MS-13 Member Gets 160 Months in Prison
An MS-13 gang member was sentenced to 160 months in prison and three years of supervised release for conspiring and attempting to murder on behalf of the gang, the U.S. Justice Department said in a statement Thursday.
Celvin Eulice Ramos-Meija, aka “Cadejo,” 21, of Columbia was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte of the District of Maryland, the statement said. Ramos-Mejia previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering and attempted murder in aid of racketeering, it said.
Ramos-Mejia was charged in relation to events that occurred on June 6, 2016, the Justice Department said. He and other members and associates of MS-13 approached a victim in Greenbelt.
Ramos-Mejia admitted that he made an MS-13 sign in the face of the victim, and that he and his co-conspirators then began to attack the victim, the statement says. According to the plea agreement, the victim survived the attack, but suffered multiple stab wounds and injuries, including lacerations to his abdomen, liver and diaphragm. The victim was hospitalized for 10 days as a result of the attack, according to the statement.
The Justice Department describes MS-13 as an international gang primarily comprising immigrants or descendants of immigrants from El Salvador. Branches or “cliques” of MS-13 operate throughout the United States, including in Montgomery, Prince George’s and Frederick counties.
Members engage in murder, extortion, robberies, obstruction of justice and other crimes, the Justice Department says. MS-13 members 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, the Justice Department says.
According to his plea agreement, Ramos-Mejia admitted that for the purpose of maintaining and increasing his position in MS-13, he conspired with other MS-13 members to murder a victim that he and his co-conspirators had identified as a “chavala.”
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