In a trial that followed over a dozen other convictions of his MS-13 associates, Elmer Rodriguez, a.k.a Gordo, was convicted in federal court this week on multiple counts of murder, attempted murder, and racketeering conspiracy.

Rodriguez, 34, was one of 13 members of the notorious MS-13 20th Street clique based in San Francisco indicted in November 2021 for a raft of crimes, as part of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with help from the San Francisco Police Department Homicide Unit and multiple other law enforcement agencies. The group were charged in 15 different acts of violence, and to date, prior Rodriguez's conviction, 13 defendants have been convicted and are behind bars.

A leader of the clique, Rodriguez was convicted for ordering the murders of Jorge Martinez near 19th and Mission Street on March 17, 2017, and Giovanni Alvarez, a.k.a. “P Wee,” on May 25, 2017. And the trial also centered on racketeering activities and other murders believed to be committed by the 20th Street clique, including the previously unsolved murder of German Polanco Gil on September 2, 2015; and the February 2018 murder of Gilberto Rodriguez at the Gray Whale Cove parking lot in Pacifica.

"Bringing these violent criminal gang members to justice is a direct result of the partnerships between HSI SF, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the San Francisco Police Department and the San Mateo County Sherriff’s Office,” said Tatum King, special agent in charge, HSI San Francisco / NorCal. "HSI personnel and law enforcement partners dedicated years to this complex investigation with the ultimate goals of holding criminals accountable and prevention of additional victimization in our communities."

The murder of Jorge Martinez in March 2017 was particularly tragic. As the Department of Justice explains in a release, "Martinez had been celebrating his birthday after attending a Warriors basketball game with his son. After the game, they went to a bar in the Mission District. Rodriguez and other MS-13 clique members were also present at the bar that night and identified Martinez as a possible rival Norteño gang member. Rodriguez ordered another clique associate to murder Martinez. The associate followed Martinez out of the bar and shot him to death."

Alvarez, who was a 20th Street clique member, was murdered two months later because Rodriguez reportedly believed he was cooperating with law enforcement.

"Rodriguez and his associates, including Edwin Alvarado Amaya, a/k/a 'Muerte' and Kenneth Campos, a/k/a 'Nesio,' lured Alvarez into a car. Campos drove the group to Bernal Heights Park where the group intended to kill him. At the park, Rodriguez gave a signal to Alvarado Amaya, who then hacked Alvarez to death by inflicting dozens of deep wounds to his face and torso with a machete," the DOJ explains.

Alvarado Amaya and Campos previously pleaded guilty to the murder and have both been sentenced.

See the extent of the charges against Rodriguez here. He now faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

Previously: San Francisco Police Arrest Eight Alleged Gang Members, Recover Stolen Property