You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. 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. Alberto Larez orchestrated the murder of a rival in San Jose. Official websites use .gov While the physical movement of this leadership was restricted by prison walls, the indictment alleges their power and influence were not so constrained. "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 . According to the indictment, NF members and associates were involved in plots to kill 14 victims between April 2013 and July 2019 as part of the charged racketeering conspiracy. Robert was a member of the Bay Area News Group reporting team awarded the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting for East Bay Times coverage of the fatal "Ghost Ship" fire. / CBS/Bay City News Service. Webinar: Strategies to Stop School Shootings - View On-Demand, Authorities say Nuestra Familia's revisions mean more violence in streets By Julia ReynoldsThe Monterey County HeraldMONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. Monterey County's deadliest gang has new leadership and a new constitution, forcing changes that law enforcement officers say is translating to increased violence in the streets. 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. Californias Hispanic gangs are divided geographically into northerners and southerners, called Norteos and Sureos. Last year, a newly revised constitution for the gang was distributed through underground channels, allowing for change in the mesa's structure, said Santa Cruz County sheriff's Sgt. If I fall, avenge me. Dear Abby: I saw security video of my fiance, and my heart is broken, Ask Amy: My friends walked out of the funeral, and I was frozen in shock. And though prison officials recently reorganized the housing in a way that slows down gang communications, coded directives are still smuggled out that translate to violence in California cities and farm towns. In the aftermath, some of the gang's thousands of Norte-o associates -- street-level soldiers who answer to Nuestra Familia -- stayed loyal to the exiled generals and captains, while others looked to Pelican Bay because the gang's written constitution said its leaders must reside there. Information obtained through InfoTracer is not to be used for any unlawful purposes such as stalking or harassing others, or investigating public officials or celebrities. Zarate was out of jail during the conspiracy, which made him more valuable to the gang, authorities say. One group assumed the gang's leadership while the other group was composed of the gang's workers/soldiers thereby acting as a subordinate. This organizational structure reinforces the dominance of the master gangs and allows them to take a significant portion of profits from drug trafficking and other criminal activity that takes place at the street level. This investigation and prosecution are part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), which identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. The FBIs Operation Black Widow resulted in arrests and indictments of 150 members of Nuestra Familia gang. 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. Violators may be subject to civil and criminal litigation and penalties. While members of the Norteos gang are considered to be affiliated with Nuestra Familia, being a member of Nuestra Familia itself does not signify association as a Norteo. The availability and accuracy of information is largely dependent on various public sources from which the information is aggregated. 1962(d) Racketeering Conspiracy, 21 U.S.C. 450 Golden Gate Avenue Evidence presented at trial established that from approximately fall 2010 through March 2013, under the supervision of Henry Cervantes and Larez, members and associates of Nuestra Familia engaged in the trafficking of methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin and committed robberies to raise money for themselves and the gang. Two of the defendants face the death penalty for ordering murders related to the drug trade. 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. [20], While Nuestra Familia is primarily a Chicano gang, membership sometimes extends to other Latinos as well as non-Latinos. Now, nearly all Norte-o soldiers and Nuestra Familia regiment captains across California answer to Cervantes, gang experts say, but re-establishing the gang's control over the streets has not been easy. [18] The end result was the creation of federal and state factions of the gang that continue to lock horns. The Nuestra Familia tattoos are likely to include the number 14 often in Roman numerals, XIV. Fourteen represents the numerical position of the letter N in the alphabet. Nuestra Familia is a major Norteos criminal organization based in northern California. They talked about how the victim had committed an assault to get back into good standing with the gang, but had resorted to his old ways, which was the final straw, prosecutors said. Todays sentences have a special significance in light of the courts findings that three of the defendants were among the highest ranked members of the organization internationally. 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. Summer Lin covers breaking news and general assignment for The Mercury News. 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.. 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. 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. The leadership vacuum resulted in a power struggle between prospective generals. The defendants are scheduled to make initial federal court appearances before U.S. Magistrate Court Judge Nathanael Cousins and U.S. Magistrate Court Judge Sallie Kim today. [1] In the late 1960s, Mexican-American inmates of the California state prison system began to separate into two rival groups, Nuestra Familia[14] and the 1957-formed Mexican Mafia, according to the locations of their hometowns (the north-south dividing line is Bakersfield, California). Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link. 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. Three Nuestra Familia Gang Members Sentenced for Drug Trafficking. In 2010, Henry Cervantes and Larez were released from the BOP after serving sentences for racketeering conspiracy convictions in 2004 involving the distribution of controlled substances on behalf of the Nuestra Familia. Todays operation strikes a substantial blow to Nuestra Familia leadership. Operation Quiet Storm was the culmination of more than 5 years of complex investigative work. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Feds: 'Head of the Snake' Taken Down In Nuestra Familia Prison Gang Bust, Public File for KBCW-TV / KBCW 44 Cable 12. While the recognized leaders of Nuestra Familia in Pelican Bay ask that members respect the former leaders, they have been effectively stripped of their authority. FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office officials announce charges Thursday against 55 people after a five-year investigation centered on the Nuestra Familia prison gang. Falling under the gang's supervision are Norteo street gangs established in numerous cities and counties, and in jails and prisons, throughout Northern California and elsewhere. The glorification of gang affiliation by celebrities in rap music, and through video games and movies have created a bonanza for recruitment. All rights reserved. Have a question about Government Services? Former Stanford University employee arraigned on charges of lying about rapes that shook campus It is with gratitude and appreciation that we congratulate the FBI, the Bureau of Prisons, and the scores of local law enforcement officials who have brought this 6-year investigation to a successful conclusion., Criminal enterprises like the Nuestra Familia may spawn in prisons, but they often spread into our communities and onto our streets, bringing violence and mayhem with them, said Assistant Attorney General Caldwell. [11], Members of Nuestra Familia are known to wear red bandanas ("red rags") to identify themselves. Now, they say they're spending their retirement paying for it, Investigation underway after E-40 claims he was ejected from Warriors-Kings game due to 'racial bias'. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! This . A locked padlock Federal prosecutors Monday announced they have added more than a dozen new charges to their case against three alleged leaders of a prison gang accused of orchestrating . 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. most significantly the arrests of the Nuestra Familia leadership, will . This set of rules includes: Who may become a full member (not females); The structure of leadership; 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. 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. 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. Miss Manners: People look when I drive down the street. Initiation to Nuestra Familia gang may also include a lengthy and painful beating from fellow members. . Attorneys Joseph M. Alioto Jr. and William Frentzen, and trial Attorney Robert S. Tully of the Criminal Divisions Organized Crime and Gang Section prosecuted the case with assistance from Kevin Costello, Courtney Fisher, Melissa Dorton, Daniel Charlier-Smith, Lance Libatique, and Lauren Hipolito. A lot of the street violence in the past 10 years in Salinas and Watsonville and San Jose stems from this, and in the prison yards too.. 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. 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