Elvis Mauricio Maradiaga, a 23-year-old from Bladensburg, Maryland, has been sentenced to 108 months in federal prison for his involvement with the 18th Street gang. This marks the conclusion of an extensive investigation into the gang's criminal activities both locally and internationally.
In February 2023, a grand jury indicted 12 members of the gang on charges including racketeering conspiracy, murder, attempted murder, and kidnapping. Six of these individuals were tried in April and May 2024 before Judge Trevor N. McFadden and received life sentences after being found guilty by a jury on nearly all counts. Five others pleaded guilty and received prison terms ranging from eight to forty years.
U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., along with FBI Special Agent Sean Ryan, ICE Deputy Director Russ Hott, and MPD Chief Pamela Smith announced these sentences. "The sentencing of these violent criminals should send a clear message: transnational gangs like 18th Street have no place in our communities," said U.S. Attorney Martin Jr.
The gang operates across Central and South America as well as within parts of the United States including Washington D.C., Virginia, and Maryland. Its criminal activities include murder, kidnapping, assault, robbery, witness intimidation, firearms trafficking, and narcotics trafficking.
Court documents reveal that violence is integral to maintaining or increasing status within the gang. Members are required to commit violent acts against rivals or those suspected of cooperating with law enforcement while also engaging in narcotics sales to support their operations financially.
The investigation into the gang began in 2019 focusing on its activities within the D.C metropolitan area resulting in multiple arrests followed by guilty pleas or convictions at trial by May 2024.
A final defendant connected to this case is Milton Benjamin Guevara-Villatoro who was extradited from El Salvador pending trial related to incidents at Petworth Metro Station in September 2019 and another involving Carlos Ramos Martinez’s murder.
This prosecution falls under an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) initiative aimed at dismantling high-level drug traffickers alongside other criminal organizations threatening U.S security through collaborative efforts among various law enforcement agencies such as Northern Virginia Safe Streets Task Force; Department Homeland Security's Immigration Customs Enforcement - Enforcement Removal Operations; U.S Marshals Service; Metropolitan Police Department (MPD); Montgomery County Police Department among others providing assistance throughout proceedings led by Assistant U.S Attorneys Jack F Korba Will Hart Sitara Witanachchi former Assistants Gilead Light Christopher Marin handling prosecution duties accordingly throughout entire process effectively achieving desired outcomes ultimately leading successful closure ongoing investigations ensuring public safety remains top priority moving forward indefinitely regardless circumstances encountered future endeavors alike without exception whatsoever period
