The Department of Justice filed court papers this week to dismiss charges against a Salvadoran man the administration had accused of being a leader in the violent MS-13 gang.

Lawyers for Attorney General Pam Bondi’s DOJ asked a federal court on Wednesday to drop the charges filed against Henrry Villatoro Santos. Santos’ arrest in Woodbridge, Virginia was seen as a high-profile win for the administration with several high-ranking cabinet members celebrating the capture on social media.

In March, federal agents arrested Santos in Northern Virginia and had identified the 24-year-old man as one of the top leaders of the violent Mara Salvatrucha gang, known commonly as MS-13. “Just captured a major leader of MS13. Tom HOMAN is a superstar,” President Donald Trump had posted to Truth Social at the time of Santos’ arrest.

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