Md. MS-13 Gang Member Sentenced To 24 Years For Racketeering
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- A 20-year-old member of the MS-13 gang was sentenced Monday to 24 years in prison for conspiring to participate in a racketeering enterprise and for firing a gun while committing a crime in connection with gang activities.
The U.S. Department of Justice said Manuel Martinez-Aguilar, also known as "El Lunatic" and "Zomb," admitted in a plea agreement to taking part in a racketeering conspiracy including assaults, murder, attempted murder, robbery and drug trafficking prior to 2015 and continuing through 2017.
In the plea agreement, Martinez-Aguilar admitted to attempting to kill two people, including an unlicensed cab driver believed to be a member of a rival gang, in order to gain entrance to and enhance his standing in the gang.
The cab driver and another victim survived the attack, which involved machetes, knives, and guns, but both have permanent life injuries.
Martinez-Aguilar was also sentenced to five years of supervised release.
Co-defendant David Diaz-Alvarado, 20, pleaded guilty to murder in aid of racketeering in connection with a March 2016 murder.
Four other co-defendants are being detained pending a trial; charges against them are pending.