A federal jury has convicted two members of “one of the most violent gangs in the world” of murders, attempted murders and armed robberies in DeKalb and Gwinnett counties, authorities said Friday.
MS-13 members Remberto Argueta of Lilburn and William Espinoza of Norcross “set the standard for violence and disregard for human life as members of the international gang MS-13,” United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said in a statement. “They spread fear throughout the community by killing innocent pedestrians, shooting suspected rival gang members and robbing innocent people at gunpoint.”
In April 2007, Argueta and other MS-13 members went to an area hotel to rob suspected drug dealer Arpolonio Rios-Jarquin. Instead, they ended up in a deadly shootout with him. After the shootout, surveillance video showed one of the MS-13 members stopping to pick up Rios-Jarquin’s weapon, which he later showed off as a trophy, according to the statement.
Jayro Arango-Sanchez was shot in the stomach in July 2008 when a fight broke out between Espinoza and suspected members of the rival 18th Street gang outside DeKalb’s El Pueblito nightclub. Arango-Sanchez, who testified that he was not affiliated with either gang, was at the nightclub to celebrate his birthday with his girlfriend and brother, the United States Attorney’s Office said in the statement.
Both men were convicted of conspiracy involving murder under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of life. They also were convicted of violent crime in aid of racketeering, which carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison.
Argueta, 27, was found guilty of a firearms offense related to the murder of Rios-Jarquin. Espinoza, 31, was convicted of a firearms offense related to the attempted murder of Arango-Sanchez.
Sentencing has not been scheduled.
About the Author
