PHILADELPHIA, Pa (WHTM) – The co-founder and “top general” of a gang named “Sevens” was sentenced to life imprisonment.

According to the United States Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Alexander Malave was one of 14 people sentenced for various violent acts involving the Sevens gang.

Malave and three other individuals were convicted in June 2022 for offenses including conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise; conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion, and of a minor; violent crime in aid of racketeering, including kidnapping and assault with a dangerous weapon; sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion; and discharging a firearm in the course of committing a violent offense.

Ten other defendants pled guilty as part of violent acts involving the Sevens gang.

The U.S. Attorney’s office says the gang operated out of a 50-room boarding house in the City of Reading. The office says in one incident Malave grabbed a man and used a knife to slice him from ear to ear, causing permanent disfigurement.

The man was then left naked in a closet for three days without food or water while gang members discussed who would kill him.

“Today’s sentencing ensures the permanent end of Malave’s reign of terror over the City of Reading and the demise of the Sevens gang,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “We will continue to partner with our local counterparts to bring the resources necessary to investigate, prosecute and dismantle violent gangs.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Reading Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sherri A. Stephan and Justin Ashenfelter.