2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. In compliance with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) requirements, some of these records are no longer in the physical possession of the FBI, eliminating the FBI's capability to re-review and/or re-process this material. developed prison gangs in Colorado's prison system. By removing violent actors and crime drivers from the streets, we make our neighborhoods safer.. As the prison population has exploded in the past. Larez communicated with Andrew Cervantes primarily through prison phone calls and correspondence using coded language. In the 1970s, many Familianos migrated Brandon Gillespie said during a press conference on Friday. 's lives, and continued to host meetings over the next four months that were taped. Una de las responsabilidades ms grandes en esta vida es la de guiar a nuestra familia. We will continue to target these criminal organizations, dismantle their leadership, and return the violent offenders to prison.. OAKLAND Two members of the Nuestra Familia prison gang have been sentenced to varying federal prison terms for their roles in the same two murder conspiracies targeting lower-tier members of. letter of the alphabet, as well as the Northern Star, and the 14 According to trial evidence, any member in a Norteno housing unit who committed a serious violation of gang rules was subject to "removal," which is an organized attack upon the victim. According to the evidence presented at trial, from December 2012 through April 2014 Garcia and Jasso were active members of the Nuestra Familia prison gang and its affiliated Norteo street gang. Nevertheless, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. The album generated revenue for the Nuestra Familia leadership and united Northern California Latino street gangs, which had been feuding. in crippling certain operations of the Familia, most investigators The Aryan Brotherhood was formed by Irish bikers in 1964 when California prisons were desegregated, and prisoners of every color and ethnicity began to . According to court documents, in 2004, Huerta would occasionally receive four ounces of methamphetamine from the NFs Salinas regiment. Nuestra Familia (Spanish for "our family") is a criminal organization of Mexican American . Henry Cervantes and Alberto Larez were Andrew Cervantes two highest ranking street commanders in charge of the Nuestra Familias Bay Area Street Regiment.. Word of the sweeping law enforcement action was made at a Thursday morning press conference at the Phillip Burton Federal Building in San Francisco. Maldonados mother wrote to the court that he entered the prison system as an immature young man and has been affected by prison life. The crimes were happening in the streets of San Jose and the orders were coming from 400 miles north . extortion. the Familia's messages confirm reception to their family members This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. up an inmate's rectum. -- Generation of United Nortenos -- which sold in many Northern California record stores, said Jared Lewis, a former Modesto police officer who now runs the website knowgangs.com. Since then the Familia has moved eastward across the The meeting was ultimately unsuccessful because of the significant security measures in place at the facility. number of the Nuestra Family, signifying "N" as the 13th AND THE LEADERSHIP OF THE FUTURE Silvia Garca Vega ORCID: 0000-0002-0302-7802 Profesora de Comunicacin para el Cambio Nuestra Familia were prison enemies of the Southern Latinos who comprised La Eme, better known as the Mexican Mafia. threats against correctional staff to maintain authority. If the debt is not repaid within a reasonable amount of time, debt Nuestra Familia (Spanish for "our family") is a criminal organization of Mexican American . Nuestra Familia's new leadership General: David "DC" Cervantes Top Commanders: Daniel "Stork" Perez, of Salinas; Anthony "Chuco" Guillen, of San Jose; George "Puppet" Franco, of San Jose Demoted: Jose "Huerito" Gonzalez; James "Conejo" Perez Copyright 2008 Monterey County Herald Copyright 2013 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. He then ordered two of his underlings to destroy the crime scene by pouring gasoline over the bodies and lighting them on fire. SAN JOSE A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging 17 defendants with racketeering conspiracy, including acts involving murder, robbery, drug trafficking, and money laundering, and charging five others with drug trafficking-related crimes. This investigation revealed the wide-ranging influence of the gang that extends far beyond prison walls. in his head. The business By disrupting gang leadership, we reduce violence on our streets. through telephone, with all parties prearranged and aware of their The Bay Area's top federal prosecutor announced a sweeping array of indictments targeting the notorious Nuestra Familia prison gang, boasting that a fiveyear . Larez and Henry Cervantes were senior gang members who reported to Andrew Cervantes. The rap group sold thousands of copies, and many members possessed the album. Robert Lee Gratton, 44, of Palmdale -- who authorities suspect was driving while intoxicated -- was backing his Chevrolet Cavalier down Highway 14 north of Agua Dulce Road about 1:15 a.m. Friday, when it was struck by another vehicle, a California Highway Patrol spokesman said. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS If an NF person did not go along with the program, he would kill them without any questions. PressReader. We will continue to look at these organizations structurally to disrupt and dismantle them., According to the indictment, the 17 racketeering defendants were members and associates of the Nuestra Familia (NF) prison gang, a violent and lucrative organization formed in the 1960s. "The arrests made yesterday, most significantly the arrests of the Nuestra Familia leadership, will severely cripple the ability of this criminal enterprise to continue to facilitate crimes in communities throughout the state and help break a decades-old cycle of violence," said FBI San Francisco Special Agent in Charge Fair. Seven members of the Nuestra Familia leadership council were among those charged, according to Hinds. