Washington, D.C. – The Justice Department’s effort to convict alleged MS‑13 gang leader Moises Rivera‑Luna ended in a second mistrial within five months, as a federal jury could not agree on a verdict in April 2026. The deadlock mirrors a broader trend of stalled prosecutions in the capital’s federal courts, where the Trump‑appointed U.S. Attorney’s Office has struggled to secure convictions.
Background of the case
Rivera‑Luna, described by prosecutors as the mastermind behind a series of murders ordered from a Salvadoran prison cell, was arrested in 2025 and brought to the United States. The case alleges that he directed MS‑13 members to carry out shootings and stabbings in the D.C. area between 2008 and 2010, including the murder of a man who violated gang protocol by moving a knife in his pockets.
During both trials, the prosecution presented audio recordings of Rivera‑Luna speaking in Spanish to a gang contact in the Washington area, saying, “You have 13 days to eat chicken,” which prosecutors interpreted as a coded threat to kill.
Jury difficulties
The first trial, held in December 2025, ended after the jury reported an impasse. Judge Royce Lamberth, a veteran of the federal bench, noted that a single juror appeared to dominate deliberations, leading to accusations of bullying. The second trial in April 2026 reached a similar deadlock, with jurors describing their deliberations as “hopeless” and “in complete impasse.”
Legal observers note that federal juries nationwide convict defendants in roughly 90 percent of criminal cases, making the Washington pattern unusual. Some attorneys suggest that jurors may be scrutinizing the Justice Department’s evidence more closely, while others speculate that political sentiments toward the Trump administration could be influencing outcomes.
Impact on the U.S. Attorney’s Office
Since January 2026, the DC U.S. Attorney’s Office has tried eight federal cases, securing convictions in only four before the MS‑13 trials. Following the recent mistrials, the office has pursued nearly a dozen additional cases, resulting in two acquittals and four more deadlocked juries.
Former prosecutors and investigators, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the situation as “embarrassing” and warned that the office’s ability to prosecute future high‑profile cases, such as the upcoming trial of an alleged conspirator in the 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 bombing, may be compromised.
Community and legal perspectives
Defense attorney Christopher Davis, representing a cooperating witness, said DC jurors tend to be highly educated and take their civic duty seriously, often “overturning every stone” in pursuit of fairness. Prosecutor Robert Feitel, representing one of the defendants, called the repeated mistrials a “failure of proof” rather than a political issue.
The case underscores the challenges faced by federal prosecutors in an environment where juries appear increasingly reluctant to convict, even in cases involving violent gang activity that has harmed local communities.
Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.
