Feds charge 3 more men in Maryland MS-13 racketeering conspiracy involving murder: 'Reign of terror'

As suspected Maryland MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia stands trial in a high-profile criminal case, three more alleged MS-13 members in the state are being charged with racketeering conspiracy, including murder and drug trafficking.

Commenting on the charges, acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Galeotti said the men's actions "furthered MS-13’s reign of terror across communities in Maryland."

The charges, filed against Salvadoran nationals living in Maryland – Maxwell Ariel Quijano-Casco, 24, Daniel Isaias Villanueva-Bautista, 19, and Hyattsville, Maryland man, Josue Mauricio Lainez, 21 – were announced in a Department of Justice statement on Wednesday.

According to the statement, the three men allegedly killed a homeless man as part of their involvement with MS-13. The DOJ said the three allegedly killed the man on July 4, 2024, in a "retaliatory murder."

The victim was found dead in a blue Dodge Caravan that was parked in a used car lot in Hyattsville the next day.

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According to the DOJ, surveillance video shows Quijano-Casco, Villanueva-Bautista, Lainez and an unnamed person opening the van’s rear sliding driver’s side door, reaching inside and moving as if striking someone. (DOJ)

The department said a nearby surveillance camera caught the murder on video. According to the statement, the video shows the victim wielding what appears to be a pole at Quijano-Casco, who then flees and returns with Villanueva-Bautista, Lainez and another unnamed person. The four approach the blue van where the victim fled, open the door and appear to strike someone inside.

Police arriving at the scene the next day found the victim, who appeared to have been stabbed in the neck.

Fox News Digital reached out to the DOJ, FBI and Prince George’s County Police Department to request to review the video. Neither agency immediately responded to Fox News Digital’s request.

Quijano-Casco and Villanueva-Bautista were arrested by Prince George’s County Police on Aug. 23, according to the DOJ. Quijano-Casco was found in possession of a semi-automatic handgun and about eight grams of cocaine at the time of his arrest. Both admitted that they were present for the altercation where the victim was murdered and Quijano-Casco allegedly admitted to police to stabbing the individual.

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Inmates at the Counter-Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT), where hundreds of members of the MS-13 gang are being held, in Tecoluca, El Salvador, on Jan. 27, 2025. (Marvin Recinos/AFP via Getty Images)

The three are being charged with racketeering conspiracy, including the July 4, 2024, murder. If convicted, they face sentences of up to life in prison.

In the statement, Galeotti of the DOJ’s Criminal Division said the "senseless murder" was carried out "in exchange for promotions within the gang and drugs."  

Galeotti said, "Their actions furthered MS-13’s reign of terror across communities in Maryland."

U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Kelly Hayes called the killing a "brutal retaliatory murder" that serves as a "chilling reminder of the MS-13 gang’s callous disregard for human life."

She said her office will continue to work with law enforcement to dismantle criminal organizations such as MS-13 that "terrorize our communities."

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Kilmar Abrego Garcia traffic stop video photo still. (Tennessee Highway Patrol)

This comes as Abrego Garcia, 29, another Salvadoran national who was living in Maryland, faces charges of human smuggling and conspiracy.

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According to the indictment, Abrego Garcia played a "significant role" in a human smuggling ring operating for nearly a decade. Attorney General Pam Bondi described him as a full-time smuggler who made more than 100 trips, transporting women, children and MS-13 gang-affiliated persons throughout the U.S.

According to police and court records shared with Fox News Digital, Abrego Garcia was arrested in Hyattsville in October 2019, at which point he was identified by the Prince George's County Police Gang Unit as a member of MS-13.