An MS-13 gang member from Salvador was sentenced today to life in prison for prostituting a 12-year-old girl to clients throughout northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.

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Jose Ciro Juarez-Santamari, 24, was convicted by a federal jury on July 28, 2011, for conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation of a minor for prostitution.

According to court records and evidence at trial, Juarez-Santamaria joined MS-13 while in El Salvador. He was a member of the Pinos Locos clique of MS-13 and was known by the gang as "Sniper."

At a Halloween party in Oxon Hill, Md., on Oct. 31, 2009, Juarez-Santamaria met a 12-year-old runaway who asked for his help in finding a place to stay. Instead, the very next day, Juarez-Santamaria began prostituting the victim throughout the metro-D.C. area, according to a statement from Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

The victim was prostituted from October to December 2009 and was providing sex for money every day of the week. To keep the victim compliant, Juarez-Santamaria and others would supply her with alcohol and marijuana, MacBride said.