In April 2017, one defendant, Samuel Flores Mejia, a.k.a. Los Angeles Police officers attend a candlelight vigil for fallen Officer Fernando Arroyos, who was shot and killed during an armed robbery attempt outside the Olympic Community Police Station Jan. 12, 2022, in Los Angeles. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. A lock ( (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images), Elected officials took a hands-off approach to public safety: LAPD officer. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. It was among the deadliest acts of violence in modern Kansas history. Meanwhile, he said, we actually have the deputies to enforce zero tolerance with active gang members.. Arroyos and his assailants exchanged gunfire and he was hit once, federal authorities said. In 2018, prosecutors indicted Laredo and 25 other alleged members and associates of Florencia-13, charging that Laredo was collecting a percentage of the money made from drug deals, extortion and other crimes committed by the gang. Those arrested today are among 36 members and associates of the F13 gang named in six federal grand jury indictments. Several members of the gang have risen through its ranks to become leaders of the Mexican Mafia. SPOKANE, Wash., -Aleandro Leon, age 24, of Pasco, Washington, was sentenced on June 30, 2021, after having pleaded guilty to: being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, conspiracy to provide prohibited objects to an inmate in prison; and inmate in possession of a prohibited object. Click on each highlighted area to learn more about it. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS An official website of the United States government. Click to reveal Members of the Latino Florencia 13 gang have left their tag at numerous places along a stretch of Florence Avenue in the Florence area of L.A. County. Florencia 13 has a long history of being involved in drug trafficking in Los Angeles, where they have held a leadership . The marijuana count carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison (10 years if the defendant has a prior narcotics conviction) and a statutory maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. Feinstein has vowed to return to Washington, but what happens if she doesnt? Sanchez also served as armed security and carried a firearm to protect the casitas drug operations. It also demands a firm set of rules and a way to impose them on operatives on the streets, often violent and obstreperous gang members. The evidence further showed that Sanchez participated in the F13 Gangs drug trafficking activities at the gangs casitas. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. He has pleaded not guilty, and the case has yet to go to trial. Four Florencia-13 members have gone on to join the Mexican Mafia, law enforcement officials have testified in prosecutions of the gang: Arturo Castellanos, known as "Tablas"; his brother Braulio, nicknamed "Babo"; Juan "Topo" Garcia and Leonel "Wizard" Laredo. Castellanos was not indicted because he is already serving a life prison term in a maximum security cell in Pelican Bay State Prison. A contested sentencing hearing was held June 30, 2021, and Chief Bastian found that, shortly after Leon's release from state custody on the drive-by shooting conviction in November 2017, Leon immediately began new criminal conduct to include the distribution of large quantities of pills containing fentanyl and heroin. There were seven members of the Florencia 13 group, including the five arrested and charged, and the two still on the run identified by the initials A.G. and L.M. Their seamless partnership resulted in the successful outcome of this matter. LEXINGTON, Ky. - Senior Florencia Urrutia has been named a member of the Second Team All-Southeastern Conference, the conference announced on Thursday. The sentencing of six Florencia 13 gang members to life in prison appears to bring to a close a prolonged and terrifying spate of violence in the Florence-Firestone district allegedly brought on by orders from a prison gang member in solitary confinement 700 miles away. [9] The conflict was triggered by the theft by East Coast Crips of a large amount of drugs from Florencia 13 members. During this mornings takedown, 14 of the 31 defendants named in this indictment were taken into custody. Acting United States Attorney Harrington said, The United States Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Washington commends the law enforcement officers with the federal and local agencies who investigated this case. Gang members have been charged with offenses ranging. He's family to us.". [14][15], Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, "Appendix B. National-Level Street, Prison, and Outlaw Motorcycle Gang Profiles - Attorney General's Report to Congress on the Growth of Violent Street Gangs in Suburban Areas (UNCLASSIFIED)", As those killed at Tequila KC are laid to rest, the