WASHINGTON — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)), published as received.
WASHINGTON – Cesar De La O Rodriguez, 21, a citizen of El Salvador and a member of the violent transnational criminal street gang known as 18th Street, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 40 years in federal prison in connection with the 2021 stalking and killing of an individual he suspected was a rival international gang member in Rockville, Maryland, a slaying committed to increase his standing in the 18th Street gang.
The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., for the District of Columbia, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office, Criminal and Cyber Division.
Rodriguez, aka “Lunatico,” pleaded guilty on February 9, 2024, to conspiring to participate in a racketeer influenced and corrupt organization (RICO Conspiracy) and conspiracy to commit violent crime in aid of racketeering-murder.
Days after making his plea, on February 18, Rodriguez participated in the jail house stabbing of a fellow inmate at the Northern Neck Regional Jail in Warsaw, Virginia. Rodriguez is facing additional charges in connection with the stabbing of attempted murder, malicious wounding resulting in significant physical impairment.
In addition to the 40-year prison sentence, Rodriguez also will face deportation hearings at the completion of his sentence.
The 18th Street gang engages in a variety of criminal activities to include acts of assault, robbery, kidnapping, murder, and firearms trafficking in the District of Columbia and other jurisdictions, both within United States and in foreign countries. 18th Street members are required to commit acts of violence to further the interests of the gang. These violent acts are often directed against rival gang members, 18th Street members who have violated gang rules or have otherwise disrespected the gang, and people who are suspected of cooperating with law enforcement.
According to court documents, on December 19, 2021, at the command of a senior member of 18th Street, Rodriguez and co-defendants followed the victim, Danis Alcides Salgado Mata, to Mata’s home on the 13700 block of Ashby Road in Rockville, Maryland. Rodriguez and his co-defendants believed that Mata was a member of the international gang MS-13.
Upon arriving at Mata’s home, Rodriguez and another 18th Street member fired multiple gunshots at Mata, striking him multiple times in the torso. Mata eventually died from his injuries. During the shooting, Mata’s mother and stepfather were also struck by gunfire, but survived their injuries. Rodriguez and the other 18th Street gang member fled the scene and into the District of Columbia.
At the time of the shooting, the Rodriguez was a low-ranking member of the 18th Street gang and was ultimately promoted to a full-fledged member or “homeboy.”
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office, the Montgomery County Police Department, United States Marshals Service, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
This investigation is part of the Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking (HIDTA) Northern Virginia Gang Initiative, which seeks to identify, disrupt, and dismantle drug trafficking organizations and money laundering organizations; reduce drug-related crime and violence; and identify and respond to emerging drug trends.
The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys John Korba, Sitara Witanachchi, and William Hart.
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