Defendant admitted he participated in phone calls to find and kill witnesses responsible for the arrest of fellow gang members.
North Plainfield man admitted conspiring to murder government witnesses responsible for the arrest of fellow gang members. (File photo) NEWARK -- A MS-13 gang member from North Plainfield on Wednesday admitted to relaying instructions to murder government witnesses from jailed gang members, New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman and Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department's Criminal Division said in a joint announcement.
Jose Romero-Aguirre, also known as "Conejo," 29, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler to Count 26 of an indictment charging him with "conspiracy to commit murder in furtherance of a racketeering enterprise" known as La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13.
According to authorities, MS-13 is a national and international gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants from El Salvador. Branches, or "cliques," of MS-13 operate throughout the United States, including Plainfield, and members are required to commit acts of violence to maintain membership and discipline within the gang.
Romero-Aguirre stated in court that he was a member of the Plainfield Locos Salvatrucha (PLS) clique of MS-13 from at least August 2011. Romero-Aguirre admitted that he conspired with other members of MS-13 to engage in racketeering activity, including acts of murder, robbery, extortion and drug trafficking, authorities said.
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Authorities stated Romero-Aguirre also said that one of the central rules of MS-13 forbids any member from ever providing information about the gang's criminal activity to the police.
He told authorities that MS-13 members began investigating the arrest of several members of his clique in or around July 2011 and said he participated in phone calls with other incarcerated MS-13 members and discussed the need to find and kill the witnesses responsible for these arrests, it was stated in a news release.
Romero-Aguirre confessed to relaying the murder instructions from the incarcerated members to the other MS-13 members at large, including a message that the MS-13 members had 24 days to eliminate one of the government witnesses, authorities said.
Romero-Aguirre further admitted that he agreed to pass these murder instructions because he believed it would preserve his own position within MS-13, authorities said.
The conspiracy charge to which Romero-Aguirre pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in state prison and a $250,000 fine. He remains in jail pending his sentencing on March 16.
Twelve additional members and associates of the PLS clique of MS-13 are scheduled for trial in front of U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler on Feb. 9, authorities said. The charges include several counts of murder, attempted murder, robbery, extortion, witness retaliation and sexual assault, authorities said.
Fishman credited special agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations, Newark Division, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Kevin Kelly, and the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Richard M. Frankel in Newark, for the investigation leading to Wednesday's plea.
He also thanked the Union County Prosecutor's Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Grace H. Park, and the Plainfield Police Department, for their work on the case.
The government was represented by Assistant U.S. attorneys James Donnelly and Jamari Buxton of the U.S. Attorney's Office Criminal Division in Newark. Trial Attorney Kevin L. Rosenberg with the Justice Department Criminal Division's Organized Crime and Gang Section also assisted with the case.
Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@njadvancemedia.com.Follow him on Twitter @DHutch_SL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
