MS-13 Gang Member Sentenced For Kidnapping, Attempted Murder
BALTIMORE (WJZ)-- A member of the MS-13 gang was sentenced Friday to more than 16 years in federal prison for participating in a kidnapping and attempted murder, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
David Ernesto Nolasco Soriano, 29, will serve 16 years and eight months, followed by three years of supervised release for a federal racketeering conspiracy charge in the sentence handed down by Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar.
Nolasco Soriano was a member and associate of the FLS clique of MS-13. Members of the Fulton clique engaged in the distribution of marijuana on behalf of MS-13 in Maryland for at least eight months in 2015, according to a statement from the DOJ. Members of this clique also allegedly extorted money from legitimate and illegitimate businesses.
In May 2015, clique members began demanding payments from a victim, but when the victim stopped making the payments, Nolasco Soriano and other MS-13 members kidnapped the victim, prosecutors said.
While Nolasco Soriano was present, another clique member pulled a gun and put the barrel in the victim's mouth, according to the statement. The victim was released after agreeing to resume making payments to the clique.
In August 2015, Nolasco Soriano planned with other MS-13 members to kill another victim believed to be in a rival gang, prosecutors said. They staked out the victim's apartment where he lived with his girlfriend, then entered the apartment and waited for the victims to return on Aug. 28, 2015. When they did, Nolasco Soriano and two other gang members attacked the victims with knives and machetes, prosecutors said. Both victims survived, but the man's hands were nearly severed, and he suffered several wounds to the face and torso. He still cannot use one hand and has only limited use of the other.
Twenty-nine defendants have been charged in this case with participating in a racketeering conspiracy or other crimes related to their association with MS-13, including 18 defendants charged in the fifth superseding indictment filed on October 21, 2019, according to the statement. Twenty-one defendants, including Nolasco Soriano, have pleaded guilty to crimes related to their participation in MS-13 gang activities.
MS-13 members in this conspiracy were expected to protect the gang's name, reputation and status from rival gang members and others by any means necessary. Its mottos include "mata, viola, controla," which translates as, "kill, rape, control," and "ver, oir y callar," which means, "see nothing, hear nothing and say nothing."
Anyone with information about MS-13 is encouraged to call the FBI's nationwide tipline, 1-866-STP-MS13 (1-866-787-6713). The FBI tipline allows individuals to provide information about MS-13's criminal activities to a central location. The FBI will then contact the appropriate law enforcement authorities for investigation. Your identity will be protected.