Latest news with #MS13
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Yahoo
Appeals court upholds convictions of three in brutal MS-13 slaying in Prince George's
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Ned Oliver/Virginia Mercury) A federal appeals court upheld the murder and racketeering convictions of three members of the international gang MS-13 for their role in the brutal 2019 killing of a 16-year-old in Prince George's County. A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected claims by Jose Domingo Ordonez-Zometa, Jose Henry Hernandez-Garcia and Jose Rafael Ortega-Ayala that evidence against them was improperly obtained by police and should have been suppressed. The court's Tuesday ruling also rejected Hernandez-Garcia's claim that he should have been granted a new trial. The three men were convicted after an eight-day jury trial in U.S. District Court for Maryland, and each given life sentences in 2023. Two of the defense attorneys could not be reached for comment Friday, while a third declined comment. Attorneys for the government also could not be reached for comment. Court document say the case began on the night of March 8, 2019, when Ordonez-Zometa, the leader of 'Los Ghettos Criminales Salvatruchas,' a branch of MS-13 in Maryland, summoned several members of the 'clique' to his home in Hyattsville. He suspected that two gang members, both juveniles, were cooperating with police — something punishable only by death, under the gang's rules. When they arrived, Ordonez-Zometa began interrogating the two members on whether they had cooperated with law enforcement, which they denied. 'In fact, neither of the youths had cooperated with law enforcement,' Circuit Judge Robert B. King wrote for the court. 'Instead, both had recent and brief interactions with police after running away from their homes.' But convinced that one of the two had talked to police, and after speaking by phone with a senior MS-13 member in El Salvador, Ordonez-Zometa began to assault the 16-year-old, identified in court documents only as 'John Doe,' beating him and cutting his face. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Eventually, Ordonez-Zometa had the teen brought to the basement, where he ordered Hernandez-Garcia, Ortega-Ayala and other gang members not named in the case to use 'the glove' — a three-bladed weapon that can be affixed to the hand — to attack the teen while another gang member filmed on his cell phone. Each gang member took part in what King called the 'brutal and horrific' attack. The teen suffered 144 wounds and 'died from those injuries in Ordonez-Zometa's basement, at just 16 years of age,' King wrote. Ordonez-Zometa directed Hernandez-Garcia and another gang member to clean the murder scene and dispose of blood-stained carpeting. The teen's body was shoved in the trunk of Ordonez-Zometa's wife's Nissan Altima, which Ortega-Ayala and two others drove to Stafford County, Virginia, where they dumped the body and set it alight using gasoline. When a Stafford County Sheriff's deputy discovered the burning remains, the body was unidentifiable. But police were able to circulate a photo of a tattoo on the teen's body that the boy's mother identified as her son's. She gave police the names of others who were with her son before his death, which eventually led to the three defendants. By March 13, Stafford County officials had provided Prince George's County police with a photo of Ordonez-Zometa and advised them to be on the lookout for a gold Nissan with a black hood. When police saw Ordonez-Zometa come out of his Hyattsville house and get into the Nissan, they pulled it over for failing to signal a turn, then arrested him. Ordonez-Zometa argued at trial that police did not have probable cause to stop the Nissan. But U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis disagreed and allowed the evidence, and the appeals court upheld that decision Tuesday. Officers 'watched a man who matched the photograph of Ordonez-Zometa leave a residence suspected to be the murder scene, get into a car matching the description of one tied to the Doe murder, and drive away,' King wrote. 'That was certainly enough to justify the traffic stop.' Even though he waived his Miranda rights, Ordonez-Zometa also argued that statements he made during his initial interrogation were involuntary, and given due to 'coercive interrogation tactics.' He said he was worried about family members, who were in the car with him but being held in a separate room, and about a detective's statement that his silence could be used against him in court. The trial court called the detective's statement 'unfortunate and plainly incorrect.' But the courts found that none of those factors 'overbore' the defendant's will to make a statement, which was thus voluntary and admissible. 'Neither uncomfortable circumstances nor a misstep by law enforcement will render a statement involuntary,' King wrote. Even if it was, he said, the weight of other evidence presented by the state would have been enough to convict Ordonez-Zometa without his statements. 'Two former gang members confirmed that he ordered the killing of John Doe, arranged its logistics, directed others to dispose of Doe's body, and oversaw the cleanup,' King wrote. 'Moreover, forensic evidence from the Nissan vehicle corroborated key aspects of those witnesses' accounts. The trial evidence thus provided the jury with ample grounds for conviction, entirely apart from the contested statements.' Ortega-Ayala argued that search warrants for his Facebook account, home and cell phone were overly broad, but the appellate judges said the warrants were 'particularized and specific.' As for Hernandez-Garcia's appeal of Xinis' decision to deny him a new trial, King wrote that there was no 'serious miscarriage of justice' that would merit a new trial.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
U.S. Marshals arrest 117 fugitives wanted for violent crimes in 9 Mass. cities
U.S. Marshals arrested 117 fugitives wanted for violent crimes in nine Massachusetts cities during a two-month, targeted operation this spring, the U.S. Marshals Service announced Monday. Over the course of 45 days between March 31 and May 30, the service's Fugitive Task Force arrested suspects accused of crimes such as homicide, sex offenses, felonious assault and felonious drug and gun possession as part of 'Operation Spring Cleaning,' the Marshals Service said in a press release. The operation was focused on apprehending fugitives in Brockton, Holyoke, Haverhill, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, New Bedford, Springfield and Worcester, the Marshals Service said. These cities were selected based on a U.S. Department of Justice initiative that identified them as 'high crime areas.' One goal of Operation Spring Cleaning was to target suspects with ties to drug trafficking and transnational criminal organizations, the Marshals Service said. One of the fugitives who was arrested was an MS-13 gang member who was wanted out of Worcester Superior Court on charges of murder and carrying a loaded firearm without a license. The fugitive was arrested on May 30 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, after evading authorities for nearly a year, the Marshals Service said. He was not identified by name in the press release. Murder suspect who fled the U.S. after 2022 Lawrence shooting faces charges Man pointed Airsoft gun at a woman in Duxbury Beach, made threats, police say Funeral arrangements announced for Roxbury man killed in shooting Southwick mother admits to abusing her child, sentenced to 18 months in jail Brookline Kosher grocery store window smashed with 'Free Palestine' brick Read the original article on MassLive.
