Three Alleged Maryland MS-13 Members Charged with Murder, Racketeering

Three alleged MS-13 gang members—Maxwell Ariel Quijano-Casco, Daniel Isaias Villanueva-Bautista, and Josue Mauricio Lainez—were charged in federal court in Maryland with racketeering conspiracy, including the July 4, 2024, fatal stabbing of a homeless man in Hyattsville. The attack, captured on surveillance footage, involved the defendants assaulting the victim inside a vehicle at a used car lot, an act prosecutors described as brutal and senseless, motivated by the gang's internal rewards system. Quijano-Casco was found in possession of a handgun and cocaine upon arrest, and both he and Villanueva-Bautista admitted involvement, with Quijano-Casco allegedly confessing to the stabbing. The Department of Justice emphasized that the defendants' actions perpetuate MS-13's violent influence in Maryland communities and vowed to continue efforts to eradicate the gang. In related cases, multiple suspected MS-13 members were indicted for several murders and shootings across Baltimore City and Prince George's County, highlighting the gang's widespread violent activities in the state. Authorities continue to investigate and prosecute MS-13 members under racketeering charges to combat the gang's reign of terror.