Andrew Alvarado, a member of the Salinas-based “Murder Squad,” was sentenced to 38 years in federal prison for racketeering conspiracy and 10 years for conspiracy to murder in aid of racketeering. The sentences will run concurrently. U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman issued the sentence.
Alvarado, 34, pleaded guilty on April 15, 2025, to charges stemming from his involvement in multiple murders and attempted murders linked to the Norteño criminal street gang. According to court documents, the “Murder Squad” engaged in more than a dozen “hunts,” targeting individuals they believed were rival gang members based on superficial characteristics such as being Hispanic or wearing blue.
From 2015 to 2018, these hunts resulted in the deaths of 11 people and left another 17 injured. Many victims were not affiliated with any rival gang.
In his guilty plea, Alvarado admitted participation in six hunts between January and May 2017. He acted as the shooter in three incidents that resulted in three deaths and one injury. In other hunts, he served as part of the security/spotter team.
United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian commented on the case: “Gangs and the drugs and violence they bring with them wreak havoc on our communities and the hardworking families that live within them. The ruthless actions of the ‘Murder Squad’ shattered the public’s sense of safety and destroyed the lives of so many in Salinas.”
HSI Acting Special Agent Jeffrey Brannigan stated: “HSI San Francisco has a long and impactful history of investigating transnational gangs that threaten the safety of our communities in Northern California.”
Judge Freeman also sentenced Alvarado to concurrent supervised release periods following his prison term. Alvarado is now serving his sentence immediately after being remanded into custody.
He is one among six members sentenced from this group; others had previously pleaded guilty last year under similar charges.
This prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorney George Hageman with support from Nina Burney, Lakisha Holliman, and Yenni Weinberg as part of an OCDETF investigation involving several law enforcement agencies including HSI, FBI, Salinas Police Department, and Monterey County District Attorney’s Office.