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory sentencing factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. Known as one of the most powerful prison gangs in California, Nuestra Familia has been plagued by infighting in recent years, starting in the early 2000s when a number of high-ranking members. Fair said the Nuestra Familia prison gang worked with other gangs such as Norteos, El Hoyo Grande, and San Jose Palmas with the effects felt across communities in the Bay Area and California. Nuestra Familia is organized in a military-like hierarchy, with generals running the gang from inside prison and paroled regiment captains running the streets outside. September 17, 2021 / 1:09 AM Gonzalez wrote the constitution for the NF, and he also established Article 2, Section 5, which said that it was an automatic death sentence for desertion (if an NF member wanted out of the gang). The charges pending against these defendants are as follows: The court also may order additional terms of supervised release, fines, and restitution. The gangs targeted in this case are responsible for much of the illicit drug distribution and violent crime that has plagued areas throughout CA pic.twitter.com/cyLZ3Uls5c. It is clear they have hard and fast rules, and those who run afoul are met with intimidation and violence that spills into our communities, said DEA Special Agent in Charge Wade R. Shannon. . Miss Manners: I shouldn't call because the phone scares people? In graffiti, this black eagle points north. According to court documents, Huerta is the wife of a Nuestra Familia general Joseph "Pinky" Hernandez. The FBI task-force, dubbed "Black Widow," was the largest Hernandez exercised ultimate authority over the Salinas regiment from within the federal Supermax prison in Colorado through coded conversations. Frias did not get the orders to not kill him, and a hidden security camera showed Frias shooting Sanchez in the back of the neck - Sanchez was killed, and he fell into the alley. Assistant United States Attorneys Jason Hitt and William S. Wong are prosecuting the case. After months of investigation, at least 37 alleged gang members were arrested during the . "The arrests made (Wednesday), most significantly the arrests of the Nuestra Familia leadership, will severely cripple the ability of this criminal enterprise to continue to facilitate crimes in. leader recently released from Pelican Bay was ordered to kill a All seven members of the NFs General Council led the NF organization while incarcerated in the California prison system. state-lines and touching the most vulnerable segment of the population, While members of the Norteos gang is considered to be affiliated with Nuestra Familia, being a member of Nuestra Familia itself does not signify association as a Norteo. Henry Cervantes, 52, aka Happy, of Lodi, Calif., was sentenced to 75 years in prison. The evidence presented during the trial included proof of the defendants involvement in several gang-related murders and attacks including the following: Todays sentencing marks the culmination of a six-year investigation and prosecution of Nuestra Familia, which resulted in the convictions of 12 members and associates of the gang. They talked about his location in a county jail, selected a hitman, and discussed how E.C needed to be hit on sight, according to a prosecution sentencing memo. Evidence traced Garcia to all gang removals at the jail. The OCDETF Program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multi-level attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. convicts. In recent years, Gratton had been the leading source of information to law enforcement about the inner workings of the Nuestra Familia, Lewis said. Among these 5 council members there The Nuestra Familia, like all prison gangs, are undoubtedly a highly-secretive, Their violence was turned against those from Southern . This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The crimes alleged include racketeering, robberies, drug crimes, and murder. "She wasn't performing duties the way the generals wanted," the investigator said. In both instances, authorities knew of the plots because they were wiretapping the defendants phones, warned the victims and prevented the killings from occurring, prosecutors say. employ scanner radios to monitor police transmissions. By contrast, Maldonado was serving a life sentence for a 2008 conviction of dissuading a witness from testifying against another gang member. Under George Collord, the police gathered informants in prison, including "Red Raider", who revealed the leadership structure of the gang. 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. "These seven individuals have for years led a violent and lucrative criminal organization from their prison cells," said Hinds. Description of indictment by USDOJ against Nuestra Familia leaders, members and associates on Aug. 25, 2021. Would dismantling Interstate 980 repair damage to Black neighborhoods? Todays operation strikes a substantial blow to Nuestra Familia leadership. Some inmates State Prison around 1968, constructed as a force that could local law enforcement agencies concluded what was considered the most significant effort to dismantle the Central Coast leadership structure of Nuestra Familia. designed to convey a specific message: an eagle painted black means 500 of their leaders are in prison, and tens of thousands of foot soldiers (Norteos) are also behind bars. She faces a sentence of 10 years to life in prison and a $10 million fine. The Nuestra Familia is a prison gang that originally formed in the California state prison system in the 1960s. 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