The gangs targeted in this operation are responsible for much of the illicit drug distribution and violent crime that has plagued areas in the South Bay, Salinas and the Central Valley for years, Fair said. The NF is alleged in the indictment to be a criminal enterprise that was created to organize, protect, discipline, profit from, and maintain the allegiance of gang members on the streets of and within custodial facilities in California. Also appearing at the press conference were Chief of the Office of Correctional Safety for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Derrick Marion, Santa Clara Sheriff Laurie Smith, and San Jose Deputy Chief of Police Elle Washburn. All rights reserved. If I betray you, kill me.. Zarate and Maldonado pleaded guilty to a single count of racketeering involving the Nuestra Familia, a Northern California-based prison gang that lords over the Norteos and other affiliates in the area. Federal Courthouse U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of California, Indictment Describes the Prison Gangs Nexus of Power Overseeing Thousands of Gang Members Throughout California, The Nuestra Familias General Council And Other Members And Associates Charged With Racketeering, Oakland Resident Charged With Fentanyl And Methamphetamine Sales In Tenderloin, East Bay Resident Found Guilty Of Attempting To Help Smuggle Cocaine Through Bay Area Airports, San Jose Man Sentenced To More Than 16 Years Following Jury Convictions For Meth Trafficking And Gun Charges. / CBS/Bay City News Service. 16, 2023 12:33 AM PT. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Over time, prisoners were released and spread the prison gang to neighborhoods. Oregon,[6] Texas, Utah,[7] Washington[8] According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, 36 of the defendants named in the indictments were already in state prison and have been moved to federal holding facilities. Craig Fair, head of the FBIs San Francisco area field office, said the operation announced Thursday was one of the largest gang takedowns in FBI San Francisco divisions history.. All rights reserved. Main Office: Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Nuestra Familia gang initiation rites include blood in, blood out which means committing a bloody crime such as assault or murder in order to join or leave the gang. 3553. Crime and Public Safety | 1973 The case was investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Attorneys Office of the Northern District of California, with assistance from the BOP. Enter https://www.police1.com/ and click OK. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. And the transfer led to internal power struggles played out in the streets, police say. Crime and Public Safety | How ascendible you splash. Further, the indictment describes the appointment by these leaders of NF members to positions of power over hierarchical and paramilitary structures called regiments, imposed on its gang members operating on the streets in California. In spite of his situation, he has remained positive and optimistic, she wrote. Parts of the constitution read No member of this O shall put material things, whether it be drugs, money, women, or punks (as related to the pinta) before the best interest of La Nuestra Familia or a familianos and that No familiano shall lie about his position in La Nuestra Familia when discussing familianos business to a superior or a brother member.. He previously reported in Washington, D.C., Salinas and the East Bay, and is a middling triathlete. Today, four additional members of the Nuestra Familia gang were sentenced for the heinous crimes they perpetrated upon our community, bringing to 12 the number of defendants sentenced as a result of this investigation, said U.S. Attorney Brian J. By using InfoTracer you agree to comply with the conditions set forth in the InfoTracer terms of service. The Bay Areas top federal prosecutor announced a sweeping array of indictments targeting the notorious Nuestra Familia prison gang, boasting that a five-year operation had culminated in a takedown of the organizations leadership responsible for an expanse of drug trafficking and brutal street violence spanning Northern California. [21] Other symbols include use of the number 14 or XIV, as the letter "N" is the 14th letter of the English alphabet. San Jose: (408) 535-5061. Arizona, Florida,[2] Georgia, Idaho,[3] Nevada,[4] Kansas,[5] New Mexico, Northern California, Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Todays operation strikes a substantial blow to Nuestra Familia leadership. Robert Salonga is a Bay Area News Group reporter who covers criminal justice and public safety for The Mercury News and East Bay Times. A locked padlock . 3553. Nuestra Familia is a prison gang that originally formed in the California state prison system in the 1960s. 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, FBI SanFrancisco (@FBISanFrancisco) September 16, 2021, We take aim at the head of the snake, Hinds said. What are Some Recent Nuestra Familia Gang Events? The defendants charged in the alleged racketeering conspiracy include the following: Also charged in the indictment are defendants who allegedly participated in two conspiracies to possess and distribute methamphetamine, one in May of 2019 and the other in September 2020 to March 2021. 