MS–13, AND COUNTING: GANG ACTIVITY IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED NINTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION JULY 14, 2006 Serial No. 109–174 Printed for the use of the Committee on Government Reform ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/congress/index.html http://www.house.gov/reform U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 29–710 PDF WASHINGTON : 2006 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2250 Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate 11-MAY-2000 13:01 Sep 26, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 D:\DOCS\29710.TXT HGOVREF1 PsN: HGOVREF1 COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM TOM DAVIS, Virginia, Chairman CHRISTOPHER SHAYS, Connecticut HENRY A. WAXMAN, California DAN BURTON, Indiana TOM LANTOS, California ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida MAJOR R. OWENS, New York JOHN M. MCHUGH, New York EDOLPHUS TOWNS, New York JOHN L. MICA, Florida PAUL E. KANJORSKI, Pennsylvania GIL GUTKNECHT, Minnesota CAROLYN B. MALONEY, New York MARK E. SOUDER, Indiana ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS, Maryland STEVEN C. LATOURETTE, Ohio DENNIS J. KUCINICH, Ohio TODD RUSSELL PLATTS, Pennsylvania DANNY K. DAVIS, Illinois CHRIS CANNON, Utah WM. LACY CLAY, Missouri JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR., Tennessee DIANE E. WATSON, California CANDICE S. MILLER, Michigan STEPHEN F. LYNCH, Massachusetts MICHAEL R. TURNER, Ohio CHRIS VAN HOLLEN, Maryland DARRELL E. ISSA, California LINDA T. SANCHEZ, California JON C. PORTER, Nevada C.A. DUTCH RUPPERSBERGER, Maryland KENNY MARCHANT, Texas BRIAN HIGGINS, New York LYNN A. WESTMORELAND, Georgia ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, District of PATRICK T. MCHENRY, North Carolina Columbia CHARLES W. DENT, Pennsylvania ——— VIRGINIA FOXX, North Carolina BERNARD SANDERS, Vermont JEAN SCHMIDT, Ohio (Independent) ——— ——— DAVID MARIN, Staff Director LAWRENCE HALLORAN, Deputy Staff Director TERESA AUSTIN, Chief Clerk PHIL BARNETT, Minority Chief of Staff/Chief Counsel (II) VerDate 11-MAY-2000 13:01 Sep 26, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 D:\DOCS\29710.TXT HGOVREF1 PsN: HGOVREF1 C O N T E N T S Page Hearing held on July 14, 2006 ............................................................................... 1 Statement of: Connolly, Gerry, chairman, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors; David Albo, delegate for the 42nd District, State legislature, Commonwealth of Virginia; Robert A. Bermingham, Jr., coordinator, Fairfax County Gang Prevention Program; Luis Cardona, youth violence prevention coordinator, Department of Health and Human Services, Montgomery County; Elizabeth Guzman, assistant area executive director, Boys & Girls Clubs, Prince William Region; and Norma Juarbe Lopez, execu- tive director, Hispanic Committee of Virginia ............................................ 13 Albo, David ................................................................................................ 24 Bermingham, Robert A., Jr. ..................................................................... 29 Cardona, Luis ............................................................................................ 51 Connolly, Gerry ......................................................................................... 13 Guzman, Elizabeth .................................................................................... 35 Lopez, Norma Juarbe ................................................................................ 34 Spero, James, Acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Special Agent in Charge Office, Washington, DC, U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement; Diego G. Rodriguez, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, Washington Field Office, Federal Bureau of Inves- tigations; Marla Decker, deputy attorney general for public safety, Vir- ginia Office of the Attorney General; Chief Touissant Summers, Jr., Chair, Northern Virginia Regional Gang Task Force, city of Herndon Police Department; and Captain Milburne (Bill) Lynn, commander, Vio- lent Crimes Task Force/Gang Unit, Prince George’s County Police De- partment ........................................................................................................ 77 Decker, Marla ............................................................................................ 110 Lynn, Captain Milburne (Bill) .................................................................. 105 Rodriguez, Diego G. ................................................................................... 89 Spero, James .............................................................................................. 77 Summers, Chief Touissant, Jr. ........................................................................ 