Three members of the MS-13 gang received prison sentences following their involvement in violent criminal activities, including murder, as announced by Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. The individuals were sentenced in federal court in Charlotte, N.C.
Christian Alejandro Garcia Santa Cruz, also known as "Crimen," 32, from El Salvador, and Aderly Jose Veliz-Ronquillo, known as "Chanchin," 30, from Guatemala, were sentenced to 35 years in prison. They were charged with using a firearm during a crime of violence resulting in the 2022 murder of W.G.M. outside a Charlotte nightclub. Meanwhile, Luis Fernando Guardardo Moreno, known as "Fantasma" and "Scrappy," 24, from El Salvador, received a 20-year sentence plus three years of supervised release for racketeering conspiracy.
Two more members of MS-13, Fredy Mauricio Buruca, or "Piranha," "Machete," "Insoportable," 27, and Santos Guillermo Ramirez Mancia, also known as "Azazel," "Timido," "Johnny," 33, both from El Salvador, admitted to racketeering conspiracy and await sentencing. Juan Francisco Sanchez Estrada, known as "Nene" and "Turbo," 31, also from El Salvador, pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy. He will be sentenced in the Middle District of North Carolina after consolidating his federal cases.
"MS-13 is one of the most violent and dangerous criminal gangs operating in the United States," said U.S. Attorney Ferguson. "But we are fighting back. This case has dismantled the local MS-13 clique, and we’re not done."
FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert M. DeWitt stated, "Today’s prison sentences should make it clear to MS-13 members and their associates, violence and senseless murder will not be tolerated in North Carolina."
Court documents revealed that from December 2018 to November 2022, the defendants were part of the Hollywood Locos Salvatrucha Clique (HLS), a subgroup of MS-13 operating in multiple areas of North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. They engaged in a pattern of racketeering involving murder, kidnapping, extortion, robbery, and drug trafficking, sanctioned by MS-13 leadership.
On November 6, 2022, a confrontation occurred at a Charlotte nightclub, during which Mancia and other MS-13 members engaged in an altercation with several men. During this incident, W.G.M. was shot and fatally wounded by Santa Cruz and Veliz-Ronquillo. The government argued that this act highlighted their commitment to MS-13 and their quest to advance their status within the gang.
U.S. Attorney Ferguson commended multiple law enforcement agencies for their support and assistance in the case. Prosecutors Erik Lindahl and David Kelly from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte are handling the case.
The case forms part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation, aimed at dismantling top-level criminal organizations in the U.S.
