MS-13 Member Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison in Racketeering Conspiracy
GREENBELT, Md., June 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Lisbeth Delcid, also known as "Lil Truca," or "Lil Trucha," age 23, of Woodbridge, Virginia, today to nine years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to conduct and participate in racketeering enterprise activities of an MS-13 gang, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein.
U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein stated, "Violent gangs often recruit new members in our schools, where children need a safe environment for learning. School teachers and administrators should confront the problem and warn students and their parents about the tragic consequences of joining a violent gang."
According to the statement of facts provided to the court as part of her plea agreement, La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as the MS-13 gang, is a gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants of immigrants from El Salvador, with members operating throughout Prince George's County and Montgomery County, Maryland, and elsewhere. MS-13 is a national and international criminal organization with approximately 10,000 members.
MS-13 is organized in "cliques," including, but not limited to, the Sailors Locos Salvatruchos Westside ("SLSW" or "Sailors"), the Teclas Locos Salvatruchos ("TLS"), and the Langley Park Salvatruchos ("LPS"). Delcid was a member of the Sailors clique. The MS-13 cliques work together cooperatively to commit acts of violence.
Beginning at least in 2003 and continuing through April 5, 2006, Delcid attended MS-13 meetings and paid dues to the gang. Delcid began associating with MS-13 while attending high school. Delcid gave money to the gang to support other gang members and Sailors clique members who were imprisoned for gang violence.
In January 2006, Delcid admitted to an ATF agent and a Prince George's Police detective that she had a relationship with a TLS clique leader. After the leader was jailed in 2005, Delcid maintained regular contact with him, receiving letters from him regarding gang activities, as well as letters sent to her for the express purpose of redistributing information to TLS clique members. Delcid was aware that MS-13 members planned to kill "chavalas," or rival gang members. Delcid's repeated assistance in communicating instructions to TLS members furthered the objectives of MS-13, including locating, attacking and killing rival gang members.
Since 2005, the U.S. Attorney's Office has prosecuted a total of 42 MS-13 gang members, with 30 defendants charged in a RICO conspiracy case. Fourteen gang members have been convicted at trial or pled guilty in the RICO case.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Prince George's County Police Department; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; the Montgomery County Police Department; the Howard County Police Department; the Maryland National Capital Park Police; the Maryland State Police and the Fairfax County, Virginia Police Department for their investigative work in this case. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys James M. Trusty and Chan Park, and Trial Attorney David Jaffe, a prosecutor for the Justice Department's Gang Squad, who are prosecuting the case.
