Sentenced 29-year-old Sergio Amador Amador member of a New York clique of MS-13 known as Surenos Locos Salvatrucha to life in prison

Sergio Amador, 29, was a member of a New York clique of MS-13 known as Surenos Locos Salvatrucha, an offshoot of the gang Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13. Two years ago, Amador was sent to Northern Virginia to help a local MS-13 clique fight the 18th Street gang. With roots in Los Angeles, Central America and Mexico, the Hispanic gangs are considered rivals.Amador joined Oscar Omar Lobo-Lopez, the leader of the Hollywood Locos Salvatrucha clique, in the hunt for Melvin Reyes, a man who they believed belonged to the 18th Street gang. Prosecutors said the rules of MS-13 required members to attack their rivals whenever they see them.MS-13 members were angry because Reyes had visible tattoos that showed his allegiance to 18th Street. The gang patrolled the Hispanic section of Springfield warning people that they should contact Lobo-Lopez if they ever saw Reyes.On May 5, 2007, members of the Hollywood Locos Salvatrucha spotted Reyes in the Springfield Garden apartments on the 7200 block of Commerce Street, near Old Keene Mill Road. Amador and Lobo-Lopez, armed with handguns, chased after Reyes and shot him. Reyes fell to the parking lot ground.

As Reyes lay wounded, prosecutors said, both men stood over him. Lobo-Lopez ordered Amador to “finish him,” and Amador shot Reyes in the head. Reyes was shot seven times.

His was one of three Hispanic gang killings in Fairfax in 2007.
In February, Amador, who is an illegal immigrant, pleaded guilty to Reyes’ murder and later testified for the prosecution against Lobo-Lopez. Amador was sentenced Friday.Lobo-Lopez was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering and murder in aid of racketeering. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison July 24.sentenced 29-year-old Sergio Amador Amador to life in prison for killing a suspected rival gang member. Amador and Oscar Omar Lobo-Lopez fatally shot Melvin Reyes, a suspected rival gang member, on May 5, 2007, in Springfield, Va. On Feb. 27, 2009, Amador pled guilty to murder in aid of racketeering before United States District Judge T.S. Ellis III.Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Joseph Persichini Jr., Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office; Colonel David Rohrer, Fairfax County Chief of Police; and James Dinkins, Special Agent in Charge for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s Office of Investigations in Washington, D.C., made the announcement. Lobo-Lopez also faces a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison when he is sentenced on July 24, 2009.Amador and Lobo-Lopez, both members of the MS-13 or Mara Salvatrucha gang, fatally shot Melvin Reyes, also known as "Pelon," on the night of May 5, 2007. The two MS-13 gang members killed Reyes because he was believed to be a member of the rival 18th Street gang. The rules of MS-13 require its members to attack and/or kill rival gang members. After patrolling for Reyes earlier that day, Amador, Lobo-Lopez and other MS-13 members located Reyes at the Springfield Garden apartments. Amador and Lobo-Lopez, armed with handguns, chased after and fired at Reyes. Wounded from the initial gunshots, Reyes fell in the parking lot. Amador and Lobo-Lopez approached him, and Lobo-Lopez ordered Amador to finish him. Amador then fired shots to Reyes’ head. Reyes suffered from seven gunshot wounds at the time of his death. Amador was a member of a New York clique of MS-13, known as Surenos Locos Salvatrucha (SLS).

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Fairfax County Police Department, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Suffolk County Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Morris Parker and Patricia Giles and Special Assistant United States Attorney Zachary Richter prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.