, known as N.M.S., as a rival gang member in GLCS-controlled territory and provided photographs of N.M.S. to fellow gang members. On Aug. 3 and Aug. 4, 2019, Rosales Juarez surveilled N.M.S. at a restaurant in Manassas, and discussed plans to kill N.M.S. with GLCS’ First Word, or leader, Andy Tovar, 32, of White Post, the U.S. attorney’s office said.

Tovar is considered to be one of the highest-ranking MS-13 members in the United States. On Aug. 12, 2019, Tovar granted permission to conduct the killing of N.M.S., according to the U.S. attorney’s office.

That day, Perez Sandoval drove two members of MS-13 to retrieve a firearm, then back to N.M.S.’s location where they shot him. Perez Sandoval then drove the members from the scene of the shooting to Rosales Juarez’s residence.

Rosales Juarez provided Perez Sandoval a different car to drive and rented a hotel room for the two other GLCS gang members involved in the attempted murder of N.M.S., in order to hinder law enforcement detection of those involved.

Prior to this trial on Feb. 4, Tovar pleaded guilty to each of the crimes with which he was charged in an indictment, including engaging in conspiracies to murder a victim identified as M.R.G.

Tovar, Cruz Moreno and Perez Sandoval each face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum penalty of life in prison. Torres and Rosales Juarez each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties, the U.S. attorney's office said.

Tovar is scheduled to be sentenced on July 13, while Cruz Moreno, Perez Sandoval, Torres, and Rosales Juarez are scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 31.