MS-13 Gang Member Sentenced To 120 Months For Child Sex Trafficking

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Jonathan Adonay Fuentes, aka “Cheesy,” and “Crazy Boy,” 21, of Clinton, Md., was sentenced to 120 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for sex trafficking a juvenile female as part of a prostitution enterprise operated by the violent street gang Mara Salvatrucha Thirteen (MS-13).

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.   

Fuentes, an El Salvadoran-born U.S. citizen, pleaded guilty to sex trafficking a child on Nov. 27, 2012. 

“As the driver for MS-13, Fuentes transported a young girl to various hotels and apartments – helping the gang exploit her as a child prostitute,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride. “We have a zero-tolerance policy against anyone who makes it possible to profit from the sexual slavery of children.”

“Today’s sentence demonstrates that those who force young girls into prostitution, as well as those who allow it, will pay the price for their actions,” said Assistant Director in Charge Parlave.  “Along with our law enforcement partners, the FBI will continue to ensure that anyone who commits any form of child exploitation will be pursued and punished to the fullest extent of the law.”

According to court documents, Fuentes assisted his fellow MS-13 gang members from the fall of 2009 through the spring of 2010 run a prostitution ring that specialized in selling juvenile girls for commercial sex. Fuentes admitted in court that he transported a teen girl within Virginia and Maryland to engage in sex with clients. The large majority of appointments took place at an MS-13-controlled apartment in Maryland; however, Fuentes also prostituted the young girl at various hotels throughout Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. Gang members supplied the victim with drugs and alcohol to keep her compliant.

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, with assistance from the Fairfax County Police Department and HSI, all of whom participate in the Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force.  Assistant United States Attorneys Zachary Terwilliger and Patricia T. Giles are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

Founded in 2004, the Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force is a collaboration of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies – along with nongovernmental organizations – dedicated to combating human trafficking and related crimes.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.