The final defendant in a case involving a double murder connected to the MS-13 gang received sentencing in Beaumont, Texas for crimes committed within the U.S. penitentiary system. Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, Abe McGlothin, Jr., announced that Juan Carlos Rivas-Moreiera, a high-ranking member of MS-13 from El Salvador, received an additional life term on April 25, 2025, for orchestrating the plot.
Another gang member involved in the attack, Hector Ramires, a 31-year-old Honduran national, was sentenced to 360 months on April 29.
In January 2022, the MS-13 orchestrated an attack at the U.S. Penitentiary in Beaumont, targeting members of the Sureños and Mexican Mafia, resulting in two deaths and prompting a nationwide lockdown by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP). "This case illustrates the danger posed, both in and out of prison, by MS-13, a foreign terrorist organization," McGlothin stated, highlighting the sentences as a lynchpin in their commitment to dismantling such networks.
FBOP Director William K. Marshall III commented on the severity of the attack: "The vicious brutality of MS-13 has no place in our prisons or our society.” The FBI's Douglas Williams noted the historical magnitude of the violence, calling it "one of the most violent prison executions in Texas history."
According to testimony, during the attack, the gang inflicted over 45 stab wounds on two victims, Guillermo Riojas and Andrew Pineda, who both succumbed to their injuries. Other defendants received severe convictions, including Larry Navarete, Jorge Parada, Raul Landaverde-Giron, Sergio Sibrian, and Dimas Alfaro-Granados, with prison sentences ranging up to 420 months.
This legal action resulted from collaboration between various judicial districts and law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV), which seeks to eliminate MS-13 and other criminal entities.
The Department of Justice's Operation Take Back America initiative played a crucial role in the investigation and prosecution effort, indicating the government's persistent endeavor to combat organized crime.
The case was led in prosecution by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph R. Batte and co-directors of JTFV, Christopher A. Eason and Jacob Warren, underlining a national commitment against violent criminal activities.