Honduran man pleads guilty to gun charges related to MS-13 murder

A Honduran man has pleaded guilty to using a firearm while committing a crime of violence that led to the death of an individual targeted during an MS-13 gang initiation.

According to a U.S. Justice Department news release, Yerwin Ivan Hernandez-Ordonez, aka Probador, 31, a Honduran national, pleaded guilty Friday to the charges and will be sentenced in August.

Hernandez-Ordonez, a member of the El Salvadoran MS-13 gang, was arrested in Panama in October 2016 and was then extradited to the U.S.

According to the plea agreement, on the night of July 23, 2011, Hernandez-Ordonez and another co-conspirator helped two MS-13 recruits in the Richmond Sailors clique murder a rival gang member as part of their initiation.

After driving the victim to an area in Richmond, Virginia, one of the recruits tried to shoot the rival gang member but the gun misfired. Another recruit then shot and wounded the victim but did not kill him.

When the victim tried to escape, Hernandez-Ordonez chased him down and brought him back before the two recruits, who then proceeded to shoot and kill the victim. The two recruits were then initiated into the gang later that day.

In May 2013, Richmond Sailor’s clique leader Jose Armando Bran, aka Pantro, was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder, murder, maiming and use of a firearm during a crime of violence related to the killing and other criminal acts he ordered and committed as leader of the branch.

Bran was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences plus 120 months for the same murder and a separate maiming that he ordered.

FBI Richmond, HSI Richmond and the Richmond Police Department investigated the case, and the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs assisted with the extradition of Hernandez-Ordonez.

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