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butterbean · Joined: 21 Jun 2006 Posts: 2269

(AXcess News) New York - Thirteen alleged members of the street gang called La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, have been indicted by a federal grand jury in the Middle District of Tennessee on charges that they conspired to participate in a violent RICO enterprise responsible for killings and other violent crimes in Nashville.

The indictment alleges that the defendants were members or associates of the MS-13 street gang, a violent international criminal organization composed primarily of immigrants or descendants of immigrants from El Salvador.

The purpose of this enterprise was to preserve and protect the power, territory and profits of the MS-13 enterprise through violent assault, murder, threats of violence, and intimidation.

The indictment further alleges that MS-13 originated in Los Angeles and quickly spread across the country, including to Middle Tennessee. It currently includes approximately 10,000 members in at least 10 states, Mexico, Honduras and El Salvador, making it one of the largest street gangs in the United States.

MS-13 gang members regularly engage in violent criminal activity, including murders, assaults, and witness intimidation in order to maintain membership and discipline within MS-13 and rivalries against other gangs, according to the indictment. The violent nature of the enterprise and its members is reflected by one of their mottos: "Mata, Viola, Controla" ("Kill, Rape, Control").

The indictment further alleges that MS-13 was organized in "cliques," including the Thompson Place Locos Salvatruchos clique (TPLS), which operated in Nashville. The TPLS and other cliques allegedly worked together cooperatively to commit acts of violence and their members operated under the umbrella rules of MS-13.

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http://www.axcessnews.com/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=12706