A federal jury has convicted four Los Angeles-based MS-13 gang members for their roles in three gruesome murders carried out in the Angeles National Forest, federal prosecutors announced Thursday. One of the killings involved the dismemberment of a victim whose heart was carved from his chest.
The defendants—Angel Amadeo Guzman, 31, and Fernando Garcia Parada, 28, both of Panorama City; Edgard Velasquez, 43, of Reseda; and Jose Jonathan Castillo, 34, of Koreatown—were found guilty of racketeering conspiracy and violent crimes in aid of racketeering – murder. All four men remain in federal custody.
Evidence from the 17-day trial detailed the inner workings of MS-13 Los Angeles, which operates via local “cliques” like the Fulton clique in the San Fernando Valley and the Francis clique near MacArthur Park. The gang funds its operations through drug trafficking, robbery, and extorting local businesses. According to prosecutors, MS-13 enforces strict rules requiring members to commit murder and acts of extreme violence to advance through the ranks…