Arlington Man Faces Life In Prison For Role In MS-13-Related Killings

ARLINGTON, VA — An Arlington man who was convicted after a three-week trial in October faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison at his sentencing scheduled for February for his role in killings carried out by the MS-13 gang, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.

Co-defendants Luis Flores-Reyes, 42, of Arlington and Jairo Jacome, 40, of Langley Park, Maryland, were convicted on the charges of racketeering conspiracy and murder in aid of racketeering. They were also convicted of extortion conspiracy, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Friday.

One of Flores-Reyes’ co-defendants, Brayan Contreras-Avalos, 28, of Langley Park, was given a life sentence last Thursday related to his role in MS-13, which is also known as La Mara Salvatrucha., according to federal prosecutors. Contreras-Avalos was convicted after a trial last October, along with Flores-Reyes and Jacome.

Flores-Reyes and Contreras-Avalos were leaders of MS-13’s Sailors Clique, a branch that holds territory in Maryland, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Texas and El Salvador, according to prosecutors. Jacome was the highest-ranking member of the Langley Park Salvatrucha, or LPS clique.

The three were found guilty of participating in at least three killings while they were involved with MS-13, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Some of the victims were not gang rivals, according to prosecutors. For example, in June 2016, members of MS-13 stabbed to death two homeless persons who gang members believed to be members of the 18th Street gang in Hyattsville, Maryland, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. The investigation revealed no evidence that the victims were in fact members of any gang.

According to court documents and evidence presented at the trial in October, the defendants also ran an extortion scheme around Langley Park, extorting local businesses by charging them “rent” for the privilege of operating in MS-13 “territory.”

Contreras-Avalos and Flores-Reyes also trafficked illegal drugs, including marijuana and cocaine, according to prosecutors. A large share of the proceeds of the gang’s activities were sent to gang leadership in El Salvador, using structured transactions and intermediaries to avoid law enforcement scrutiny, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Judge Paula Xinis of the U.S. District Court of Maryland has scheduled sentencing for Flores-Reyes on Feb. 22 and for Jacome on Feb. 23.