MS-13 Gang Member Sentenced for Illegally Possessing Ammunition

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An admitted MS-13 gang member was sentenced today to 15 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for possessing ammunition as a convicted felon.

According to court documents, Oscar Melendez, aka Creeper, 29, of Alexandria, possessed ammunition after having been convicted of multiple felonies involving possession of a controlled dangerous substance and credit card fraud. Law enforcement recovered the bullets from his residence while investigating crimes committed by the criminal gang MS-13. During a Mirandized interview, Melendez admitted to possessing the ammunition and to being a member of MS-13.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Matthew J. DeSarno, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division, Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr., Fairfax County Chief of Police, and J. Thomas Manger, Montgomery County Chief of Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady. Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen C. Cain prosecuted the case.

Mitigating MS-13’s presence in the National Capital Region is a joint effort between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Several Department of Justice law enforcement components, to include the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Forces and Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Forces, DEA, USMS, and ATF, along with the Department of Homeland Security, have dedicated significant resources to this effort.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:18-cr-245.