Eight MS-13 gang members guilty of racketeering conspiracy linked to Houston murders: 'Killed victims with machetes, baseball bats'

Eight members of the transnational criminal gang Mara Salvatrucha, commonly known as MS-13, have pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a violent racketeering conspiracy that left multiple people dead and terrorized Houston communities. The defendants admitted to carrying out gruesome murders, witness intimidation, and other crimes as part of a years-long gang operation directed by MS-13 leaders in El Salvador.

According to plea agreements, Walter Antonio Chicas-Garcia, 28, Wilson Jose Ventura-Mejia, 29, and Miguel Angel Aguilar-Ochoa, 40, each face 50 years in federal prison. Marlon Miranda-Moran, 26, will serve 35 years. All four are Salvadoran nationals who were living unlawfully in Houston at the time of their crimes.

Four other MS-13 members: Luis Ernesto Carbajal-Peraza, 33, Edgardo Martinez-Rodriguez, 35, Carlos Alexi Garcia-Gongora, 27, and Wilman Rivas-Guido, 29, pleaded guilty last month. They face terms ranging from 40 to 50 years.

Sentencing hearings for all eight defendants are expected to take place later this year.

Court records reveal the defendants carried out murders using machetes, baseball bats, and strangulation, sometimes mutilating the victims before sending photographs of their bodies to MS-13 leaders in El Salvador. In some cases, high-ranking gang bosses even listened in by phone as murders were committed.

Victims were often chosen because they were suspected rival gang members, accused of cooperating with police, or believed to be undermining MS-13’s grip on the Houston area. Prosecutors said the murders were designed to elevate the killers’ standing within the gang and maintain MS-13’s reputation for ruthless violence.

“These defendants carried out brutal murders in the name of MS-13, killing victims with machetes, baseball bats, and their bare hands, and then sending photos of the victims’ bodies to MS-13 leaders in El Salvador,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti. “Today’s guilty pleas send a powerful message that the Justice Department will aggressively pursue and hold accountable MS-13 members who use violence and murder to terrorize our communities.”

The multi-agency investigation involved the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Houston Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety, and several other state and local law enforcement partners. Prosecutors from the Justice Department’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas are handling the case.

The prosecutions fall under Operation Take Back America; a Justice Department initiative aimed at dismantling transnational gangs, drug cartels, and other criminal organizations threatening US communities. Officials say the initiative combines federal, state, and local resources to eliminate violent networks and restore public safety.