Fox News
14-06-2025
- Fox News
Returned illegal Abrego Garcia pleads not guilty; judge yet to rule on pretrial custody
After nearly six hours of testimony Friday, accused human trafficker Kilmar Abrego Garcia is no closer to learning whether he can be released from custody pending his federal trial in Nashville. The pretrial hearing began with Abrego Garcia, an alleged MS-13 member charged with the trafficking of undocumented migrants and conspiring with others to do so, pleading not guilty. Garcia's legal team told U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes Friday it had time to review the indictment and that Garcia understood what he is accused of before he formally entered the plea, which stems from a 2022 traffic stop. The federal criminal case against Abrego Garcia comes after a high-profile, protracted legal fight over his deportation and the Trump administration's efforts to delay his return to the U.S., even after the Supreme Court ordered the administration to "facilitate" his release. Abrego Garcia sat silently during the proceedings, wearing a red jumpsuit with an orange undershirt, his gaze mostly concentrated on the prosecution and a window in the courtroom. Abrego Garcia's mother, brother and wife were present in court, as were members of the nonprofit Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), which was helping with some translations for the family and providing moral support. During the hearing, the prosecution brought forward Special Agent Peter Joseph, who told prosecutors he was first assigned to Abrego Garcia's case in April 2025, when Abrego Garcia was still detained in El Salvador. Since then, Joseph said, he has reviewed footage from Abrego Garcia's 2022 traffic stop, which has emerged as the basis of the human smuggling charges. At the time, Joseph told prosecutors, Abrego Garcia had been driving a vehicle with nine passengers and was pulled over while traveling from St. Louis to Maryland with an expired license. Six of the nine passengers in the vehicle have since been identified as being in the country illegally, Joseph said, adding one passenger in the van told officers he was born in 2007, which would have made him just 15 at the time. Joseph said that, based on evidence, Abrego Garcia was paid $1,000 per trip and that he would transport 50 people per month. In addition to the smuggling, Joseph alleged Abrego Garcia also engaged in inappropriate conduct with underage girls he was transporting, including a 15-year-old allegedly asked by Abrego Garcia to send him nude photos. During the defense's cross-examination, however, it was noted that Joseph was not present for some of the interviews with female sources, which led the defense to claim his testimony was based on hearsay and should be thrown out. Holmes, however, allowed all the testimony, without striking anything. Acting U.S. Attorney Robert McGuire also discussed two protective orders filed by Abrego Garcia's wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, in 2020 and 2021, in which she described him as abusive and domineering. McGuire argued in favor of Abrego Garcia remaining detained pending trial, saying he poses a flight risk and a danger to the public based on what he called a commonsense view of the highway patrol traffic stop and the evidence presented in court of there being serious concerns about the transportation of minors. However, Will Allensworth, a federal public defender representing Abrego Garcia, argued the testimony was disorganized and that it is unclear how much of it was based on hearsay. He claimed there should be no concern about Abrego Garcia being a flight risk because he would go straight into ICE custody. Another public defender, Dumaka Shabazz, argued the charge being leveled is not a crime of terrorism, which he said clearly supports his release. Shabazz also said Abrego Garcia has experienced trauma and depression due to his deportation, has strong ties to the community and all of his loved ones are in the U.S., so he has no incentive to flee. Holmes did not set a date for the next court hearing but said it will be determined soon.
