Two MS-13 members have been convicted in federal court on racketeering charges stemming from murders and drug trafficking in the Washington, D.C. area, including the killing of an MS-13 member in Montgomery County.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, Moises Humberto Rivera-Luna, 56, of El Salvador, and Tokiro Rodas-Ramirez, 44, a dual citizen of Honduras and El Salvador, were found guilty of RICO conspiracy involving murder and drug trafficking. Rodas-Ramirez was also convicted on additional firearm and violent crime charges.
Prosecutors said Rivera-Luna was an MS-13 leader imprisoned in El Salvador who directed activities of the Normandies clique, which operated in El Salvador and the Washington, D.C. area.
While incarcerated, Rivera-Luna authorized the killings of two MS-13 members accused of violating gang rules. One of those victims was found shot to death at a park in Montgomery County on March 31, 2010. Prosecutors said the victim had brought a knife to an MS-13 meeting, which violated the gang’s rules.
Rivera-Luna was also accused of ordering the November 2008 killing of another MS-13 member who was stabbed at least 20 times in Northwest Washington.
Prosecutors said Rodas-Ramirez was the second-in-command of the Normandies clique in the Washington area and participated in violent attacks against suspected rival gang members, including a fatal 2008 shooting in Riverdale.
Both men were extradited to the United States to face charges. They are scheduled to be sentenced on January 7, 2027. The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations and the Metropolitan Police Department, with assistance from the Montgomery County Police Department and other local and federal agencies.
