COLUMBUS – A 35-year-old Columbus man accused of being a member of the gang MS-13 was sentenced to 35 years in prison for his involvement in multiple homicides, including the murder of a former confidential informant, federal authorities announced.
MS-13 defendant sentenced to 35 years in prison for directly participating in three homicides in aid of racketeering https://t.co/08yXo0D0Wg
— US Attorney Southern District of Ohio (@SDOHnews) January 16, 2020
Juan Jose Jimenez-Montufar, also known as Chele Trece, pleaded guilty in August 2019 to his involvement in multiple homicides, including the 2006 murder of a confidential informant who was working with law enforcement agencies in the Columbus area, according to a release from the office of U.S. Attorney David DeVillers.
Jimenez-Montufar is one of 23 individuals charged in February 2018 with being members and associates of MS-13 in Columbus and engaging in a racketeering conspiracy that which includes five murders as well as attempted murder, extortion, money laundering, drug trafficking, assault, obstruction of justice, witness intimidation, weapons offenses and immigration-related violations, DeVillers said.
Among other crimes, Jimenez-Montufar admitted to shooting and killing Jose Mendez in the head and killing him in a remote location east of Columbus in 2006 and leaving his body in Perry County.