This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, The action drew international attention and plaudits from a host of civil and human rights groups, including the ACLU and Amnesty International. Other edicts allegedly issued by Castellanos guided Florencia 13 into a turf battle against rival gangs. An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. "We're going to miss him a lot. The Southern California Drug Task Force is comprised of federal and local law enforcement agencies, including the DEA, the ATF, the Los Angeles Police Department and the Pasadena Police Department. The three men are members of Florencia-13, according to. The indictment unsealed today focuses on how the gang has generated illicit profits through the sale of drugs and firearms, fraud, and extortion. Climate change sparks disaster fears, Police manhunt continues for suspect in Texas mass shooting, A powerhouse U.S. doctor slain in Sudan, killed for nothing, In final Mass in Budapest, pope urges Hungary to open doors. The rules, written in a cramped hand, state that every Florencia-13 clique should elect by majority vote a president and vice president, who were to hold weekly meetings. Column: Does racism make you too stupid to be a cop? 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 states most powerful prison gang, the Mexican Mafia. Even after his arrest, this criminal conduct continued with the serious actions within the Benton County Jail. Four more await trial; two have died and four are fugitives. In recent years, however, Florencia-13 members have been directed to eschew violent inter-gang rivalries in favor of pursuing new rackets, said a former member of the gang, who spoke on condition of anonymity. We are Emeros (Mexican Mafia members) and we expect that these reglas are followed and respected by all true south-side Florencianos and Florencianas.. Suite 1200 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. 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. Click on the image and hit the 'text' tab to read a typed version of the communique. A lock ( 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. 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.. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Three years after the Florencia indictment, residents say, a measure of calm has come to Florence-Firestone. [13] The indictments included charges of drug trafficking, attempted murder, murder and extortion. LOS ANGELES Two key operatives of the Florencia 13 street gang were sentenced this week to life without parole in federal prison. Two more gang members are scheduled to be sentenced later this month. The Mexican Mafia has a powerful grasp on these [Latino] gangs, said Peter Hernandez, the assistant U.S. attorney who prosecuted the case. Lock Times staff writer Amina Khan contributed to this report. Arturo Cruz, 34, was sentenced to 60 years in prison. The case showed the remarkable power the Mexican Mafia prison gang holds over Southern California Latino street gangs. 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. 42-ranked singles player in NCAA Division I Women's Tennis with an overall season record of 22-13. Florencia 13 is one of the largest, most powerful and oldest street gangs in Southern California. Have a question about Government Services? 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. 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. 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. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS 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. An official website of the United States government. Urrutia, a native of Santa Fe, Argentina, is currently the No. The 2,133 sq. 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. A third indictment charges two F13 members with being felons in possession of a firearm and ammunition, namely an AK-47-type rifle. It is alleged that the Florence 13 gang has members in Los Angeles, New York City, East Orange, Chicago, Washington DC, Detroit, Arkansas, Miami, Texas, Atlanta, Sinaloa and Mexico. 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. After the jury returned its verdicts, United States District Judge Beverly Reid OConnell scheduled sentencing hearings for October 24, 2016. The Mexican Mafia, whose members are generally senior members of street gangs such as Florencia 13, also exercises control over and directs the narcotics trafficking activities of Latino street gangs across Southern California and in prisons. Menace, shot and wounded a fellow F13 member to discipline him at one of the gangs casitas, or illegal gambling houses. Those arrested today are among 36 members and associates of the F13 gang named in six federal grand jury indictments. During this mornings takedown, 14 of the 31 defendants named in this indictment were taken into custody. The defendants taken into custody this morning are scheduled to make their initial court appearance this afternoon in United States District Court. He wants to place himself, through this megalomaniacal sense of importance, on this pedestal where he is looked at as one of the chieftains of the mob, he said. A fifth member of Florencia 13 (F13), a street gang involved in narcotics distribution and shootings of African-Americans, has been sentenced to life in federal prison for his conviction on a host of federal criminal charges, including racketeering and narcotics distribution. Authorities arrested 11 members and associates of the South Los Angeles-based Florencia 13. 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. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. They say conditions at Pelican Bay are unconstitutional and amount to slow torture. 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 gangs illegal activities. 156.38.193.218 An additional six defendants were already in custody prior to todays takedown in connection with state charges. 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.. Sign up for our daily newsletter. The three men are members of Florencia-13, according to the FBI. Justice has been served.. In August, federal prosecutors in Los Angeles named Castellanos in an indictment alleging a host of narcotics, firearms and fraud offenses, all carried out from his cell at Pelican Bay. Ciaran McEvoy The prison-based syndicate is also known as La Eme, Spanish for M, the 13th letter of the alphabet. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. The indictment that prosecutors brought in 2018 charges that Florencia-13 members discussed collecting taxes from a marijuana shop. All rights reserved. Casado had been released on bond since her arrest in August 2013; however, after the verdicts Judge OConnell ordered her remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. Castellanos actions in running criminal conspiracies and in organizing protests are driven by an unquenchable thirst for power and recognition, according to Enriquez. 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. Click on text to read a print version of the note. The illegal contraband included methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana, and cell phones. In April 2017, one defendant, Samuel Flores Mejia, a.k.a. He has pleaded not guilty, and the case has yet to go to trial. The American Society of Mexico se congratula en anunciar el nombramiento de Florencia Davel, VP LatAm & Global Distributors Market de Bristol Myers Squibb, como Co-Chair de su Council of Latin . 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. Castellanos was not indicted because he is already serving a life prison term in a maximum security cell in Pelican Bay State Prison. Cartel Initiated Alliance with Prison Gang that is also Targeted in Second Indictment for Exercising Control Over Large South L.A. County Street Gang. How snitches and sex offenders are rooted out and punished. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Terrence P. Mann of the Santa Ana Branch Office, Sheila Nagaraj of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section, and Victoria A. Degtyareva of the General Crimes Section. One of the indictments unsealed today alleges that defendants linked to the gang trafficked methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine and other drugs in their territory and attempted to smuggle narcotics into the state prison system. 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. Jim Hellmold, supervisor of the departments Century Division, where Florence-Firestone is located. 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. 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. Login . 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.. Several members of the gang have risen through its ranks to become leaders of the Mexican Mafia. The trial further found that the gang was controlled by the Mexican Mafia prison gang. 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. Of those indicted, 94 have pleaded guilty or have been convicted. 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. He's family to us.". Public Information Officer (213) 894-4465. The defendants charged today are: Luis Alfredo De La Rosa Rios, 29, an F13 member also known as "Lil J"; Ernesto Cisneros, 22, an F13 member also known as "Gonzo"; Jesse Contreras, 34, an F13 member who claimed a moniker of "Skinny Jack," but who also may be known as "Flaco"; and Haylee Marie Grisham, 18, who is Rios' girlfriend. In 2007, 102 members of Florencia 13 were listed in indictments, under the operation, leading to the biggest gang raid in American history at the time, with 96 of the 102 members taken into custody. The indictment alleges that participants in the Project sought to give La Familia members free rein to sell methamphetamine in Southern California and to provide protection for incarcerated cartel members in exchange for money and methamphetamine going to Mexican Mafia members. U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California, Environmental Crimes and Community Safety. Suite 1200 Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. The evidence further showed that Sanchez participated in the F13 Gangs drug trafficking activities at the gangs casitas. The gang is now at the center of the killing earlier this month of an off-duty Los Angeles police officer. Arroyos and his assailants exchanged gunfire and he was hit once, federal authorities said. A note that was written on a small scrap of paper known as a kite, smuggled out of prison and then recopied in larger print, lays out specific rules for Mexican Mafia members on the street. It was among the deadliest acts of violence in modern Kansas history. Luis De La Rosa Rios, Jesse Contreras, Ernesto Cisneros and Haylee Grisham have been charged in federal court with Arroyos killing. 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. MLS # 1679310 Garcia was released from federal prison in 2020 after serving a 17-year sentence for racketeering. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. And after they agree its over, its a dead issue.. 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. The Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, DEA & ATF began targeting Florencia 13 gang members for their roles in racially motivated attacks on African-Americans. The indictment alleges that Laredo ran the street gang from prison with a goal of enriching himself, family members and associates through extortionate taxes taken from drug dealers and businesses in F13s territory. But to hear prosecutors tell it, Arturo Castellanos grip on Florencia-13 led to a series of racially motivated attacks. 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 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. . The indictment that outlines the Project and related drug trafficking activities names 13 defendants, eight of whom were arrested this morning. Official websites use .gov Tapped cellular phone calls introduced as evidence at the trial tracked Florencia members driving the streets looking for people to shoot. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Additionally, Sanchez was found guilty of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, based on his possession of a handgun at one of the illegal gambling establishments run by the gang known as casitas.. 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. The former head of Wells Fargo Banks retail banking division has agreed to plead guilty to obstructing a government examination into the banks widespread sales practices misconduct, which included opening A resident of the Westside of Los Angeles pleaded guilty today to federal criminal charges for using websites and apps such as Snapchat to meet and entice children to engage A South Bay man who along with three other accomplices victimized a 15-year-old girl by creating sexually explicit videos of her has been sentenced to 220 months in Central District of California Florencia-13 tag on a stop sign on Florence Ave. