florencia 13 members

A third indictment charges two F13 members with being felons in possession of a firearm and ammunition, namely an AK-47-type rifle. Click on the image and hit the 'text' tab to read a typed version of the communique. United States Attorneys Office News Florencia 13 Gang Member Arrested on Rico Charges Latino Gang Members Indicted for 'Cleansing' Operation 3 Gang Members Charged With Race Killing The indictment that prosecutors brought in 2018 charges that Florencia-13 members discussed collecting taxes from a marijuana shop. Killing of LAPD officer brings scrutiny on one of L.A.'s oldest and The dealers were already paying off the Florencia-13 leadership and supplying them with cocaine, he testified. 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. Operation Joker's Wild investigated the gang's drug trafficking, extortion of street criminals, and racially based murders of African Americans in the area. The suspects were alleged members of Florencia 13, and are facing murder and attempted murder charges. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. The indictment unsealed today focuses on how the gang has generated illicit profits through the sale of drugs and firearms, fraud, and extortion. 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. I believe one of his objectives is to get [transferred] to federal prison to further his business plan, Enriquez said. The gang appended the 13 to its name in the 1990s, signaling its allegiance to the Mexican Mafia. Federal prosecutors charge alleged gang members with killing off-duty He also ordered the gang to attack the local Crips gang, whose members are black. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. 312 North Spring Street None could be reached for comment, and they have yet to enter pleas. View more property details, sales history and Zestimate data on Zillow. 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. 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.. The three men are members of Florencia-13, according to the FBI. 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. 13 indicted, 8 arrested in Calif. drug cartel investigation Legal Statement. Officer Fernando Arroyos, 27, was shot to death the night of Jan. 10 near the intersection of 87th and Beach streets. A lock ( The indictment unsealed today follows a 2007 crackdown on the gang that led to more than 100 members and associates being charged, and five of them receiving sentences of life without parole in federal prison (see: http://www.justice.gov/usao/cac/Pressroom/pr2010/025.html). ft. home is a 3 bed, 2.0 bath property. Patrons can play slot machines and other electronic games, buy and use narcotics, and meet sex workers at the establishments, according to testimony at an earlier racketeering trial. To learn more about how we use your information, please read our privacy policy. The organization is made up of about 140 men, all but a handful of them imprisoned, who rose through the hierarchies of local street gangs and the penal system by displaying a readiness to commit violence or an ability to make large amounts of money, according to law enforcement sources. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. (213) 894-4465. All rights reserved. Secure .gov websites use HTTPSA lock ( Few actual gang members died. The indictment that outlines the Project and related drug trafficking activities names 13 defendants, eight of whom were arrested this morning. Lock 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. Seven decades ago, Latino youths in South Los Angeles banded together to form a gang. These shot callers were then ordered to coordinate the illegal distribution of drugs and other criminal activities, to ensure that extortionate taxes were collected, and otherwise to oversee their respective portions of the gangs territory, such as by resolving disputes both among F13 gang members and associates and with members of other Los Angeles gangs, the indictment states. 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. 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 case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Terrence P. Mann, Sheila Nagaraj and Victoria Degtyareva. 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. 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. Arturo Castellanos has been incarcerated since 1979 for a murder conviction. Column: Does racism make you too stupid to be a cop? 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. 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. Get the day's top news with our Today's Headlines newsletter, sent every weekday morning. 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. It was crazy -- really crazy.. Official websites use .gov 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. 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. The note was originally written in tiny script on a small scrap of paper known as a kite, smuggled out of Pelican Bay, recopied and then distributed to street gang members, according to federal prosecutors who are using it as evidence in a major crackdown in Los Angeles. The notes, he said, were written by Arturo Castellanos in his cell at Pelican Bay State Prison, where he was and still is serving a life sentence for murder. The investigation in this case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Huntington Park Police Department, and the Los Angeles Police Department. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Feds: Latino Gang Targeted Blacks - Newsweek 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. Six Florencia 13 gang members sentenced to life in prison Gang members have been charged with offenses ranging. And after they agree its over, its a dead issue.. The gang is now at the center of the killing earlier this month of an off-duty Los Angeles police officer. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Several members of the gang have risen through its ranks to become leaders of the Mexican Mafia. 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). 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. The four are charged with violent crime in aid of racketeering in the killing of Officer Fernando Arroyos, who was fatally shot Monday, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of. Based out of South . Los Angeles gang areas highlights of this tour ATF is committed and dedicated to removing violent criminals like these from our society for life. Arturo. The illegal contraband included methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana, and cell phones. Jessica Chasmar is a digital writer on the politics team for Fox News and Fox Business. Justice has been served.. 