ATLANTA - The U.S. Justice Department has closed the books on a gang-related case against two Gainesville men and 22 other people, dating back to the indictment of the defendants five years ago.
Jose Delgado, a/k/a Fantasma, the last of twenty-two Mara Salvatrucha-13 (MS-13) gang members charged with murder, attempted murder and armed robbery, has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison. Federal officials say all were members of the violent street gang which operated in Gwinnett and DeKalb counties.
“MS-13 is a ruthless street gang that used violence to spread fear through Gwinnett, DeKalb and Fulton Counties,” said Acting U.S. Attorney John Horn. “The 8-year federal investigation identified and convicted the local leadership of the gang and dismantled the membership of a brutal and merciless criminal enterprise in the Atlanta region. While the gang preyed mostly on other rival gang members, this case demonstrates the tragic violence that harmed innocent citizens when the gang’s activities spilled out into the community.”
According to Horn, the charges and other information presented in court: MS-13 is an international criminal gang that was operating in the Atlanta area since at least 2005 and up until the grand jury issued its indictment in February 2010. Almost all of the members came from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. During that time, MS-13 staked out areas within Gwinnett and DeKalb Counties as its territory.
MS-13 gang members held meetings where they discussed attacking and killing gang members, collected dues, shared firearms, and disciplined members who broke gang rules. Dues money was used to buy additional weapons and to post bond for gang members in jail. Gang leaders would keep MS-13 leaders in their home countries informed of gang activity, and they would often send back a portion of dues as “rent.”
· Joseph Ivan Dias, a/k/a Travieso, 27, Gainesville, was sentenced to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) conspiracy and Omar Cubillos, a/k/a Pancho, 30, Gainesville, was sentenced on June 15, 2015, to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to RICO conspiracy involving murder and a firearms offense.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, Gwinnett County Police Department, DeKalb County Police Department, Norcross Police Department, Chamblee Police Department, and the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2015/8/327222/feds-close-gang-related-case-against-2-gainesville-men-20-others