Alex Sanchez, 37 (Los Angeles Times / June 24, 2009)
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LOS ANGELES -- A former MS-13 gang member turned anti-gang activist pleaded not guilty Monday to federal charges of involvement in multiple slayings, extortion and assaults in the Lafayette Park area.
Alex Sanchez, 37, director of the nonprofit gang outreach organization Homies Unidos, is charged with a federal racketeering count for his alleged role in the assassination three years ago of a man in El Salvador, court papers show.
The charges were unsealed June 24 in a sweeping federal indictment at the conclusion of a multi-agency investigation into Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, a street gang with branches throughout the nation.
Sanchez, along with various alleged gang members, are charged with murders, drug distribution and other crimes.
One count of the 16-count indictment involves an unsuccessful conspiracy to kill a Los Angeles police detective.
A defense attorney who represented Sanchez at today's arraignment denied the charges but declined to go into specifics outside court.
According to various sources, Sanchez was an illegal immigrant and active member of MS-13 in the Los Angeles area as a youth.
After he was convicted of a parole violation in 1994, he was deported to his native El Salvador, but snuck back into the United States a year later, renouncing his gang membership.
Federal immigration officials attempted to again deport Sanchez in 2000 based on his criminal history, but then-state senator Tom Hayden and others campaigned in support of the ex-gangster. Sanchez was granted political asylum.
In a statement posted on its Web site, Homies Unidos said Sanchez long ago chose "a peacemaker's path, through intervention and prevention."
"For the past 11 years, Alex has been committed to helping bring about change in his community," the statement says. "He is an exemplary leader, respected colleague and dedicated husband and father. Just as we are confident in Alex's innocence, we are confident that Los Angeles and the nation will remember that an indictment is an allegation only."
After his not guilty plea was entered, Sanchez, who remains in federal custody, was ordered to appear for trial on Sept. 1 before U.S. District Judge Manuel L. Real.
Alex Sanchez, 37, director of the nonprofit gang outreach organization Homies Unidos, is charged with a federal racketeering count for his alleged role in the assassination three years ago of a man in El Salvador, court papers show.
The charges were unsealed June 24 in a sweeping federal indictment at the conclusion of a multi-agency investigation into Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, a street gang with branches throughout the nation.
Sanchez, along with various alleged gang members, are charged with murders, drug distribution and other crimes.
One count of the 16-count indictment involves an unsuccessful conspiracy to kill a Los Angeles police detective.
A defense attorney who represented Sanchez at today's arraignment denied the charges but declined to go into specifics outside court.
According to various sources, Sanchez was an illegal immigrant and active member of MS-13 in the Los Angeles area as a youth.
After he was convicted of a parole violation in 1994, he was deported to his native El Salvador, but snuck back into the United States a year later, renouncing his gang membership.
Federal immigration officials attempted to again deport Sanchez in 2000 based on his criminal history, but then-state senator Tom Hayden and others campaigned in support of the ex-gangster. Sanchez was granted political asylum.
In a statement posted on its Web site, Homies Unidos said Sanchez long ago chose "a peacemaker's path, through intervention and prevention."
"For the past 11 years, Alex has been committed to helping bring about change in his community," the statement says. "He is an exemplary leader, respected colleague and dedicated husband and father. Just as we are confident in Alex's innocence, we are confident that Los Angeles and the nation will remember that an indictment is an allegation only."
After his not guilty plea was entered, Sanchez, who remains in federal custody, was ordered to appear for trial on Sept. 1 before U.S. District Judge Manuel L. Real.
