A former MS-13 gang leader has been sentenced to life in prison on racketeering charges.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Miguel Angel Corea Diaz, 41, who was once the highest ranking MS-13 member of its East Coast operations, was convicted on Friday of federal racketeering and conspiracy to commit murder charges in Maryland.
Prosecutors claim that Corea Diaz “conspired with members and associates of MS-13 to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity, including murder, extortion, money laundering, witness tampering, and distribution of controlled substances” from 2010 to October 2017.
“As members of MS-13, Corea Diaz and his co-conspirators were ruthless and showed no regard for human life by extorting innocent people, tampering with witnesses, and ordering a murder over a drug dispute,” Steven M. D’Antuono, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office said in a press release.
D-Antuono continued, “With today’s sentence, Corea Diaz will no longer be able to commit senseless violence and homicidal acts on our streets. The FBI remains steadfast in our resolve to work with our partners to ensure that individuals like Corea Diaz are held accountable for their crimes and to eliminate MS-13’s violence from our communities.”
Back in November, Corea Diaz, who now resides in Long Beach, New Jersey, was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder in the aid of racketeering, murder in the aid of racketeering, drug dealing conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, according to federal prosecutors.
“The brutality of Corea Diaz is almost unfathomable. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to remove these violent gang members to keep our communities safe from the violence perpetrated by MS-13,” the DOJ added. “With the help of members of our communities we will work to bring to justice those MS-13 members who commit these horrible crimes.”
