LOS ANGELES – Five members of the transnational criminal organization Mara Salvatrucha 13 (MS-13) were found guilty by a jury today of committing six murders to advance their standing in the gang – killings in which the victims varyingly were strangled, shot, stabbed with knives or a machete, beaten with a baseball bat, then, in some cases, had their bodies thrown off a cliff or down a hill in the Angeles National Forest.

At the conclusion of a nine-week trial, a jury found the following defendants guilty of one count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act:

• Walter Chavez Larin, 26, of Panorama City;

• Roberto Alejandro Corado Ortiz, 30, of Baldwin Park; and

• Edwin Martinez, 28, of Cypress Park.

Chavez and Corado also were found guilty of two counts of violent crimes in aid of racketeering (VICAR) murder. Martinez was found guilty of three counts of VICAR murder. Bryan Alexander Rosales Arias, 28, of South Los Angeles, was found guilty of one count of VICAR murder. Erick Eduardo Rosales Arias, 27, also of South Los Angeles and who is Bryan Rosales’s brother, was found guilty of one count of VICAR murder.

“The horrific violence in this case underscores the urgency of destroying MS-13 and putting its depraved members behind bars,” said United States Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Under President Trump, MS-13 can no longer unleash terror on the American people with impunity: We will eradicate this foreign terrorist organization and secure justice for its victims.”

“We thank the jury for returning swift guilty verdicts against these MS-13 criminals who engaged in horrific acts of violence and murder,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “I thank and commend our law enforcement partners for their work in removing members of this terrorist organization from our streets. MS-13 is a violent brutal gang that must be eliminated from the United States, and we will not stop until we succeed in our mission.”

“Cases such as this one serve as a reminder that MS-13 has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The defendants in this case carried out barbaric attacks on their victims to simply enhance their ranking within the gang. I’m proud of the hard work that went into this trial by agents and prosecutors which resulted in a guilty verdict and a measure of justice for the victims, and which will effectively remove murderers and terrorists from Los Angeles communities.”

“The brutality of these crimes is a stark reminder of the importance of our shared mission: to protect the people of Los Angeles from those who seek to do harm,” said Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell. “I thank every investigator, prosecutor, and law enforcement professional who contributed to this case. Their dedication has brought justice to the victims and sent a clear message — we will not tolerate this kind of violence in our city. Together, we are stronger, and together, we will continue to stand against gang violence in all its forms.”

“These convictions send a powerful message that criminal gang violence and intimidation have no place in Los Angeles County,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert G. Luna. “These violent individuals terrorized our communities and tore families apart to further their criminal network. Through the tireless efforts of our local and federal partners, we have brought justice to the victims’ families and held these individuals accountable for their brutal crimes.”

“MS-13 has inflicted unimaginable suffering on victims and their families in our communities,” said Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman. “These guilty verdicts for crimes related to murder, extortion and drug trafficking against five members of MS-13’s leadership demonstrate the relentless and fearless partnership between local and federal law enforcement and prosecutors to bring these dangerous criminals to justice.”

According to evidence presented at trial, the defendants murdered their victims who either were – or perceived to be – members of the 18th Street gang, a rival of MS-13, or had violated MS-13’s rules.

The trial focused on MS-13 Los Angeles cliques that implemented gang rules that required its members to use murder and extreme violence to rise within its ranks.

The charges relate to machete, knife, and baseball bat killings in the Angeles National Forest and several other areas in remote, mountainous locations in Los Angeles County. Those six murders – which included murders committed in the mountains near Malibu, in a remote area of the Santa Clarita Valley, and two in Van Nuys – are also charged as violent crimes committed in aid of racketeering (VICAR). Those six counts allege that the victims were killed “for the purpose of gaining entry to and maintaining and increasing position in MS-13 Los Angeles.”

In June 2017, one victim – who claimed he had a leadership role in MS-13– was taken to the Angeles National Forest then stabbed and hacked to death by his killers, including Chavez. Several of the assailants unsuccessfully tried to decapitate him then left his body behind.

In October 2017, another victim – rumored to be an 18th Street member – was lured to his death by two teenage girls. He was kidnapped, strangled, beaten with a baseball bat then fatally stabbed with a large hunting style knife. Before his body was thrown off a cliff in the Angeles National Forest. This victim’s assailants included Corado and Bryan Rosales.

In July 2018, a third victim – also rumored to be an 18th Street member – was lured to Malibu hills under the auspices of smoking marijuana and drinking beer with several other people. While the victim stood at a scenic overlook, Corado shot him in the back of the head. Corado gave the gun to Erick Rosales, who shot the victim before passing the gun to other MS-13 members who took turns shooting him. This victim’s body ultimately was thrown off the edge of a road down a hill.

Martinez murdered three victims – one of them was shot to death in December 2018 after returning from the gym and was mistaken for an 18th Street gang member, another was an MS-13 associate addicted to methamphetamine (a violation of MS-13 rules) who was shot to death on January 13, 2019, and the third was a homeless man who was fatally shot on January 14, 2019 for having a tattoo believed to be related to 18th Street. Chavez participated in the January 13 murder.

Sentencing hearings before United States District Judge Otis D. Wright II are scheduled for July 2026, at which time each of the defendants will face a mandatory sentence of life in federal prison.

Prosecutors have secured 25 convictions so far in this case. Several other MS-13 members and associates are scheduled to go to trial in April 2026 in connection with racketeering conspiracy and gang murders.

The FBI, the Los Angeles Police Department, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department investigated this matter.

Assistant United States Attorneys Catharine A. Richmond and Sara B. Vargas of the Major Crimes Section, Benedetto L. Balding of the Transnational Organized Crime Section, William Larsen of the Criminal Appeals Section, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Eric W. Siddall are prosecuting this case.