A Lee U.S. Penitentiary inmate identified as a MS-13 gang member has pleaded guilty to conspiring to murder another prisoner at the high-security facility for male prisoners, making him the fifth person charged in the case to enter a guilty plea.
Carlos Alfredo Almonte, a.k.a. “Rabioso,” 31, recently pleaded guilty to charges that include conspiracy to commit murder, attempt to commit murder, assault of an inmate with a dangerous weapon and possession of a weapon by an inmate.
Almonte joins Julio Angel Chavez, Angel Moreno Guevara, German Arquimedez and Moris Alex Flores in admitting their roles in the deadly attack where the victim suffered multiple stab wounds.
According to a U.S. Department of Justice news release, Chavez, Guevara and Hernandez all entered their pleas in January, while Flores did so in June of 2021.
“To guarantee the civil rights of federal prisoners, they must be able to serve their sentences in environments that are safe and humane and without the fear of violence,” said U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh. “My office will continue to prioritize the prosecution of violent crimes that occur against those in federal custody, especially at USP-Lee. I am grateful to the efforts of the FBI and the Federal Bureau of Prisons for their work on bringing these five, violent offenders to justice.”
Court documents show all five of the men convicted in the case are members of the international crime gang MS-13 and came together on January 15, 2020, to attack a rival Mexican Mafia gang member known as A.Z.
In court filings, prosecutors asserted that Flores and Guevara attacked A.Z. in his cell with metal shanks while Almonte, Chavez and Hernandez blocked the cell door and fought off other inmates who attempted to interfere with the attack.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Prisons investigated the case
