Judge dismisses charges against man accused by attorney general, FBI director of being MS-13 leader

Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton on Wednesday dismissed criminal charges against Henrry Villatoro Santos, a Virginia man accused of being a regional leader of the violent MS-13 gang, clearing the way for expedited deportation proceedings.

Earlier this month, the Justice Department asked the court to drop the charges, indicating the government planned to deport Villatoro Santos. A U.S. marshal from the Fugitive Task Force was in the courtroom, suggesting Villatoro Santos could be transferred into immigration custody after the hearing. 

"They're likely to take him very quickly," Villatoro Santo defense attorney, Muhammad Elsayed, said after the hearing.