Two MS-13 Leaders Found Guilty in D.C. Of Racketeering Including Murder
Monday, October 5, 2026
WASHINGTON – Two members of MS-13, a violent transnational criminal organization, were found guilty on Friday in U.S. District Court for conspiring to participate in racketeering activity, including murder and other charges stemming from their roles in killings and drug trafficking in the Washington, D.C. area, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
“These two MS-13 leaders ran a violent criminal enterprise fueled by murder, violence, and drug trafficking,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “One of these defendants even ordered hits from inside a prison in El Salvador. By the time these criminals get out of prison, they’ll be too old to think about murder and mayhem.”
Moises Humberto Rivera-Luna, 56, of El Salvador, and Tokiro Rodas-Ramirez, 44, a dual citizen of Honduras and El Salvador, had been extradited to the United States to face these charges. Rivera-Luna was found guilty of RICO conspiracy, including murder and drug trafficking. Rodas-Ramirez was found guilty of RICO conspiracy, including murder and drug trafficking, as well as discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
Joining U.S. Attorney Pirro in the announcement of the verdict were Homeland Security Investigations Washington, D.C. Acting Special Agent in Charge Kai Wah Chan, and Interim Chief Jeffery W. Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.
“This conviction marks the conclusion of a long, arduous journey towards justice. Rivera-Luna and Rodas-Ramirez have finally been found guilty of running a violent enterprise that committed horrific crimes in our communities. From murder to drug trafficking, their chapter of MS-13 terrorized innocent residents throughout the District. HSI special agents and our law enforcement partners used their skills, resources, and authorities to work to bring them to justice,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Kai Wah Chan of Homeland Security Investigations Washington, D.C.. “HSI leverages our international footprint to dismantle transnational criminal organizations at home and abroad to keep our communities safe.”
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, MS-13 operates in the United States and Central America. The gang engages in racketeering activity, including murder, narcotics distribution, extortion, robberies, obstruction of justice, and other crimes. The gang has numerous rules. The primary rules are (1) kill rival gang members on sight, and (2) do not cooperate with law enforcement.
Rivera-Luna, aka “Viejo Santos,” was an MS-13 leader in prison in El Salvador. From prison, Rivera-Luna directed the activities of the Normandies, an MS-13 clique that operated in El Salvador and the Washington, D.C. area. Members of the Normandie clique would collect money through membership dues, extortion of legitimate and illegitimate businesses, and narcotics distribution to purchase guns and other weapons for the gang and to support imprisoned leaders and members, including Rivera-Luna.
While he was in prison, Rivera-Luna authorized kill orders on two MS-13 members for breaking MS-13 rules. At Rivera-Luna’s direction, MS-13 members stabbed to death Victim 1 on Nov. 6, 2008, in Northwest Washington, D.C. MS-13 members stabbed Victim 1 at least 20 times. Rivera-Luna also ordered the slaying of a second victim. On March 31, 2010, Victim 2 was found shot to death at a park in Montgomery County, Maryland, after he brought a knife to an MS-13 meeting, which was a violation of MS-13’s rules.
The government’s evidence demonstrated that Rodas-Ramirez, aka “Perverso,” was the second-in-command of the Normandie clique in the Washington metropolitan area. Rodas-Ramirez participated in a murder and assault involving suspected rival gang members. On April 7, 2008, Rodas-Ramirez was driving his vehicle in the D.C. area with other MS-13 members, when they saw a suspected rival gang member. Rodas-Ramirez stopped his vehicle while another MS-13 member exited and shot Victim 3 multiple times. A Metropolitan Police Officer happened to be near the shooting and was able to respond immediately and provide care to Victim 3, who survived.
On July 29, 2008, about three months later, Rodas-Ramirez and other MS-13 members found another suspected rival gang member, Victim 4, at an apartment complex in Riverdale, Maryland. They believed Victim 4 was a member of a rival gang that threatened Rodas-Ramirez’s girlfriend’s sister. MS-13 members followed Victim 4, who was riding a bicycle, and shot him multiple times; Victim 4 died of his injuries.
Rodas-Ramirez was arrested on March 18, 2022 and extradited from Honduras on Aug. 12, 2022. Rivera-Luna was arrested pursuant to the extradition request on Aug. 28, 2022. Because he was serving a prison sentence in Guatamala at the time, Rivera-Luna was extradited on March 4, 2025.
Rivera-Luna, who was convicted of RICO conspiracy, is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 7, 2027.
Rodas-Ramirez, who was convicted of RICO conspiracy, assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime, is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 7, 2027.
A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was investigated by HSI-Washington D.C. and the MPD. Assistance was provided by the Montgomery County and the Prince George’s County, Maryland, Police Departments, the Police Departments of Fairfax and Herndon Counties in Virginia, the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. The Governments of Guatemala and Honduras provided critical assistance.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nihar Mohanty of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section and Mark Levy of the Federal Major Crimes Section in the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the arrests and extraditions of Rivera-Luna and Rodas-Ramirez from Guatemala and Honduras, respectively.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion.
The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children.
The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Washington D.C. comprises agents and officers from numerous federal agencies with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
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