MS-13 member from Fresno County convicted in federal court of assault, trafficking

A jury convicted a MS-13 member from Fresno County on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and conspiracy to drug trafficking.

Lorenzo Amador, 23, of Mendota, was found guilty of one count of assault with a deadly weapon in aid of racketeering and one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute marijuana, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert

Court documents and evidence in the trial showed that Amador was a member of La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and on Aug. 12, 2018, he and fellow gang members kicked, hit and stabbed a member of a rival gang in the back with a knife.

The rival gang member received a slice in his diaphragm, sending him to the emergency room where he had to have life-saving surgery.

After the attack, Amador logged on to his Facebook account and used coded language to send word of the attack to his fellow MS-13 members. His message was intercepted by a wiretap on his fellow gang members’ Facebook accounts.

In the next few day, the gang members attempted to call Amador to warn him that police might be closing in on him and to try to help him flee Mendota. Police eventually arrested him two months later.

Amador also joined a drug conspiracy, which he participated in by driving to Los Angeles to help the gang pick up drugs, returning to Mendota with the drugs, and selling them for the gang.

Amador is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 17 and faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.