The investigators have done a magnificent job at thwarting this relationship. All 13 defendants are charged in count one of the indictment, which outlines the Mexican Mafia-La Familia alliance and alleges a conspiracy to distribute narcotics. According to information disclosed during court proceedings, Leon was under Department of Corrections supervision for a drive-by shooting conviction when he was indicted in three separate federal indictments, all involving separate criminal conduct from January 2019 until April 2020. The Mexican Mafia has a powerful grasp on these [Latino] gangs, said Peter Hernandez, the assistant U.S. attorney who prosecuted the case. ndiscriminate shootings of Black and Latino residents. These violent gang members belong in prison, not in our communities. F13 members shot him "three or four times, but he survived." The F13 indictment marks the third high-profile Latino gang charged with attacking blacks in the past two years. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Secure .gov websites use HTTPS "We can either address the issue head-on, create awareness and discuss the positive things . 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). LEXINGTON, Ky. - Senior Florencia Urrutia has been named a member of the Second Team All-Southeastern Conference, the conference announced on Thursday. The suspects were alleged members of Florencia 13, and are facing murder and attempted murder charges. The sentence imposed by the court removes a drug trafficker and violent offender from our streets and sends a clear message to others who may choose to engage in such criminal activity.. As Castellanos letters appeared on the street in the fall and winter of 2004, Florencia 13 erupted in a spate of violence against African Americans. LOS ANGELES A coalition of federal, state and local authorities this morning arrested eight defendants named in a federal grand jury indictment that outlines an alliance between the Mexican Mafia prison gang and the La Familia Michoacna drug cartel that sought to protect and expand the cartels drug trafficking activities across the nation. Lock "There's a fascination with gangs," said founder Alfred Lomas, a former member of the Florencia 13 gang. Operation Joker's Wild investigated the gang's drug trafficking, extortion of street criminals, and racially based murders of African Americans in the area. An official website of the United States government. The members of La Familia named in the indictment allegedly oversaw the distribution of methamphetamine and marijuana in the Southern California area, as well as provided money and drugs at discounted prices to members of the Mexican Mafia. Deon Joseph urges officials to stop making police the enemy and invest in crime control on The Story.. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher C. Kendall of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Section. Los Angeles, California 90012. The indictment cites as evidence the rules allegedly written by Castellanos from his prison cell that established leadership positions within the F13s territory in the Florence-Firestone area of Los Angeles. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Wildfires in Anchorage? That same night, in an alley in Huntington Park, Dorado, Fazah and other members of the gang circled the victim and proceeded to punch and kick him repeatedly, after which Fazah brandished an illegal handgun and fatally shot the victim in the face. Jim Hellmold, supervisor of the departments Century Division, where Florence-Firestone is located. We are Emeros (Mexican Mafia members) and we expect that these reglas are followed and respected by all true south-side Florencianos and Florencianas.. An official website of the United States government. All rights reserved. Their seamless partnership resulted in the successful outcome of this matter. 312 North Spring Street Your IP: Menace, shot and wounded a fellow F13 member to discipline him at one of the gangs casitas, or illegal gambling houses. 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 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). Have a question about Government Services? Gang members have been charged with offenses ranging. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Castellanos was not indicted because he is already serving a life prison term in a maximum security cell in Pelican Bay State Prison. In time it absorbed smaller gangs, many of which became cliques, or subsets, of Florencia-13. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Those rules and letters from Castellanos attempted to adhere those prison rules to the street, he said. "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. How street gangs and their sub-groups are governed, including the election of a president and vice president by majority votes.. Secure .gov websites use HTTPSA lock ( In April 2017, one defendant, Samuel Flores Mejia, a.k.a. The indictment that outlines the Project and related drug trafficking activities names 13 defendants, eight of whom were arrested this morning. An 11th defendant, Alejandro Rincon, will be retried in April. The defendants then committed an execution-style killing. Authorities arrested 11 members and associates of the South Los Angeles-based Florencia 13. Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca stated: The successful results of this joint operation allowed law enforcement to intervene in the development of a very strong and powerful merger between dangerous criminal organizations. LAPD officer Fernando Arroyos, 27, was gunned downin South Los Angeles during an attempted robbery while he was looking at houses with his girlfriend Jan. 10. 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. Prosecutors alleged Castellanos was a Mexican Mafia member and undisputed leader of Florencia 13 and its associated cliques, and that he received payments from the gangs illegal activities into his inmate trust account. Have a question about Government Services? More than 20 people were killed. Earlier this summer, Castellanos and three other inmates organized a two-month hunger strike over conditions at Pelican Bay, where they and hundreds of other men have been held in special windowless cells, usually alone, for more than a decade. Dorado, Fazah, and Sanchez have all been held without bond since entering federal custody. A lock ( Jessica Chasmar is a digital writer on the politics team for Fox News and Fox Business. 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. This case is an example of what can be accomplished when local, state, and federal agencies collaborate to investigate, arrest, and successfully prosecute these violent criminals.. United States District Judge Beverly Reid OConnell sentenced the two men this week after presiding over a four-week trial that culminated last July with a jury returning guilty verdicts on multiple charges against the defendants including conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, conspiracy to commit violent crimes in aid of racketeering (VICAR), drug trafficking conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and heroin, and felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. Dorado then reported back to the incarcerated F13 Gang member who issued the order: Thats a done deal. A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? [7] They are involved in drug smuggling, murder, assault and robbery. 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. ft. home is a 3 bed, 2.0 bath property. He's family to us.". Lock LAPD. Years of violent conflict over that territory with other gangs lent Florencia an identity and reason for being. A California law says yes. Anthony Williams, DEA Special Agent in Charge, commented: This multi-agency, coordinated investigation identified a network of drug traffickers tied directly to one of the most violent Mexican drug cartels La Familia or the Knights Templar. Jose Dorado, 34, Tannous Fazah, 26, Jose Sanchez, 40, all of Huntington Park, and Giselle Casado, 33, of Downey, were convicted late yesterday in United States District Court following a 13-day trial. Wednesday, February 13, 2019 For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California LOS ANGELES - Authorities have arrested 11 members and associates of the South Los Angeles-based Florencia-13 (F13) street gang on federal racketeering, narcotics and firearms charges. 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. The prison system is a segregated place. Click on text to read a print version of the note. Wednesday, June 7, 2017 Contact: Los Angeles Field Division 818-265-2507 www.atf.gov Two Florencia 13 Gang Members Sentenced to Life in Prison LOS ANGELES - Two key operatives of the Florencia 13 street gang were sentenced this week to life without parole in federal prison. Florence is simply known as F13, one of the oldest gangs that use "13" in their name which represents the 13th letter in the alphabet for marijuana or mota and not for the Mexican Mafia like many law enforcement professionals claim. Other edicts allegedly issued by Castellanos guided Florencia 13 into a turf battle against rival gangs. The Sheriffs Department added about 30 deputies, and last year it brought an injunction against Florencia. [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. The second indictment unsealed Tuesday charged 31 members of the Florencia 13 street gang, which operates in south Los Angeles County, with federal racketeering (RICO) violations, as well as . Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Six of her spring victories . Leon pled guilty to two out of the three federal indictments. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Sanchez also served as armed security and carried a firearm to protect the casitas drug operations. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation provided substantial assistance. The case showed the remarkable power the Mexican Mafia prison gang holds over Southern California Latino street gangs. 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. