LOS ANGELES – (INT) – A federal racketeering case has been brought against 22 people linked to the MS-13 trans-national gang.

Prosecutors say most of the defendants allegedly participated in a series of murders, including several slayings in which victims were hacked to death with machetes in the Angeles National Forest.

A 12-count indictment alleges that members and associates of the gang murdered seven people over the last two years. The indictment charges gang leaders who allegedly authorized and coordinated the murders.

Also charged are gang members who allegedly murdered and attempted to murder rival gang members, those who were perceived to be cooperating with law enforcement, and, in one instance, a homeless man who was temporarily living in a park controlled by the gang.

The indictment focuses on a violent subset of the gang known as the Fulton clique, which operates in the San Fernando Valley and has recently seen an influx of young immigrants from Central America.

Story Date: July 19, 2019