Overview
- Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, in a memo dated Wednesday and obtained by news outlets, authorized prosecutors to seek the death penalty for three alleged MS-13 members in one of his first major decisions.
- Prosecutors will pursue capital charges against Roberto Carlos Aguilar, Dennis Anaya Urias, and Grevil Zelaya Santiago, who are accused of murder in aid of racketeering, a federal crime that mandates life in prison and permits a death sentence if they are convicted.
- DOJ says MS-13 issued a “green light” — an order to kill — after the victim’s cooperation with authorities became known, marking him for execution by gang members.
- Investigators allege Urias and Santiago shot the victim at a South Los Angeles grocery store on February 18, 2025, after the victim twice called authorities that evening and gunshots were heard during the second call.
- The defendants were ordered held without bond after initial federal court appearances in Los Angeles, and their arraignments are scheduled for June 3.