Miguel Angel Corea Diaz, 41, an MS-13 gang leader, was sentenced to life in prison after being charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the aid of racketeering and other charges.
Corea-Diaz was known as "The Reaper," was accused along with his co-defendant Junior Noe Alvarado-Requeno of controlling and operating Sailors Locos Salvatruchos Westside, a faction of the MS-13 gang. Between 2015 and 2018, the two were accused of "a host of significant criminal activity including murder, extortion, drug trafficking, money laundering, and witness tampering," according to the Justice Department.
During their trial in 2021, prosecutors provided evidence that proved that the group extorted businesses operating in their territory. They also reportedly acted out violently with rival gangs and members of their own gang for breaking rules, including being caught trafficking heroin and cocaine.
The conspiracy to commit murder charges stem from a 2017 incident where Corea-Diaz and Alvarado-Requeno organized a group that kidnapped and murdered a high school student who had a dispute with an MS-13 member over marijuana. After abducting the teen, they allegedly cut his hand off and killed him, according to the Justice Department. Corea-Diaz and Alvarado-Requeno were accused of hiding and protecting the killers from police.
U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron released a statement following Corea-Diaz's sentencing, stating, "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."
Alvarado-Requeno will be sentenced on April 25, and he is facing a mandatory life sentence.
Source: CNN
