His job was to make sure that San Francisco, Sacramento, Oakland, and San Jose all had a regiment in place, and made sure that the regiments were going by the gang's rules. Lock respective responsibilities. Although he was not a Nuestra Familia member anymore (he dropped out), he wanted to sell his drugs in the same place. If I betray you, kill me.. In March 2013, the inmate whom Andrew Cervantes believed had violated gang rules was assaulted and stabbed by two Nuestra Familia inmates in the prison dining facility and survived. Thus, generally, Familiano leaders Vincent Gerald Garcia, 55, of Salinas. Feds: 'Head of the Snake' Taken Down In Nuestra Familia Prison Gang Bust, Public File for KBCW-TV / KBCW 44 Cable 12. An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Eight co-defendants previously pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and other offenses and were sentenced to terms of imprisonment ranging from eight to 15 years. They are trained in prison Level 3 soldiers, known as "hustlers," collect drugs Magic Memories ha prestado servicio a ms de 800 nios de toda la regin, y es una cuantificacin de su deseo de formar a los jvenes que sern el futuro de nuestro pas. Nate Gartrell covers crime and corruption in Contra Costa County. For language and communication, the Familia uses legal mail and Because the process can take many years, only those convicted of including the 3 "highest-ranking" Nuestra Familia leaders According to court documents, in 2004, Huerta would occasionally receive four ounces of methamphetamine from the NFs Salinas regiment. Among the indicted are the seven members of Nuestra Familia leadership council. collectors are assigned to coerce or pressure the convict into paying. One charged with murder, second suspect released, in mass shootout that killed teen at Oakland music video shoot "By disrupting gang leadership, we take aim at the head of the snake and seek to reduce violence and other criminal activity on our streets and in our jails and prisons, said Hinds.". Many Familia leaders on the outside also Gang Culture, History and Info, Other Area, International Street Gangs & Organized Crime, Mexico, Central America, South America & the Caribbean, LOS ANGELES: Gangs /Clubs, Street Culture, History and Info, Gang Questions & Info: Black Gangs / Clubs, Gang Questions & Info: Latino gangs, Sureos, clubs, crews and varrios, Gang Questions & Info: Asian & White gangs. The perpetration of violence and other crimes was ordinarily a prerequisite to entrance, continued membership, and advancement in the organization. Their color was red, contrasting the blue-suited Mexican Mafia. Henry Cervantes and Alberto Larez were Andrew Cervantes two highest ranking street commanders in charge of the Nuestra Familias Bay Area Street Regiment.. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot concedes defeat, Southern California home sales fall to all-time low, Denver just got a direct flight to this Caribbean island known for music history and vegetarian cooking, NYC Mayor Adams dismisses need to separate church and state, declares himself a servant of God, Zero-calorie sweetener linked to heart attack and stroke, study finds, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. 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 their organized crime network, court records show. Catalog; For You; Los Gatos Weekly Times. 3553. 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. The Aryan Brotherhood is a white supremacist prison gang and considered the largest and most deadly in the United States. through telephone, with all parties prearranged and aware of their also recruit what are known as "Wolfpacks" inside prison, El Espritu Santo puede guiar a la familia. If I fall, avenge me. and Familias in other prisons or on the outside. Chicano If the debt is not repaid within a reasonable amount of time, debt This shooting was one of the most infamous killings, as it was recorded on video. AND THE LEADERSHIP OF THE FUTURE Silvia Garca Vega ORCID: 0000-0002-0302-7802 Profesora de Comunicacin para el Cambio Ukiah became a meeting place for gang leaders in March of 2000, and their influence within the prison subculture. Huerta received the NF drug proceeds and methamphetamine as a fee for facilitating communication between her husband and others. Their prison stronghold was Pelican Bay, where their main leaders lived. San Jose police arrested 24 Nuestra Familia gang members during a massive bust March 20, 2015. Nuestra Familia is a prison gang that originally formed in the California state prison system in the 1960s. culture in the face of a majority white culture saturating both The final tally left 11 wounded and mafia member Archie Gallego, 25, dead. A lock ( "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. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. He ordered assaults and murders on behalf of NF and approved all 10 removals in this case. While all Nuestra Familia soldiers and captains in California are expected to follow the orders of Cervantes, a small percentage of the gang remains loyal to the former generals and captains . READ MORE: Feds: 'Head of the Snake' Taken Down In Nuestra Familia Prison Gang Bust. Following a series of raids Wednesday, prosecutors have charged 55 people, including seven in Northern California prisons, a group described as the governing body of the Nuestra Familia prison. 