336 Florencia Ave, San Antonio, TX 78228 | MLS #1679310 | Zillow They include: We are forewarning everyone to cautiously respect these reglas and know theres no 2nd chance, reads the message, which was allegedly written by Arturo Castellanos, a convicted murderer who has been held in isolation at Pelican Bay since 1990. How street gangs and their sub-groups are governed, including the election of a president and vice president by majority votes.. How snitches and sex offenders are rooted out and punished. This resulted in the Mexican Mafia putting a green light out on the East Coast Crips. [7] They are involved in drug smuggling, murder, assault and robbery. The 2,133 sq. Luis De La Rosa Rios, Jesse Contreras, Ernesto Cisneros and Haylee Grisham have been charged in federal court with Arroyos' killing. LA SHERIFF ASKS FEDS TO HANDLE PROSECUTION IN OFF-DUTY COP SHOOTING OVER CONCERNS DA TOO LENIENT: REPORT. That order, which wascommunicated during a recorded call over the LACJ inmate telephone system, included instructions both to beat the victim severely and to kill him. Sign up for our daily newsletter. Your IP: 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. He's family to us.". 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. The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department and Operation Safe Street Bureau were pleased to hear that the collaborative efforts between the Federal Government and the LASD resulted in these significant convictions, said Captain Matt Burson, Sheriff's Operation Safe Streets Bureau. The verdicts remove these violent defendants from our community and deal an important blow against the Florencia 13 gangs campaign of drugs and violence., Dorado and Fazah alone were found guilty of conspiring to commit a Violent Crime in Aid of Racketeering (VICAR) for a gang-related beating in Huntington Park that ultimately led to the shooting death of the victim. "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. Omar Hugo Robles, 30, of Sylmar, an alleged associate of La Familia, who was arrested this morning. Authorities arrested 11 members and associates of the South Los Angeles-based Florencia 13. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. 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! 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 . Anyone who ignores the group's edicts faces likely retaliation if they end up behind bars. Florencia 13 is part of a terrifying gang war scene in Los Angeles, and it also has influence in more rural states like Virginia and Iowa. Florencia 13 - WikiMili, The Best Wikipedia Reader 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. [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. Stay in touch. 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. They just went out and started shooting at black people, Hernandez said. The robbery and killing of an off-duty Los Angeles police officer this month was allegedly the work of Florencia 13 (F13), a Latino street gang largely controlled by the Mexican Mafia. [10] Many early members of the Mexican Mafia were recruited from the Florencia gang. Cartel Initiated Alliance with Prison Gang that is also Targeted in Second Indictment for Exercising Control Over Large South L.A. County Street Gang. 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. A document seized by law enforcement in 2004 indicated the degree to which members of the Mexican Mafia controlled Florencia-13. Castellanos actions in running criminal conspiracies and in organizing protests are driven by an unquenchable thirst for power and recognition, according to Enriquez. The STANDS4 Network . Jose Gonzalez, 36, received a 20-year sentence. In time it absorbed smaller gangs, many of which became cliques, or subsets, of Florencia-13. 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. It was among the deadliest acts of violence in modern Kansas history. Dorado, Fazah, and Sanchez have all been held without bond since entering federal custody. Over the years, demographic and social shifts have weakened many street gangs and caused some to die out altogether. Login . The two suspects were also charged for a shooting at a group of people at a Taylorsville, Utah cemetery on January 6, which did not harm anyone. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Sanchez also served as armed security and carried a firearm to protect the casitas drug operations. 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. "We're going to miss him a lot. What does florencia 13 mean? - Definitions.net A California law says yes. The RICO indictment also alleges that F13 members were responsible for the shooting and attempted murder of a rival gang member in South Los Angeles in December 2016. "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. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation provided substantial assistance. After the jury returned its verdicts, United States District Judge Beverly Reid OConnell scheduled sentencing hearings for October 24, 2016. An 11th defendant, Alejandro Rincon, will be retried in April. Dozens Arrested During Raids Targeting 2 Violent Street Gangs in - KTLA 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. Florencia-13 tag on a stop sign on Florence Ave. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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 . 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 | Three Gang Members and One Gang The edict led to indiscriminate shootings of Black and Latino residents, as Florencia-13 members prowled the streets for targets and East Coast Crips committed retaliatory shootings of their own, witnesses testified. 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. 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. LOS ANGELES Two key operatives of the Florencia 13 street gang were sentenced this week to life without parole in federal prison. Luis De La Rosa Rios, Jesse Contreras, Ernesto Cisneros and Haylee Grisham have been charged in federal court with Arroyos killing. Times staff writer Amina Khan contributed to this report. . 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.