Charges dropped against Alex Sanchez of Homies Unidos

This post is an update to a post I wrote in 2009 about the federal indictment of Alex Sanchez, the executive director of Homies Unidos in Los Angeles.   This week Sanchez received good news that federal prosecutors have dismissed the charges against him.   From the LA Times:

The U.S. attorney's office has filed a motion to dismiss racketeering and conspiracy to commit murder charges against a nationally recognized anti-gang leader named in a 2009 federal indictment targeting several gang members involved in multiple slayings, extortions and assaults.

The request to dismiss an indictment against Alex Sanchez, executive director of Homies Unidos, comes after three years of legal battles. Sanchez was among two dozen alleged members or associates of the Mara Salvatrucha gang, also known as MS-13, charged in an indictment in 2009.

Federal prosecutors are asking to dismiss the charges without prejudice, leaving the door open for new charges. But in the motion, prosecutors acknowledged that there were issues with information presented to the grand jury. They did not elaborate on their decision. Sanchez's attorney said she could not discuss sealed testimony.

"We applaud the government for conscientiously re-evaluating the case and recognizing that the evidence it presented to the grand jury does not support the charges brought against Alex," said his attorney Amy Jacks.

"This has been a long time coming but the government has now made the right decision by recommending dismissal of the case against Alex. If the court grants the government's motion, Alex can focus on what he has done so well for many years: helping our community with gang intervention and prevention and promoting peaceful solutions to our conflicts."

Homies Unidos is a positive force for good, working with youth gangs in both LA and El Salvador.   It is great to see this cloud lifted from its leadership.