New York Times
13-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Judge Signals Openness to Granting Bail to Returned Deportee
A federal judge signaled on Friday that she was open to granting bail to Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, one week after he was returned to the United States to face criminal charges following his wrongful deportation to El Salvador. If the judge, Barbara D. Holmes, does end up denying the Justice Department's request to detain Mr. Abrego Garcia as he awaits trial, it would be a significant rebuke of the Trump administration, which has repeatedly accused him of being a dangerous criminal, even a terrorist. But it would also represent a Pyrrhic victory for him and his defense team because, as Judge Holmes pointed out, he would almost certainly be taken into custody by immigration officials. Judge Holmes declined to make a final decision on the question of bail at a daylong hearing in Federal District Court in Nashville where Mr. Abrego Garcia pleaded not guilty to a two-count federal indictment unsealed last Friday. The indictment, which was obtained in May while he was being held in Salvadoran custody, charged him with having taken part in a yearslong conspiracy to smuggle undocumented immigrants across the United States as a member of the violent street gang MS-13. The judge said she intended to issue a written decision about Mr. Abrego Garcia's bail 'sooner rather than later.' During the hearing, federal prosecutors threw everything they had at Mr. Abrego Garcia in an effort to persuade Judge Holmes that he was a flight risk and a danger to the community. In an unusual move, the presentation was made personally by Robert E. McGuire, the acting U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee. Mr. McGuire brought up two domestic violence complaints that Mr. Abrego Garcia's wife had filed against him years ago. He accused the defendant, a Salvadoran man who had been living in Maryland at the time of his expulsion, of transporting children as part of the smuggling operation. And he asserted there was evidence that Mr. Abrego Garcia had sexually harassed some of his young female passengers. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Al Jazeera
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Abrego Garcia pleads not guilty to human smuggling charges in US court
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man who was wrongfully deported from the United States, has pleaded not guilty to human smuggling charges in a federal court in Nashville, Tennessee. Friday marked the first opportunity for Abrego Garcia, a Maryland construction worker, to confront the criminal charges the administration of President Donald Trump has levelled against him. The Trump administration has sought to portray Abrego Garcia as a member of the MS-13 criminal gang following his deportation to El Salvador on March 15. Abrego Garcia had been protected from deportation under a 2019 protection order, given his fear of gang violence if he returned to El Salvador. His removal to that country sparked public outrage and questions about the legality of Trump's 'mass deportation' campaign. In the months since, the Trump administration has faced increasing pressure to return Abrego Garcia to the US, with the Supreme Court in April affirming that the government needed to 'facilitate' his release. A lower court, led by US District Judge Paula Xinis, had signalled that it was considering whether to hold the Trump administration in contempt of court for not complying with orders to secure his return. That abruptly changed, however, on June 6, when Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Abrego Garcia was on his way back to the US to face charges that he helped smuggle undocumented migrants in the US. In a 10-page indictment, the Trump administration accused Abrego Garcia of leading 'more than 100 trips between Texas to Maryland and other states', starting in 2016. It cites as evidence a traffic stop in Tennessee around November 30, 2022, when Abrego Garcia was observed driving a Chevrolet Suburban with nine passengers, all of whom appeared to be undocumented men headed to Maryland. The administration has released body camera footage of that incident, where a police officer can be heard speculating that Abrego Garcia is part of a smuggling ring. But the footage shows no confrontation, and Abrego Garcia was not charged with any offence following the traffic stop. Prosecutors have noted that Abrego Garcia could face a maximum of 10 years in prison for each migrant he smuggled, if convicted. Critics, however, question whether the recently unveiled criminal indictment was an attempt by the Trump administration to save face and dodge contempt charges, given the scrutiny over whether it was defying court orders. Abrego Garcia's defence team, meanwhile, has called the charges against him 'preposterous'. 'There's no way a jury is going to see the evidence and agree that this sheet-metal worker is the leader of an international MS-13 smuggling conspiracy,' one of his lawyers, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, told The Associated Press. His case has nevertheless gained a national profile, with the Trump administration facing multiple legal challenges over whether it violated migrants' right to due process: the right to a fair legal hearing. Even administration officials have acknowledged that his swift deportation had been the result of an 'administrative error'. In Friday's court hearing, US Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes spoke directly to Abrego Garcia, assuring him that he would receive a fair trial. 'You are presumed innocent, and it is the government's burden to prove at trial that you are guilty beyond a reasonable doubt,' Holmes said, reiterating fundamental principles of the US justice system. The Trump administration has sought to keep Abrego Garcia detained while the trial unfolds, using additional allegations that are not included in the indictment as justification. Prosecutors have accused Abrego Garcia, among other things, of child pornography, abusing women and taking part in a murder in El Salvador. They also argue he is a flight risk. But Judge Holmes warned on Friday that the court cannot keep someone in detention simply on the basis of allegations. The human smuggling charges against Abrego Garcia have already caused discord within the Justice Department, with one prosecutor appearing to step down in protest. That prosecutor, Ben Schrader, was the chief of the criminal division at the US Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Tennessee. He posted on social media on the day of the indictment that he was leaving. 'It has been an incredible privilege to serve as a prosecutor with the Department of Justice, where the only job description I've ever known is to do the right thing, in the right way, for the right reasons,' he wrote. Outside the court on Friday, Abrego Garcia's wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, called on supporters to keep fighting for his freedom: 'Kilmar wants you to have faith.' She saw her husband for the first time in three months on Thursday.
