MS-13 Gang Members Plead Guilty to RICO Charges Before Upcoming Trial

Gang Busters

​A Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang member involved in a drive-by shooting pled guilty this week to racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to commit murder charges.

Wilbert "Cypress" Castillo, 29, admitted Tuesday he's been an MS-13 member since 2004.  He confessed that he agreed with others that a conspirator would commit crimes to further the goals of the gang, including attacking and killing rival Norteno gang members who defied MS-13. 

Specifically, Castillo admitted that he was driving MS-13 members in San Francisco when one of them told him to stop. Then a gunman got out of the the car and shot at a group of alleged Nortenos who were on the street.

Castillo was the get-away-car; he drove onto a freeway where the same MS-13 gunman in his car fired several shots at a nearby car that he believed was being driven by a Norteno gang member.

Castillo's plea came two months after Walter "Demonio" Chinchilla-Linar, and Cesar "Momia" Alvarado pled guilty to the same two charges.

Both men admitted that they were part of the MS-13 gang who had gone "hunting" for Nortenos on July 31, 2008. They had surrounded three teenagers around Persia and Madrid Streets in the Excelsior District. Alvarado said that Chinchilla-Linar acted as lookout as he and the others held the teens at knife point, demanding to know their gang affiliation. 

One of the teens ran away. Both Chinchilla-Linar and Alvarado admitted that a fellow MS-13 gang member ran after the teen and stabbed him to death.

All three are facing potential life in prison and a $500,000 fine.

Sixteen alleged MS-13 members are still pending trial to begin in March.

Follow us on Twitter at @TheSnitchSF and @SFWeekly