GREENBELT, MD—Three alleged members of the notorious La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, gang have been charged with racketeering conspiracy, including murder and drug trafficking, following their initial appearance in the District of Maryland on Tuesday, July 15, 2025.
According to court documents, Maxwell Ariel Quijano-Casco, 24, of El Salvador; Daniel Isaias Villanueva-Bautista, 19, of El Salvador; and Josue Mauricio Lainez, 21, of Hyattsville, Maryland, are accused of killing a homeless man on July 4, 2024, in connection with their involvement in MS-13. The victim’s body was discovered the following day in a Dodge Caravan in a Hyattsville used-car lot.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Kelly O. Hayes announced the indictment alongside Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division; and Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD) Chief George Nader.
Court documents detail that surveillance video captured the incident. On July 4, 2024, at approximately 11:35 p.m., Quijano-Casco and another individual initially approached the victim. After the victim wielded what appeared to be a metal pole, Quijano-Casco and the other person fled.
Approximately 15 minutes later, Quijano-Casco allegedly returned with co-defendants Villanueva-Bautista and Lainez, and another person. At around 11:48 p.m., the four individuals were seen on video surveillance approaching the blue Dodge Caravan, opening its rear sliding door, and making movements consistent with striking someone inside. The victim did not exit the vehicle after the assault.
“The brutal retaliatory murder of this victim is a chilling reminder of the MS-13 gang’s callous disregard for human life,” said U.S. Attorney Hayes. “Those who assault and kill others must be brought to justice and ultimately held accountable for their actions.”
Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division echoed Hayes’s sentiment, stating, “Instead of simply walking away from an altercation with a homeless man, defendants returned to the scene and allegedly murdered the victim while he was sitting calmly inside a vehicle.”
Quijano-Casco and Villanueva-Bautista were arrested by PGPD on Aug. 23, 2024. At the time of his arrest, Quijano-Casco was in possession of a semi-automatic handgun and approximately eight grams of cocaine. Both Quijano-Casco and Villanueva-Bautista admitted to being present during the altercation, with Quijano-Casco claiming he stabbed the individual in self-defense.
All three defendants – Quijano-Casco, Villanueva-Bautista, and Lainez – are charged with RICO conspiracy, which includes the July 4, 2024, murder. If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Photo by Sora Shimazaki from Pexels