suspects possible gang connections, 12 Gangs That Are Keeping The FBI Awake At Night, "Fifth Gang Member Sentenced to Life Without Parole After Convictions in Massive Federal Racketeering Case", Gun Violence in the LAPD 77th Street Area, "Gang members charged in Utah mall shooting now charged with cemetery shooting", "As those killed at Tequila KC are laid to rest, the suspects' possible gang connections emerge", "Ten Defendants in Largest-Ever Federal Gang Case Found Guilty of Racketeering, Narcotics Charges", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florencia_13&oldid=1132594522, This page was last edited on 9 January 2023, at 16:46. It is the hoods responsibility to clean the hood of such trash, the rules state. For a monthly payment, typically between $200 and $250, he said, members of Florencia-13 and other gangs are warned that the business is under the auspices of a Mexican Mafia member. Leon was identified as working within a criminal organization responsible for the distribution of thousands of deadly pills containing fentanyl in early 2019. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Wildfires in Anchorage? Jesse Contreras, 34; Ernesto Cisneros, 22; Luis Alfredo de la Rosa Rios, 27, and Haylee Marie Grisham, 18, are charged with murdering Officer Fernando Arroyos in a violent crime in aid of. If an understanding cannot be reached, the pres from those [cliques] are to set a date for those two to box it out like real Florencianos, the rules say. The operation involved the Los Angeles High- Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the IRS, and the Los Angeles County Probation Department. To learn more about how we use your information, please read our privacy policy. Todays salvo against the Mexican Mafia is part of a 20-year fight to curb the influence of the prison gang both inside prison walls and on the streets of Southern California, said United States Attorney Andr Birotte Jr. We successfully dismantled the gangs leadership structure in prior cases, causing chaos throughout the organization. Authorities arrested 11 members and associates of the South Los Angeles-based Florencia 13. More than 20 people were killed. The three men are members of Florencia-13, according to. Get the day's top news with our Today's Headlines newsletter, sent every weekday morning. U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California, Environmental Crimes and Community Safety, Federal Indictments Target South Los Angeles Street Gang Involved in Drug Trafficking, Extortion and Attempted Murder, Former Wells Fargo Executive Agrees to Plead Guilty to Obstructing Bank Examination Involving the Opening of Millions of Accounts Without Customer Authorization, West Los Angeles Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges for Using Snapchat to Entice Child into Producing Sexually Explicit Videos, Carson Man Sentenced to More Than 18 Years in Federal Prison for Making Sexually Explicit Videos of 15-Year-Old Victim. LAPD. A secret letter allegedly sent from an inmate at Pelican Bay State Prison in Northern California to members of Florencia 13, a multi-generational street gang in south Los Angeles, details a covert network that has enriched the state's most powerful prison gang, the Mexican Mafia. In time it absorbed smaller gangs, many of which became cliques, or subsets, of Florencia-13. All rights reserved. Suite 1200 This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. All fourdefendants were found guilty of both Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Conspiracy and Drug Trafficking Conspiracy, the latter being based on the F13 Gangs street sales of illegal narcotics and coordinated operations to smuggle drugs into the Los Angeles County Jail (LACJ). These defendants beat and shot a young man to death and increased the flow of illegal drugs into our community, said United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. The conspiracy charge and the counts related to methamphetamine each carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison (20 years if the defendant has a prior drug conviction, which may affect about half of the defendants in the indictment) and a maximum statutory sentence of life without parole. This investigation into the Mexican Mafia started in May 2010 and also involved the Montebello Police Department, the Bakersfield Police Department, the Long Beach Police Department, the Glendale Police Department, the United States Marshals Service, the United States Secret Service, the Stanislaus Drug Enforcement Agency, the United States Bureau of Prisons, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation-Special Services Unit, and the Huntington Park Police Department. Dorado and Fazah also were found guilty of possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute it (heroin and methamphetamine, respectively) and of each being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The dealers were already paying off the Florencia-13 leadership and supplying them with cocaine, he testified. Leon pled guilty to two out of the three federal indictments. Fazah and Sanchez were later transferred to the United States District Court from state custody, where they had been incarcerated on separate felony state charges. On October 6, 2019, four men, ages 20s to 50s, were killed and five injured at KC Tequila, a Hispanic-themed bar and restaurant in Kansas City, Kansas. The suspects were alleged members of Florencia 13, and are facing murder and attempted murder charges.