MARYLAND — A New Jersey man was sentenced to life in prison after committing a string of crimes throughout Maryland and Virginia.
Some of his charges include murder, conspiracy to commit murder and possession with intent to distribute. Miguel Angel Corea Diaz, a leader in the transnational gang MS-13, was convicted by a federal jury on Nov. 23, 2021, after a four-week long trial.
Associate Junior Noe Alvarada-Requeno, of Landover, Maryland, was also convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Court documents show that the gang is composed primarily of immigrants from El Savador. They have branches that operate throughout Frederick County, Anne Arundel County, Prince George's County and Montgomery County.
Evidence presented at trial showed Corea Diaz and Alvarado-Requeno were involved in significant criminal activity in Langley Park, Maryland. Prosecutors say they extorted local businesses by charging them “rent” for the privilege of operating in MS-13 “territory."
In March 2017, one of their members was hiding from law enforcement in the Lynchburg, Virginia area, when they had a dispute with a local high school student over marijuana. In response, Corea-Diaz and Alvarado-Requeno organized a squad to drive down to Lynchburg and murder the minor.
They kidnapped the student from his front lawn and cut off his hand before killing him. After the murder, they helped to hide and protect the killers from law enforcement.
In June 2016, Alvarado-Requeno ordered fellow gang members to murder a suspected rival in the woods at Malcolm King Park in Gaithersburg. Luring him with the promise of sex with a female MS-13 associate, the gang members ambushed the teenage victim and stabbed him 153 times. That victim did not belong to any gang.
