A leader of the notorious street gang MS-13 was sentenced to 30 years in prison Thursday for stabbing a rival in the heart.
A D.C. Superior Court jury had acquitted Juan Carlos “Stokey” Rivas-Moreira of kidnapping rival Elgar Hernandez, but convicted him of assault and threat charges.
Prosecutors said Rivas-Moreira, 25, of Silver Spring, wanted to avenge an earlier beating. He and two unidentified MS-13 members forced Hernandez into a car and stabbed him in the heart in May 2001.
Hernandez survived the stabbing.
It took three trials to convict Rivas-Moreira in the attack. The first two juries couldn’t reach decisions and mistrials were declared.
Prosecutors see Rivas-Moreira’s conviction as a blow to MS-13, one of the country’s most ruthless street gangs.
Informants testified at Rivas-Moreira’s most recent trial that he was “the holder of the keys” in MS-13 — that is, a boss.
Ross D. Hecht, Rivas-Moreira’s lawyer, has promised to appeal the case.
But Rivas-Moreira’s legal troubles are only beginning. He also faces a federal racketeering indictment from Maryland, aimed at MS-13’s regional leadership.
Rivas-Moreira’s sentence
» 20 years for aggravated assault
» 8 years for assault with a deadly weapon, to run concurrently
» 10 years for threats, to run consecutively
» He could have been sentenced to up to 41 years in prison.
