Saturday, July 02, 2011

Organized Crime: MS-13 Member Receives 10 Years for Sex Trafficking of Juveniles

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Alexander Rivas, a/k/a “Casper,” 19, of Alexandria, Va., was sentenced today to 120 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for the sex trafficking of two juvenile females. As an outcome of today’s sentence, Rivas will also be required to register as a sex offender in whatever community he resides.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee.

According to court documents, Rivas, an American born MS-13 member who was residing in Northern Virginia, recruited two female juvenile runaways to serve as prostitutes. Rivas not only recruited the two victims, but also secured the prostitution clients, provided the prostitutes with condoms, negotiated the prostitution fees, and orchestrated the prostitution appointments. The majority of the prostitution activity took place throughout Northern Virginia, including the cities and municipalities of Woodbridge, Fairfax, and Alexandria.

This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office, with assistance from the Alexandria and Fairfax County police departments. Assistant United States Attorneys Zachary Terwilliger and Rebecca H. Bellows prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.