[12]. "F13 is a large, multi-generational street gang that previously has been the subject of federal prosecutions, including two large racketeering cases," the DOJ said. Castellanos actions in running criminal conspiracies and in organizing protests are driven by an unquenchable thirst for power and recognition, according to Enriquez. How snitches and sex offenders are rooted out and punished. 156.38.193.218 The historic core of Florencias territory is bounded by Slauson Avenue to the north, 101st Street to the south, Central Avenue to the west and State Street to the east, Lt. Hector Velasquez of the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department testified in 2016. How street gangs and their sub-groups are governed, including the election of a president and vice president by majority votes.. With the four convictions last summer, a total of 25 defendants have been convicted in the case (one charged defendant died, and the other four remain fugitives). Todays enforcement efforts will help to reduce the damaging impact of this brutal organization by arresting key members and associates of the La Familia cartel and disrupting their distribution networks in the Los Angeles area.. Dorado was also involved in the F13 Gangs efforts to smuggle illegal narcotics into local jails. [8] Court testimony and the judges ruling found that F13 members had targeted African-Americans based purely on race. I believe one of his objectives is to get [transferred] to federal prison to further his business plan, Enriquez said. How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, 17 SoCal hiking trails that are blooming with wildflowers (but probably not for long! Arturo. Chief United States District Judge Stanley Bastian sentenced Leon to a 160-month term of imprisonment, to be followed by a 5-year term of court supervision after he is released from prison. Legal Statement. Few actual gang members died. Yet he wrote letters, introduced as evidence at the trial, that presumed to control a street gang, most of whose members had never seen him. [13] As of 2009, 94 of the 102 had been convicted or pleaded guilty, 3 had pending trials, 2 had died and 5 were fugitives from justice. The investigation into Florencia 13 was led by ATF and included the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Huntington Park Police Department and the Los Angeles Police Department. At the time of sentencing, all defendants will face a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment on the RICO Conspiracy and Drug Trafficking Conspiracy counts, as well as mandatory minimum prison terms of 10 years based on the amounts of methamphetamine at issue. Let those who use, get it on the outskirts., Gangs whose members have gone on to join the Mexican Mafia are less likely to be extorted or targeted for violence green-lighted than gangs that lack representation in the Mexican Mafia. A liquor store whose supply cases are being robbed of beer, a shopkeeper whose business is being graffitied, a barkeep whose patrons are being harassed, will sometimes offer to pay a Mexican Mafia member for protection, the former gang member said. "He was a really humble hard worker, always walked around with a smile, and he was just really, really nice to be around," an officer told FOX 11. The indictment unsealed today focuses on how the gang has generated illicit profits through the sale of drugs and firearms, fraud, and extortion. According to The Los Angeles Times, F13 was formed in South Los Angeles in the 1950s and is largely controlled by the Mexican Mafia prison gang, which is made up of about 140 men, most of them incarcerated. Three years after the Florencia indictment, residents say, a measure of calm has come to Florence-Firestone. The court heard in disturbing detail at trial how these Florenica 13 gang members lured the victim into an alley and beat him unconscious, said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Los Angeles Field Division Special Agent in Charge Eric Harden. We believe that we have initiated a crippling effect to those members who are still loyal to the Mexican Mafia criminal organization., Larry Miranda, Chief of the Office of Correctional Safety for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said: One of the most chilling aspects of this investigation was the budding relationship between the Mexican Mafia and the La Familia/Knights Templar, showing how two powerful organizations attempted to combine their efforts to control prison facilities and the communities in which we live. Prosecutors allege Castellanos continued to discuss gang business in meetings with visitors at Pelican Bay as recently as 2011 and in the aftermath of an earlier hunger strike. The case showed the remarkable power the Mexican Mafia prison gang holds over Southern California Latino street gangs. The indictment alleges that two incarcerated Mexican Mafia members are the leaders of the Florencia 13 gang, and that they directed the activities of the street gang from a California state prison and received payments derived from the gang's illegal activities. