A 19-year-old Maryland man was sentenced to 26 years in prison Friday for crimes he committed as part of the violent gang La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13.
Kevin Soriana-Hernandez, who goes by “Brocha,” pleaded guilty and admitted to his involvement in at least one murder and attempted murder as part of the gang.
MS-13 is a criminal gang with international reach. Although it started in Los Angeles, Calif., by immigrants from El Salvador and other Central American countries, it has spread to Central America and across the U.S. President Trump has frequently pointed to its activity, particularly in Long Island, N.Y., in arguing for stricter immigration enforcement.
The Department of Justice said that Soriana-Hernandez admitted to being a part of the Sailors clique of MS-13 in Riverdale, Md., where he says he and fellow gang members engaged in a violent rivalry with members of a different gang. Soriana-Hernandez said the two groups threatened each other with physical violence, brandished firearms, and shot at each other.
Soriana-Hernandez also admitted to planning, conspiring, and participating in an effort to murder two members of this rival gang on Sept. 16, 2017. He and four other gang members attacked two of these men when they were parked in a car — Soriana-Hernandez admitted to firing shots at the car which missed, while one MS-13 gang member shot one of the men and another MS-13 gang member stabbed him. He later died of his injuries, which included 13 stab wounds.
The case against Soriano-Hernandez’s five co-defendants, who are charged with crimes including racketeering, conspiracy, drug trafficking, extortion, and murder, is still in progress.
