The seven defendants connected to MS-13, a notorious transnational criminal organization, have been sentenced for a double murder that occurred in January 2022, according to a statement from Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, Abe McGlothin, Jr. The group faced charges for orchestrating a violent attack that resulted in two deaths and led to a nationwide lockdown of the federal prison system.
Juan Carlos Rivas-Moreiera, a leader of MS-13, received a life sentence in federal prison for orchestrating the attack on rival gang members. Another gang member, Hector Ramires, was sentenced to 360 months in prison. The offenses by the group, which included murder and attempted murder of rivals, led to a week-long lockdown across the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
"This case illustrates the danger posed, both in and out of prison, by MS-13, a foreign terrorist organization," said McGlothin, Jr. "These sentences should serve as a warning for any foreign terrorist organizations that the Eastern District of Texas U.S. Attorney’s office, along with our law enforcement partners, will use all available resources to disrupt and dismantle their terrorist network."
FBOP Director William K. Marshall III condemned the gang's violent actions, stating, “This heinous attack, which claimed two lives and endangered countless others, demanded a swift and decisive response. The life sentences handed down send an unmistakable message: we will relentlessly pursue and dismantle those who sow chaos and violence within our facilities."
FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams emphasized the brutal nature of the attack, noting, "This was no ordinary attack—it was one of the most violent prison executions in Texas history that triggered a nationwide lockdown of federal inmates and exposed the arrogance of MS-13 leaders."
MS-13, a gang with origins in Los Angeles, California, has extended its reach internationally with significant operations in various countries and across the United States, including in Texas, California, and New York. In February of this year, the U.S. Department of State classified MS-13 as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
The coordinated effort to prosecute this case was supported by the Eastern District of Texas and the Joint Task Force Vulcan. It also aligned with Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration and transnational criminal activities.
Additional sentences were imposed on co-defendants Larry Navarete, Jorge Parada, Raul Landaverde-Giron, Sergio Sibrian, and Dimas Alfaro-Granados, all members of MS-13, for their respective roles in the 2022 attack.
The prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph R. Batte, along with Joint Task Force Vulcan co-directors Christopher A. Eason and Jacob Warren, involving investigations by the FBI and FBOP.