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Their seamless partnership resulted in the successful outcome of this matter. The gang appended the 13 to its name in the 1990s, signaling its allegiance to the Mexican Mafia. The jury that convicted Dorado and Fazah also returned guilty verdicts against two other F13 members who were charged in 2013 in a federal racketeering indictment. Out of the 36 defendants named in the six indictments, 11 were arrested today, 16 were already in custody, and authorities are searching for nine fugitives. Four years ago, authorities arrested dozens of members of South Los Angeles' Florencia 13 gang in connection with the killing of blacks because of the color of their skin. The Sheriffs Department added about 30 deputies, and last year it brought an injunction against Florencia. 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. Florencia 13 has a long history of being involved in drug trafficking in Los Angeles, where they have held a leadership . Arturo. The indictment concerning the Mexican Mafia-La Familia Project represents the largest crackdown on the prison gangs members since the United States Attorneys Office brought a series of RICO cases against the leadership of the prison gang in the 1990s. "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. La Familia Michoacana and it successor, Los Caballeros Templarios (the Knights Templar), is a major drug cartel based in the Mexican state of Michoacn and is responsible for the trafficking of hundreds of thousands of pounds of controlled substances, including methamphetamine, from Mexico into the United States, according to the indictment. 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. An official website of the United States government. Many early members of the Mexican Mafia were recruited from the Florencia gang. Running a criminal organization while locked inside one of America's most secure prisons requires imagination, cunning and ruthlessness. LAPD. Your IP: 336 Florencia Ave , San Antonio, TX 78228-5843 is a single-family home listed for-sale at $300,000. 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. He also ordered the gang to attack the local Crips gang, whose members are black. United States Attorneys Office That has reduced payback killings as well. 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. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7c0660170e4a056a When Leon was arrested for those drug charges, he was unlawfully in possession of a loaded firearm. According to an FBI agents affidavit, one of the defendants has admitted that they were driving around, looking for someone to rob, when Rios spotted Arroyos and remarked, He has a nice chain, lets get it.. The gang is named after the Florence area of Los Angeles County, controlled by the Mexican Mafia. 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. ), At Willie Nelson 90, country, rock and rap stars pay tribute, but Willie and Trigger steal the show, What GOPs plan for Medicaid work requirements would mean, Column: A centrist, third-party alternative for 2024 is a nice idea but a nightmare in practice, Chinese man who reported on COVID to be released after 3 years. In a letter released by inmate advocates, Castellanos denounced the federal investigation as a set-up and described Florencia 13 as his old childhood street gang. He has also questioned why the feds only named him as an unindicted co-conspirator (Castellanos and the secret note were also mentioned in a 2007 indictment against other alleged gang members). In an indictment brought in 2007, authorities accused the gang of attacking members of rival Black gangs in an attempt to drive them from the Florence-Firestone area. [8] Court testimony and the judges ruling found that F13 members had targeted African-Americans based purely on race. 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). 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. Two male Florencia members, aged 19 and 20, were arrested for involvement in the incident. 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. Lock Twenty-six members and associates of the gang allegedly conspired to violate RICO and engaged in drug trafficking, illegal gambling, attempted murder and assault. 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. 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.. Los Angeles Police officers bow their heads in prayer to honor their fallen colleague, Officer Fernando Arroyos, who was shot and killed during an armed robbery. Dorado, Fazah, and Sanchez have all been held without bond since entering federal custody. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Information and translations of florencia 13 in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. U.S. District Judge David Carter sentenced Florencia member Francisco Flores, 24, to life in prison on Wednesday, saying that he preyed on victims because they were black and for no other reason, according to a U.S. attorneys office news release. 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.. [7] They are involved in drug smuggling, murder, assault and robbery. "There's a fascination with gangs," said founder Alfred Lomas, a former member of the Florencia 13 gang. You dont gotta worry about that punk no more.. A lock ( Any gang member who had an issue with another was to bring it up at the clique meeting. The lead defendant in RICO indictment Leonel Laredo, a.k.a. How drug sales, prostitution and other illegal activities are organized and taxed, with a percentage going to gang leaders behind bars. 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. A locked padlock Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. A California law says yes. Florencia did the opposite, law enforcement officials say, absorbing smaller gangs and expanding their extortion and drug dealing rackets on the orders of its leaders, who are incarcerated many hundreds of miles away. Florencia-13 has opened unlicensed dispensaries in South Los Angeles, selling not just marijuana out of the storefronts but cocaine and methamphetamine as well, the former member said. Central District of California (Los Angeles) This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Los Angeles Police Department. 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.
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