Montoya joined the ULS clique of MS-13 in 2002, and rose to become its leader. At the time of Montoya’s arrest last week, on federal charges of Aiding and Abetting Murder in the Aide of Racketeering, he was staying at a residence in Sterling.
Montoya’s gang-related activities were not limited to Loudoun. On May 5, 2007 in Fairfax County, police were called to an apartment complex after residents reported gunshots fired in the area. When Fairfax Police arrived, they found the dead body of Melvin “Pelon” Aguilar Reyes lying in the parking lot. Pelon was a member of the 18th Street gang, the rival gang of MS-13.
The FBI was able to solve the case after a confidential witness spoke to the investigator about their role in the May 5, 2007 murder of Reyes. The witness admitted that he/she, along with four other MS-13 members, went to the apartment “patrolling” for chavalas—rival gang members or associates identified as disloyal. The five MS-13 gang members, driven by Montoya in his black Lexus, set their sights on Reyes. Montoya later confessed to FBI officials that two of these members had handguns, one of which was a revolver. According to Montoya, he drove to the back of the apartment buildings, parked on the street, and three of the gang members exited his vehicle. Reportedly, the three individuals told Montoya to wait in the car and to keep it running. They ran toward the apartment building when Montoya heard shots fired. When the three returned to the car, according to Montoya, they “bragged” of how they had shot the chavala and he had “fallen down.”
According to court documents, Reyes was known to have had prior run-ins with members of MS-13. In an interview, Montoya described him as “cocky and all tatted up.” This was the second time Montoya had gone searching for the 18th Street gang member. Just a few days before, the same group had searched for “Pelon,” but could not locate him.
On Sunday, May 3, the future of Montoya’s leadership in this part of MS-13 came to a swift end when a sheriff’s deputy recognized a vehicle registered to Montoya parked at a residence on Samantha Drive in Sterling. Sheriff’s deputies served a search warrant and too Montoya into custody for the 2007 homicide of Reyes.
Montoya faces federal charges of Aiding and Abetting Murder in the Aid of Racketeering under Title 18 of the United States Code. Montoya–originally held at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center–has now been transferred to federal authorities.
In the wake of the recent homicide in Lansdowne less than two months ago, Loudoun residents are particularly sensitive to gang-related issues. After March 22, when Potomac Station residents William Bennett was murdered and wife Cynthia brutally beaten during a Sunday morning walk, residents demanded answers. The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office captured four suspects in six weeks—with not much more than a white van as a clue. When four suspects were arrested with “loose ties” to a nationally recognized gang, old questions turned into new concerns.
Although Loudoun County Sheriff Steve Simpson could only say the motive was most likely robbery, he remains certain the attack was not connected to a gang initiation or ritual.
Gang Response Team Coordinator Edward Ryan of the Northern Virginia Gang Task Force said that although things are under the microscope more now than they were before the Lansdowne murder, gang activity is no more prevalent than it was at this time last year. Ryan notes the Gang Task Forces philosophy is three-pronged: suppression (which works more for law enforcement), intervention and prevention. They provide services to kids and families at risk, instilling positive role models to prevent furthering the gang lifestyle. Non-profits and other organizations are involved–hoping that the converged efforts will curtail future gang activity.
At the April 30 Community Meeting at the National Conference Center, Sergeant David Zuleger acknowledged the existence of four gangs in the Loudoun area—MS-13, 18th Street Gang, the Bloods and the Crips–with a total of 180-200 members. Zuleger runs the seven-person Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office Gang Unit. The unit’s functions include gang-related investigations, intelligence gathering, training, inter-agency support and suppression.
A National Problem, A Global Problem
Alex Sanchez is the Executive Director of the Los Angles-based Homies Unidos, a non-profit that has worked to end gang violence through gang prevention and the “promotion of human rights in immigrant communities and has first-hand knowledge of gang life. Sanchez is a retired gang-banger who found himself in prison on three occasions for gang-related crimes, and hopes that localities will draw from his experiences to address the national epidemic.
According to Sanchez, immigration was used as an effective tool to increase gang membership globally in the early 1990s. Already a member of a gang, Sanchez was deported in 1994 from Los Angeles to El Salvador, where he alleges government officials used his deportation information to identify and mark him as a gang member. Those same authorities, along with other vigilante groups, allegedly distributed flyers with Sanchez’s photo to El Salvadorian communities.
According to Sanchez, the government also distributed the same information to death squads. These death squads tied the hands of suspected gang members and shot them in the back of the head. Sanchez fled El Salvador to save his life. In 1998, participants in the El Salvadorian death squads were arrested.
These days, Sanchez is being consulted by Central America, and is assured that there is a current global commitment to eradicate gangs.
Sanchez’s philosophy is centered on treating the root of the problem. He believes suppression–the method of treatment adopted by many communities–is ineffective. Sanchez theorizes that when gangs are suppressed in one neighborhood, they move on to the next. On their new turf, they battle with the ruling gang for power, increasing gang-related activities in that neighborhood. According to Sanchez, suppression-type policies, have failed in Los Angles.
Sanchez believes the best policy is to address the initial draw to gang life. There are few existing policies that address these questions, and Sanchez say they are needed. With no re-entry program for reformed gang members released from prison, the recidivism rate is high.
On a promising note, Sanchez has seen a general reduction of violent gang crime on the East Coast.
Just this week, the Youth PROMISE Act was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressman Robert Scott (D-VA) and Mike Castle (R-DE) and in the U.S. Senate by Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME). The Youth PROMISE Act was also endorsed by the cities and counties of Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Santa Fe, Pasadena, Newport News, Norfolk, and Hampton. More endorsements are expected to follow.
According to Scott, the Youth PROMISE Act will provide resources to communities to engage in comprehensive prevention and intervention strategies. Specifically, under this act, communities facing the greatest gang challenges will each form a local council called a Promise Coordinating Council (“PCC”). The PCC will include representatives from law enforcement, court services, schools, social service organizations, health and mental health providers and community-based organizations, including faith-based organizations. The PCC will then develop a comprehensive plan for implementing evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies.
Sanchez believes the Youth PROMISE Act has great potential as a weapon against the spread of gangs in communities.
Next week, the Loudoun Independent will examine other bills introduced and under consideration by the House and Senate. We will examine the elements of each bill, who it may best serve, and how its adoption could affect the Loudoun community.
When we make a community an illegal alien sanctuary you have to expect that the hundreds of thousands of hard core criminals from south of the border will seek a safe haven there to pursue their life of crime.