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. MLS # 1679310 Omar Hugo Robles, 30, of Sylmar, an alleged associate of La Familia, who was arrested this morning. Dorado and Casado were arrested on August 6, 2013 as part of a large-scale takedown of more than 20 members and associates of the F13 Gang. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images). "It was important that Castellanos not be let out, because he holds sway over gang members to do things they would otherwise not want to do," Hernandez said. Rene Enriquez, a former Mexican Mafia leader who is cooperating with federal prosecutors, said Castellanos brazen style suggests he wants to be indicted and sent to federal prison where he can enjoy a host of privileges banned at Pelican Bay, including monthly phone calls and freedom of movement in a general population facility. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. News Florencia 13 Gang Member Arrested on Rico Charges Latino Gang Members Indicted for 'Cleansing' Operation 3 Gang Members Charged With Race Killing Earlier this year, Carter had handed out life sentences to Florencia members Jesse Vasquez, 36; Alberto Hernandez, 28; Gilberto Oliva, 41; Manuel Hernandez, 27; and Noe Gonzalez, 28. Inside a home on 81st Street in South L.A., detectives found taped to the underside of a dresser a list of reglas rules assembled from various handwritten notes that had been pieced together, Velasquez, the sheriffs lieutenant, testified. The Joint Regional Intelligence Center provided support during the investigation. Florencia-13 tag on a stop sign on Florence Ave. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Cartel Initiated Alliance with Prison Gang that is also Targeted in Second Indictment for Exercising Control Over Large South L.A. County Street Gang. 13 Linked To Mexican Mafia And La Familia Indicted After Investigation Reveals Plot To Join Forces To Expand Drug Cartels Presence In U.S. http://www.justice.gov/usao/cac/Pressroom/pr2010/025.html, Former Wells Fargo Executive Agrees to Plead Guilty to Obstructing Bank Examination Involving the Opening of Millions of Accounts Without Customer Authorization, West Los Angeles Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges for Using Snapchat to Entice Child into Producing Sexually Explicit Videos, Carson Man Sentenced to More Than 18 Years in Federal Prison for Making Sexually Explicit Videos of 15-Year-Old Victim. As revealed by a series of inmate telephone recordings, he participated in the attempt to have a co-conspirator smuggle heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine through the Los Angeles Metropolitan Courthouse on Hill Street. The Mexican Mafia's influence on the streets stems in part from its power inside California jails and prisons. Arroyos and his assailants exchanged gunfire. The seven-count indictment which names six members of the Mexican Mafia, three associates of the prison gang, and four people directly linked to the La Familia cartel outlines a venture between the criminal organizations that participants referred to as the Project, and which involved the highest levels of La Familia. The three men are members of Florencia-13, according to the FBI. A separate indictment released in August alleges Mexican Mafia members attempted to form an alliance with operatives from a powerful Mexican drug cartel, with approval from leaders at Pelican Bay. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. The gang now has at least two dozen cliques across South Los Angeles, Huntington Park, South Gate and Maywood. As part of the alliance between the criminal enterprises, the indicted members and associates of the Mexican Mafia helped La Familia distribute narcotics by ordering, instructing, and informing Hispanic gang members to protect La Familia drug shipments and sales, to prevent criminal taxation of La Familia drug shipments and sales, and to collect drug debts, according to the indictment, which also alleges that Mexican Mafia members would protect incarcerated members of La Familia. The gang also operates casitas, underground casinos hidden inside South Los Angeles homes and apartments, which each generated about $300 a week in taxes for the gang, the indictment says. Twenty-six members and associates of the gang allegedly conspired to violate RICO and engaged in drug trafficking, illegal gambling, attempted murder and assault. After the jury returned its verdicts, United States District Judge Beverly Reid OConnell scheduled sentencing hearings for October 24, 2016. Sanchez will face an additional five-year mandatory, consecutive term of imprisonment due to his conviction for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Their tireless efforts, commitment to their agencies, and dedication to their communities have led law enforcement to a victory in the continuing battle against the gangs and drugs that plague our communities.. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. A partner of Leon, Miguel Candido' s apartment was searched in March of 2019 where 5000 pills containing fentanyl, onepound of heroin, over $20,000 in US currency, drug ledgers, scales, and cell phones linking the two to a criminal organization were located. ndiscriminate shootings of Black and Latino residents. In March 2010, Dorado and Fazah received an order from an incarcerated, senior member of the F13 gang instructing them beat and kill the victim. But Laredo, an alleged member of the Mexican Mafia who has been incarcerated since 2000, was recorded in a call from prison telling an associate on the street that 40% of the money collected from the gangs rackets was owed to the four Mexican Mafia members from Florencia-13, according to an indictment charging him with racketeering. An 11th defendant, Alejandro Rincon, will be retried in April. Have a question about Government Services? Had it been an incorporated city, that rate would have ranked it among the nations worst. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation provided substantial assistance. Performance & security by Cloudflare. The three men are members of F13, Grisham is a gang associate, and they carried out the attack to increase and maintain their position within thegang, the Justice Department said. Black men, in particular, reported not walking to the store for groceries or riding bikes. Operation Joker's Wild investigated the gang's drug trafficking, extortion of street criminals, and racially based murders of African Americans in the area. But to hear prosecutors tell it, Arturo Castellanos grip on Florencia-13 led to a series of racially motivated attacks. The Florencia 13, South Side Florencia 13 or Florence Gang is an American criminal street gang based in Los Angeles, California, composed mainly of Mexican-Americans. A lock ( [10] Now we have demonstrated our ability to stop the Mexican Mafia from realizing a new power base by disrupting the gangs plot to establish a threatening alliance with a major drug trafficking organization.. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. View more property details, sales history and Zestimate data on Zillow. Earlier this year, Carter had handed out life sentences to Florencia members Jesse Vasquez, 36; Alberto Hernandez, 28; Gilberto Oliva, 41; Manuel Hernandez, 27; and Noe Gonzalez, 28. Two more gang members are scheduled to be sentenced later this month. Have a question about Government Services? Luis De La Rosa Rios, Jesse Contreras, Ernesto Cisneros and Haylee Grisham have been charged in federal court with Arroyos killing. During the course of this investigation, authorities seized more than 600 pounds of methamphetamine and charged an additional six defendants in state court. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Cloudflare Ray ID: 7c0660170e4a056a Four were already in custody prior to todays arrests and one is a fugitive. Suite 1200 For her part, Casado was shown to be a secretary who assisted the extortionate tax collections and drug trafficking activities of the gangs two shot callers on the streets; and she also repeatedly visited the operational leader of the gang Mexican Mafia member Leonel Laredo, aka Wizard imprisoned at Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City, California, to relay gang-related messages. Sign up for our daily newsletter. Florencia-13 members were forbidden from extorting paisas slanging in the hood a reference, Velasquez testified, to Mexican nationals selling drugs in the gangs territory. Legal Statement. An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. The investigators have done a magnificent job at thwarting this relationship. 312 North Spring Street Judge Bastian sentenced Leon to 100 months on the firearms offense and a consecutive 60 months on the contraband offense. The indictments targeting the Mexican Mafia and the La Familia drug cartel are the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department; and the Los Angeles High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA)/Southern California Drug Task Force, a federally funded group led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
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