101 Letters, statements, etc., submitted for the record by: Albo, David, delegate for the 42nd District, State legislature, Common- wealth of Virginia, prepared statement of .................................................. 26 Bermingham, Robert A., Jr., coordinator, Fairfax County Gang Preven- tion Program, prepared statement of .......................................................... 31 Cardona, Luis, youth violence prevention coordinator, Department of Health and Human Services, Montgomery County, prepared statement of ..................................................................................................................... 55 Connolly, Gerry, chairman, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, pre- pared statement of ........................................................................................ 17 Davis, Chairman Tom, a Representative in Congress from the State of Virginia, prepared statement of ................................................................... 4 Decker, Marla, deputy attorney general for public safety, Virginia Office of the Attorney General, prepared statement of ........................................ 112 Guzman, Elizabeth, assistant area executive director, Boys & Girls Clubs, Prince William Region, prepared statement of ........................................... 38 Lynn, Captain Milburne (Bill), commander, Violent Crimes Task Force/ Gang Unit, Prince George’s County Police Department, prepared state- ment of ........................................................................................................... 107 Rodriguez, Diego G., Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Divi- sion, Washington Field Office, Federal Bureau of Investigations, pre- pared statement of ........................................................................................ 92 (III) VerDate 11-MAY-2000 13:01 Sep 26, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 D:\DOCS\29710.TXT HGOVREF1 PsN: HGOVREF1 IV Page Letters, statements, etc., submitted for the record by—Continued Ruppersberger, Hon. C.A. Dutch, a Representative in Congress from the State of Maryland, prepared statement of .................................................. 126 Spero, James, Acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Special Agent in Charge Office, Washington, DC, U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, prepared statement of ........................................................... 80 Summers, Chief Touissant, Jr., Chair, Northern Virginia Regional Gang Task Force, city of Herndon Police Department, prepared statement of ..................................................................................................................... 103 VerDate 11-MAY-2000 13:01 Sep 26, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 D:\DOCS\29710.TXT HGOVREF1 PsN: HGOVREF1 MS–13, AND COUNTING: GANG ACTIVITY IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2006 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM, Fairfax, VA. The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:07 a.m., in room 305, Fairfax City Hall, Fairfax, VA, Hon. Tom Davis (chairman of the committee) presiding. Present: Representatives Tom Davis, Van Hollen, Ruppersberger, and Norton. Also present: Representatives Wolf and Moran. Staff present: David Marin, staff director; Jennifer Safavian, chief counsel for oversight and investigations; Brooke Bennett, counsel; Rob White, communications director; Andrea LeBlanc, dep- uty director of communications; Teresa Austin, chief clerk; Mindi Walker, professional staff member; Bill Womack, legislative direc- tor; Darcie Brickner, legislative assistant; and Howie Denis, coun- sel. Chairman TOM DAVIS. The hearing will come to order. I would ask unanimous consent that the distinguished gentlemen from Virginia, Mr. Wolf and Mr. Moran, be permitted to participate in the hearing today. Without objection, so ordered. I want to thank everybody for coming out to Fairfax City to to- day’s hearing. Mr. Van Hollen is in traffic, but he’s going to get here—in traffic in the county, Jerry, but I’m not sure—we’re going to be examining the activity of gangs in northern Virginia and the D.C. Region, including the notorious MS–13. We’ll also be looking at the State, local, and Federal responses to the problem. It’s very easy for us to think of gangs as something affecting big cities like Los Angeles or New York, but more and more gangs are moving into smaller cities and suburban communities, terrorizing residents and stretching enforcement and prevention resources to their limits. For example, MS–13, one of the Nation’s most violent and prevalent gangs, has a presence in 33 States, with membership that could exceed 20,000 people in the United States. And as we’re all well aware,