A man accused of being a high-ranking member of the MS-13 gang has been indicted in Nevada.
Joel Vargas-Escobar was arrested in New York on Tuesday night for allegedly participating in a scheme that resulted in 11 murders.
Escobar, also known as Momia, has been charged with two counts of murder in aid of racketeering, as well as other weapons crimes. According to the DOJ, Escobar was deported from the United States to El Salvador in 2018, but he re-entered illegally after being a fugitive for nearly four years.
“The American people are safer following the arrest of yet another MS-13 leader thanks to the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division and Joint Task Force Vulcan,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This terrorist entered our country illegally and is accused of orchestrating 11 murders — under President Trump’s leadership, we will not rest until this terrorist organization is completely dismantled and its members are behind bars.”
Escobar and his co-defendants are suspected of being part of the gang’s command and control structure in Las Vegas and California, and the DOJ claims they held key leadership positions inside the organization.
The indictment alleges Escobar and others of being members of MS-13’s Parkview gang and perpetrating 11 killings in Nevada and California over the period of about a year. The DOJ claims that many of their victims were kidnapped by MS-13 gang members and taken to distant locales in the highlands or desert, where they were tortured and killed.
Escobar is suspected of leading the Parkview group and personally ordering two murders.
After his arrest in New York, the court ordered Escobar’s transportation to Nevada for his trial.
If convicted, Escobar will face life in jail.