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. LOS ANGELES - Two Huntington Park men who are members of the Florencia 13 street gang and participated in the murder of another gang member have been sentenced to life without parole in federal prison after being convicted at trial of racketeering, narcotics, and weapons offenses.. Jose Dorado, also known as "Yogi," 35, and Tannous Fazah, aka "Terist," 27, were sentenced on Monday by . 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. An official website of the United States government. 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. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. [9] The conflict was triggered by the theft by East Coast Crips of a large amount of drugs from Florencia 13 members. By then Florencia 13 had bulged to include three dozen cliquesroughly 2,000 members in alland joined 18th Street and the Salvadoran Mara Salvatrucha as some of Southern California's . Anyone who ignores the group's edicts faces likely retaliation if they end up behind bars. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images). He has pleaded not guilty, and the case has yet to go to trial. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. ATF remains steadfast in its stance to disrupt organized gang activity and seek prosecution of anyone who chooses to offend at will, denying law abiding citizens a community or workplace free from violence.. Police say he was with his girlfriend, looking at a house that he was thinking of buying, when two men robbed him at gunpoint of his wallet and jewelry. 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. There is no reliable estimate of how much money Florencia-13 generates for its Mexican Mafia overlords. Official websites use .gov 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. This resulted in the Mexican Mafia putting a green light out on the East Coast Crips. Four were already in custody prior to todays arrests and one is a fugitive. Officer Fernando Arroyos, 27, was shot to death the night of Jan. 10 near the intersection of 87th and Beach streets. The violence left dozens of people dead, including many with no gang affiliation, and required enormous county resources to combat. Grisham, the girlfriend of Rios, is described as a gang associate. Judge Bastian sentenced Leon to 100 months on the firearms offense and a consecutive 60 months on the contraband offense. Get the day's top news with our Today's Headlines newsletter, sent every weekday morning. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Florencia 13 Gang Member Sentenced to 160 Months in Federal Prison Drug Enforcement Administration Jacob D. Galvan, Acting Special Agent in Charge Seattle @DEASeattleDiv July 01, 2021 Contact: Phone Number: (571) 387-3831 For Immediate Release Florencia 13 Gang Member Sentenced to 160 Months in Federal Prison Three years after the Florencia indictment, residents say, a measure of calm has come to Florence-Firestone. The gang is named after the Florence area of Los Angeles County, controlled by the Mexican Mafia. This case was investigated by the DEA-Tri-Cities Task Force, METRO and Pasco Street Crimes Unit, United States Marshals Service, and Benton County Sheriff's Office. Jose Dorado, also known as Yogi, 35, and Tannous Fazah, aka Terrorist, 27, both of Huntington Park, were F13 gang soldiers who, among other things, participated in the murder of a junior member of the gang. Jose Rodriguez-Landa, also known as Fox and Fox Tapia, 49, of Michoacn, an alleged Mexican Mafia member currently in custody in a Los Angeles County jail; Michael Moreno, aka Boo, 55, of Fresno, an alleged member of the Mexican Mafia, who was arrested this morning; Fred Anthony Montoya, aka Fast Freddy, 46, of Antioch, California, an alleged Mexican Mafia member who is currently in custody in a California state prison; Freddie Montes, 44, of Castaic, an alleged member of La Familia, who was arrested this morning; Luis Gerardo Vega, aka Little and Little One, 30, of the Pico-Union district of Los Angeles, an alleged Mexican Mafia member who is currently in custody in a Los Angeles County jail; Manuel Larry Jackson, aka Cricket, 49, of Monterey Park, an alleged Mexican Mafia member, who was arrested this morning; Jimmy Ruben Soto, aka Rube and Old Man, 77, of Visalia, an alleged member of the Mexican Mafia, who was arrested this morning; Raymond Lozano, 36, of San Diego, an alleged Mexican Mafia associate who is currently incarcerated in a federal prison; Efrain Isak Rosales, aka Tucn, 35, an alleged member of La Familia who resides in Michoacn and who is currently being sought by authorities; Sonia Apodaca, aka Shorty, 44, of El Monte, an alleged secretary of the Mexican Mafia, who was arrested this morning; Claudia Garcia, aka Giggles, 42, of the Gramercy Park district of Los Angeles, an alleged associate of the Mexican Mafia, who was arrested this morning; Adam Rios, aka Blanco, 35, of Slymar, an alleged associate of La Familia, who was arrested this morning; and.
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