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A La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, gang member wanted by federal authorities in Las Vegas on a 34-count indictment that includes allegations of 10 murders over the course of approximately one year has been arrested in the Rio Grande Valley.
McAllen federal court records indicate that authorities took Alexander De Jesus Figueroa-Torres into custody on Tuesday.
He’s scheduled for a first appearance on Wednesday morning.
Figueroa-Torres was indicted on Aug. 4, 2021 with Luis Reynaldo Reyes-Castillo, also known as “Molesto,” David Arturo Perez-Manchame, also known as “Herbi” or “Walter Melendez,” and Joel Vargas-Escobar, also known as “Mumia.”
The sprawling indictment accuses the men of RICO conspiracy; murder in aid of racketeering; attempted murder in aid of racketeering; use/carry of a firearm during a crime of violence; causing death through the use of a firearm; and aiding and abetting.
It’s not immediately clear in court records where in the Valley that Figueroa-Torres was arrested or the circumstances behind the arrest, only that an arrest warrant was executed Tuesday.
The 55-page indictment lists 10 murders that occurred within the jurisdiction of the U.S. Attorney for the federal District of Nevada.
Those killings happened between March 13, 2017 and March 1, 2018, according to the indictment.
Figueroa-Torres is only named in one of the murders while Reyes-Castillo and Perez-Manchame are charged with the vast majority of the murders.
Federal court records from Nevada indicate that Vargas-Escobar is still a fugitive.
A news release at the time of the indictment said that in addition to the murders, the suspects were also involved in kidnappings, burglaries and drug trafficking.
The indictment also alleges that the suspects had ties to California.
Reyes-Castillo and Perez-Manchame have pleaded not guilty.
The federal government is not seeking the death penalty, court records indicate.
