Crime & Safety
MS-13 Gang Behind Killing In Anne Arundel County: Prosecutors
The MS-13 gang is responsible for a teenager's killing in Anne Arundel County, prosecutors alleged. Gang members now face murder charges.
ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — The MS-13 gang is responsible for killing a teenager in Anne Arundel County, federal prosecutors alleged recently.
The Department of Justice announced on March 20 that a grand jury indicted Annapolis men Manuel Erazo Alvarado and Erick Guillen Pleitez on a charge of murder in aid of racketeering.
The DOJ said Alvarado, nicknamed Castigo, and Pleitez, nicknamed Kilo, were MS-13 members or associates in 2017.
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The prosecution alleged that the defendants distributed drugs, collected extortion payments, or "rent," and engaged in acts of violence.
The men are accused of participating "in the murder of an individual to maintain and increase their positions in the gang" "on or about August 29, 2017."
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The press release doesn't identify the victim, but a New York MS-13 leader pleaded guilty to crimes related to a murder that happened on the same date in Anne Arundel County.
The DOJ said David Sosa-Guevara, a leader in the gang's Hollywood clique, "admitted to his participation in the murder of 16-year-old [David] Rivera in Maryland."
"To avoid law enforcement in New York, Sosa-Guevara and another Hollywood member from Long Island relocated to Maryland where they connected with the local Hollywood clique. After arriving, Sosa-Guevara learned of a plan to kill a rival gang member and directed the other Long Island member of his clique to participate," the New York prosecutor's press release said.
The DOJ alleged that "Sosa-Guevara drove the other gang member to a park outside of Edgewater, Maryland, for him to participate in the Rivera murder."
Prosecutors said other MS-13 members brought the victim to the scene, where he was attacked with machetes and killed.
Sosa-Guevara drove the member of his clique away from the scene, the DOJ said.
Rivera's body wasn't found until June 7, 2024.
If convicted, Alvarado and Pleitez face either a mandatory life sentence or death.
Sosa-Guevara faces a minimum sentence of 40 years and a maximum of 65 years.
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