Mendota Man Faces Life in Prison After Federal Jury Finds Him Guilty of Violent Attacks in Aid of MS-13

After an 11-day trial, a federal jury today convicted Oscar Armando Orellana Guevara, 28, of Mendota, of conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise and attempted murder for his ongoing involvement in MS-13, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.

For nearly a decade, members of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang terrorized Mendota through violence, extortion, drug trafficking, and enforcement of gang rules. A federal grand jury ultimately charged multiple members, including Orellana, with conspiring to participate in a racketeering enterprise aimed at protecting MS-13 territory, enhancing its reputation, disciplining members, and raising money for the gang.

Attempted Murder of JBH

According to court documents and testimony during the trial, on Aug. 28, 2020, Orellana and other MS-13 members were at a river near Mendota, when they heard music coming from another spot. They discovered the individual playing the music was JBH, whom they targeted because he because he was related to a government informant who was cooperating with law enforcement against MS-13.

Unable to retaliate against the cooperator, who was in prison, the group attacked JBH instead. Upon arriving at the scene, Orellana yelled out "I'm from the Mara and today is your last day to live" and then chased JBH across the river into an orchard. There, he forced the victim to his knees before stabbing him 10 times.

JBH was treated at a hospital for multiple stab wounds, including chest wounds that nearly punctured a lung and eviscerating wounds that penetrated his abdominal cavity and damaged his intestines.

Racketeering Conspiracy

In addition to the attempted murder of JBH, court documents and trial testimony showed that Orellana participated in the MS-13 enterprise for years, including by selling drugs, extorting people, patrolling for rival gang members, and participating in plans to murder others.

On Aug. 12, 2018, Orellana participated in the stabbing of a rival Bulldog gang member. While riding in an SUV, Guevara and others spotted IR near a convenience store, confronted him, chased him, and stabbed him before fleeing.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Multi-Agency Gang Enforcement Consortium (MAGEC), and the Fresno County Sheriff's Office conducted the investigation with assistance from the Mendota Police Department, the Fresno County District Attorney's Office, and the Madera County Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Veneman-Hughes, Ross Pearson, and Justin Gilio are prosecuting the case

Another defendant in the case, Martin Leiva-Leiva, remains set for trial on racketeering conspiracy and six counts of capital murder on June 7, 2027.

Orellana is scheduled to be sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill on Nov. 5, 2026. Orellana faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Sacramento is composed of agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Northern California High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, Central Valley High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, and the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California.