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. Please enter valid email address to continue. According to multiple gang experts, one main sticking point was the so-called End of Hostilities agreement in 2012 by Californias four main prison gangs, including the Nuestra Familia and their longtime rivals, the Mexican Mafia. Letters: Recall DA | Feinsteins job | Tax-free retirement | IRA funds | Gun control | US oil 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 perpetration of violence and other crimes was ordinarily a prerequisite to entrance, continued membership, and advancement in the organization. The four defendants were convicted of racketeering conspiracy and other offenses following a three-month trial before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers. The leadership vacuum resulted in a power struggle between prospective generals. 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. While the physical movement of this leadership was restricted by prison walls, the indictment alleges their power and influence were not so constrained. Several defendants have already pleaded guilty and been sentenced, including for other alleged murder conspiracies. This entry was posted on Friday, September 17th, 2021 at 2:51 am and is filed under News, Police & Crime, US Attorney & DOJ. "There's family members still loyal to the guys in the fed," he said, referring to the exiled former generals and captains in Colorado. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI (San Francisco, Sacramento, and Phoenix Divisions), the DEA, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the U.S. [15] The gang's main sources of income are distributing cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine within prison systems as well as in the community and extorting drug distributors on the streets. San Francisco, CA 94102, San Francisco: (415) 436-7200 A video tape was played at trial showing the man being stabbed 13 times in a cafeteria in a federal prison in Louisiana, shortly after the coded letters were written. . September 16, 2021 - SAN JOSE - A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging 17 defendants with racketeering . . The indictment outlines each position according to the NF Constitution. "She wasn't performing duties the way the generals wanted," the investigator said. Despite having this evidence, prosecutors didnt indict the pair until August 2021, two months after Zarate was allegedly involved in a shooting near a San Jose courthouse that left one man dead. While the NF was composed of a relative few, it exercised control and wielded influence over thousands of subordinate gang members in counties and prisons throughout Northern California using such regiments. "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 . Have a question about Government Services? Nuestra Familia leaders control and direct the gang's criminal activities both inside and outside of the prison system. While the Mexican Mafia had initially been created to protect Mexicans in prison, there was a perceived level of abuse by members of La eMe towards the imprisoned chicanos from rural farming areas of Northern California. Lock 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. A . What are the Nuestra Familia Gang Tattoos & Initiation Rites? READ MORE: Feds: 'Head of the Snake' Taken Down In Nuestra Familia Prison Gang Bust. If I fall, avenge me. Police surmise that the order was responsible for many of the shootings in Salinas in 2007, which increased by 50 percent over 2006 levels. The indictment handed down on August 25, 2021, and unsealed Thursday, September 16, 2021 catalogues a litany of crimes allegedly directed by the Nuestra Familias command structure incarcerated in California prisons. Wife of Nuestra Familia Gang Leader Pleads Guilty in Ongoing Nuestra Familia Drug Trafficking Prosecution U.S. Attorney's Office March 25, 2013 Eastern District of California (916) 554-2700 Justificacin: Resulta importante que los estudiantes . Also charged in the indictment are defendants who allegedly participated in two conspiracies to possess and distribute methamphetamine, one in May of 2019 and the other in September 2020 to March 2021. Please note . 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. . The trial focused on 10 removals in the Monterey County Jail between December 2012 and April 2014. 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The NF oversaw such regiments in Santa Clara County, Monterey County, Santa Cruz County, San Benito County, San Francisco County, San Mateo County, Contra Costa County, Alameda County, Solano County, San Joaquin County, Fresno County, Kings County, Tulare County, Madera County, Merced County, Kern County, Sacramento County, Yolo County, Humboldt County, Shasta County, Lassen County, Tehama County, Butte County, Yuba County, Sutter County, Lake County, Placer County, and Sonoma County, as well as in Salinas Valley State Prison, Pelican Bay State Prison, Pleasant Valley State Prison, California State Prison - Solano, California State Prison - Sacramento, and High Desert State Prison. Northern California, or Norte, is the original homeland of the Familianos. In January 2012, Jaime Cervantes and two other gang members committed a home invasion robbery of a drug dealer. Nombre de la situacin de aprendizaje: La familia Propsito de intervencin: Que las alumnas y los alumnos desarrollen un sentido positivo sobre s mismos, fortalezcan su autoestima y partir de esto se reconozca la importancia y el valor del amor y la amistad, adems establezcan relaciones positivas con sus dems compaeros. What they will do within the federal prison remains to be seen, but investigators said stabbings have increased and communication with the outside has been established through cell phones smuggled into prison. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. In September 2011, Jaime Cervantes and another gang member burned the bodies of two murder victims in an apartment in Oakland based on orders from Henry Cervantes. The Norte-os are trying to establish (in Salinas) but every time they try to, there's shootouts." All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! TTY: (415) 436-7221, Oakland: (510) 637-3680 Operation Quiet Storm was the culmination of more than 5 years of complex investigative work. The NF oversaw such regiments in Contra Costa County, Santa Clara County, Monterey County, Santa Cruz County, San Benito County, San Francisco County, San Mateo County, Alameda County, Solano County, San Joaquin County, Fresno County, Kings County, Tulare County, Madera County, Merced County, Kern County, Sacramento County, Yolo County, Humboldt County, Shasta County, Lassen County, Tehama County, Butte County, Yuba County, Sutter County, Lake County, Placer County, and Sonoma County, as well as in Salinas Valley State Prison, Pelican Bay State Prison, Pleasant Valley State Prison, California State Prison Solano, California State Prison Sacramento, and High Desert State Prison. Summer Lin covers breaking news and general assignment for The Mercury News. 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He joined the Bay Area News Group in 2014. SAN FRANCISCO -- Twenty-five members of the Nuestra Familia prison gang, including its 'general' and 'first captain,' have been indicted on conspiracy and racketeering charges -- including. Harriette Cole: I never asked him to solve my problems but he won't back off, Gunmen storm Mexican resort, kill 7 people, including a child, California is changing how it goes after illegal cannabis farms, Caught off guard: How South Floridas rare storm compares to others, and where it sits in history, The final encore for Phantom: What the show means to one New Yorker who saw it dozens of times, For Varland brothers, now both in the MLB at same time, a dream come true, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Nuestra familia had lentiginose the excess la nuestra familia . The Nuestra Familia was not recognized as a prison gang by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation until 1979. Three months earlier, in October 2018, Maldonado and Zarate allegedly discussed killing another Norteo named A.R. for being strung out on heroin and consorting with a rival gang. Violators may be subject to civil and criminal litigation and penalties. Murder trial of reputed Oakland gang member delayed amid dispute over judge En la declaracin de impuestos final, el cnyuge sobreviviente o representante debe anotar que la persona falleci. But copies were intercepted in Pelican Bay, giving investigators a heads-up about the leadership changes. A locked padlock Some law enforcement agents speculate that the Nuestra Familia gang, which operates in and out of prisons, influences much of the criminal activity of thousands of Norteo gang members in California. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. 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Related Articles The Nuestra Familia prison gang formed in the early 1960s when Hispanic inmates from Northern California created their own gang in response to mistreatment by Los-Angeles based gangs under the Mexican Mafia umbrella. The perpetration of violence and other crimes was ordinarily a prerequisite to entrance, continued membership, and advancement in the organization. The charging announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Stephanie Hinds, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Crag D. Fair, and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Wade R. Shannon at a press conference this morning. Assistant U.S. Following that, the television news show 60 Minutes asked if a prison exists that can actually isolate the hardened criminal leaders. Bay City News Service contributed to this report. This civil war has been going on for quite a while, almost since the Black Widow convictions, said Julie Reynolds, a journalist who authored the book Blood in the Fields about the Black Widow case. 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. This . [22], In the aftermath of Operation Black Widow, the five highest-ranking leaders of Nuestra Familia, James "Tibbs" Morado, Joseph "Pinky" Hernandez, Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba, Cornelio Tristan, and Tex Marin Hernandez, were transferred to the United States Penitentiary, Florence ADX, the federal supermax prison in Colorado. Prison system in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation until 1979 grand... Assignment for the Mercury News U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers SAN JOSE - a federal grand jury returned indictment. 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