BALTIMORE — An investigation performed by Homeland Safety Investigations (HSI) Baltimore and the FBI’s Washington subject workplace resulted in a sentence of life in federal jail for a member of the infamous MS-13 avenue gang. On March 6, a federal decide sentenced Jose Domingo Ordonez-Zometa, 33, of Landover Hills, for racketeering and homicide in support of racketeering conspiracies, committing homicide in support of racketeering, and conspiracy to destroy and conceal proof related to his participation a transnational prison enterprise.
Ordonez-Zometa was convicted Dec. 16, 2022, after a two-week trial, together with co-defendants Jose Rafael Ortega-Ayala, 30, of Greenbelt; and Jose Henry Hernandez-Garcia, 29, of Annandale, Virginia.
“Jose Domingo Ordonez-Zometa offered a horrific menace to the individuals of the Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia communities that he terrorized,” stated HSI Baltimore Particular Agent in Cost James C. Harris. “Working with our federal, state and native legislation enforcement companions, we introduced Ordonez-Zometa to justice. HSI Baltimore will proceed to pursue any organized prison group that seeks to prey upon the communities that we’ve sworn to guard.”
The investigation revealed that between August 2018 and April 2019, Ordonez-Zometa and his co-defendants participated within the MS-13 prison enterprise by participating in acts of violence, together with homicide, the destruction of proof, witness tampering and different crimes. The gang members dedicated the prison acts to extend MS-13’s energy within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan space, together with Maryland and Virginia.
The investigation was a joint effort by HSI Baltimore and FBI Washington with vital help from the US Legal professional’s Workplace for the District of Maryland; the Justice Division’s Legal Division; the Stafford County Sheriff’s Workplace the Prince George’s County Police Division; and the Fairfax County Police Division.
MS-13, one of many largest avenue gangs in the US, is a nationwide and worldwide gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants from El Salvador and different central American nations. Branches or “cliques” of MS-13 function all through the US, together with in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Ordonez-Zometa and his co-defendants had been members and associates of the Los Ghettos Criminales Salvatruchas (“LGCS” or “Ghettos”) clique of MS-13.
As a part of the conspiracy, members of MS-13 had been anticipated to guard the identify, fame and standing of the gang from rival gang members and others, utilizing any means essential to drive respect from those that confirmed disrespect, together with acts of intimidation and violence. One of many principal guidelines of MS-13 is that its members should assault and kill rivals, sometimes called “chavalas,” every time doable. Participation in prison exercise will increase respect for an MS-13 member, notably when it includes violent acts directed at rival gangs or as directed by gang management. Because of this, that member maintains or will increase their place within the gang, which opens the door to promotion to a management place.
The investigation revealed Ordonez-Zometa was the chief of the LGCS clique. Ordonez-Zometa known as a gathering of the LGCS clique at his home on March 8, 2019, to debate clique issues, together with current contacts that an LGCS clique member (Sufferer 1) had with police. Ordonez-Zometa, Sufferer 1, the co-defendants and different MS-13 members participated within the assembly, throughout which Ordonez-Zometa questioned Sufferer 1 about their cooperation with police.
Investigators found that Ordonez-Zometa, his co-defendants and at the least one different MS-13 member assaulted the sufferer primarily based on incorrect suspicions that the sufferer was cooperating with legislation enforcement. Additionally they assaulted one other MS-13 member who tried to defend the sufferer. The assault culminated with Ordonez-Zometa, as LGCS clique chief, ordering the sufferer’s homicide. Ortega-Ayala, Hernandez-Garcia and different MS-13 members then stabbed and murdered the sufferer in Ordonez-Zometa’s basement.
In response to the investigation, Ordonez-Zometa then ordered Ortega-Ayala, Hernandez-Garcia, and different LGCS clique members and co-conspirators to hide and destroy proof of the homicide. Ortega-Ayala and others transported the sufferer’s physique to a secluded location in Stafford County, Virginia, set it on fireplace, then destroyed and hid proof that remained within the automobile used to move the sufferer. In the meantime, Ordonez-Zometa, Hernandez-Garcia and one other MS-13 member stayed on the crime scene and tried to take away, destroy and conceal proof of the homicide, together with Sufferer 1’s blood.
Ortega-Ayala and Hernandez-Garcia face obligatory sentences of life in jail. Their sentencing dates haven’t been set.
This case is an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Activity Drive investigation. The duty drive identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level prison organizations that threaten the US utilizing a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multiagency strategy that leverages the strengths of federal, state and native legislation enforcement companies towards prison networks.
This case is a part of Venture Secure Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing collectively all ranges of legislation enforcement and the communities they serve to cut back violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everybody. PSN is an evidence-based program confirmed to be efficient at lowering violent crime. Via PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work collectively to determine essentially the most urgent violent crime issues locally and develop complete options to handle them. As a part of this technique, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on essentially the most violent offenders and companions with domestically primarily based prevention and reentry applications for lasting reductions in crime.
Anybody with details about MS-13 is inspired to supply their tricks to legislation enforcement. HSI has a nationwide tipline that members of the general public can name to report any info relating to prison exercise. The HSI tipline quantity is 866-347-2423 and it’s staffed 24 hours a day.
HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Division of Homeland Safety (DHS), accountable for investigating transnational crime and threats, particularly these prison organizations that exploit the worldwide infrastructure by means of which worldwide commerce, journey, and finance transfer. HSI’s workforce of greater than 8,700 staff consists of greater than 6,000 particular brokers assigned to 237 cities all through the US, and 93 abroad places in 56 nations. HSI’s worldwide presence represents DHS’s largest investigative legislation enforcement presence overseas and one of many largest worldwide footprints in U.S. legislation enforcement.
Be taught extra about HSI’s mission to battle organized crime in your neighborhood on Twitter @HSIBaltimore.