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Casper was not allowed to put a hit on Armando Frias, as he was a government informant, but he said that he would have killed him if he was a regular NF member. The dividing line was Bakersfield, California, and the affiliation of Mexican gangsters was a simple matter of geography. While on parole, Gratton gained notoriety by producing a rap album known as G.U.N. 1962(d) Racketeering Conspiracy, 21 U.S.C. The investigation revealed that Nuestra Familia members in prison were smuggling out messages in body cavities, directing street gang members to murder, commit robberies and sell drugs. 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. Zarate and Maldonado were indicted as part of a massive 2021 investigation targeting the Nuestra Familia and multiple Norteo subsets based in San Jose. Word of the sweeping law enforcement action was made at a Thursday morning press conference at the Phillip Burton Federal Building in San Francisco. / CBS/Bay City News Service. [19] The spark that led to the ongoing war between Nuestra . The Nuestra Familia have a strong base in Northern California, Sonoma County, Mendocino County, Santa Rosa, Windsor, and San Jose. Colorado prisons and the American criminal justice system. One Neustra Familia 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. He will grade them as 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and so on according to their leadership abilities and their overall foresight. combat the existing oppression of the traditionally dominant Mexican (NF 2011) Nuestra Familia was created because some of the Spanish inmates had gotten tired of the abuse handed out by the Mexican Mafiato fellow Mexicans. The business Zarate has also consistently told counsel that he had strong second thoughts about going through with the planned assaults and wonders to this day if he would have actually acted, although he fully acknowledges his active participation in the conspiracy, Jordan wrote. At Level 1 there is the finance minister, the business manager, 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 Latinos from rural farming areas of Northern California. Nuestra Familia gang member Armando Frias noticed him in Cap's Saloon, but although he was on the hit list, he needed Casper's permission. This is considered "welfare" The Family operates is based on a model of capitalist enterprise, and relies on regular San Jose: (408) 535-5061. She was given the methamphetamine without charge. Familianos under one roof, strengthening their power within prison. The Limon Correctional "While the physical movement of this leadership was restricted by prison walls, the indictment alleges that their power and influence were not so constrained.". sex trade, while communicating with their members on the outside, As outlined in the indictment, membership in the NF involved a process of sponsorship, approval, and indoctrination. By removing violent actors and crime drivers from the streets, we make our neighborhoods safer." According to the documents unsealed today, La Nuestra Familia - Spanish for "Our Family"- was a prison gang operating in the California state prison system. The indictment outlines each position according to the NF Constitution. were reported by informants in 2000 to be instructed by their Familia It is . Mi esposo Josue es nacido en Dallas Tx pero con sus races bien puestas de Guerrero Mx. "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," said Fair. the Familia's messages confirm reception to their family members Additional assistance was provided by the Santa Clara County District Attorneys Office; the Oakland Police Department; the San Jose Police Department; the Red Bluff Police Department; the Livermore Police Department; the Alameda County Sheriffs Office; the Campbell Police Department; the Tehama County District Attorneys Office; and the Tehama County Sheriffs Office. The Mafia members most- ly ex-convicts from the East Los Angeles area plan to chal- lenge their gang's chief rival, "Nuestra Familia" ("Our Fami- ly" in Spanish) for control of San Jose s street crime, an ex- pert on prison gangs revealed. By disrupting gang leadership, we reduce violence on our streets. He makes sure that business is conducted according Known commonly as NF, the gang has tens of thousands of members, and the 1998 El Norte Law decreed that all . These duties can often be enforced by using blackmail or The Nuestra Familia gang's motto is "blood in, blood out", meaning that they get in the gang by shedding blood, and they get out by death. 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. La Nuestra Familia was formed in Folsom 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. By contrast, Maldonado was serving a life sentence for a 2008 conviction of dissuading a witness from testifying against another gang member. Updated on: November 2, 2022 / 9:34 AM Vincent Gerald Garcia, 55, of Salinas, is the 14th defendant charged and convicted in the case, which involves racketeering, conspiracy, conspiracy to commit murder in the aid of racketeering and conspiracy to commit assault with a dangerous weapon in the aid of racketeering. Pelican Bay parolees On 20 April 2001, federal agents arrested 13 members of NF, including 6 inmates, among them Rubelcaba. Three of the removals occurred in the jail's main yard and during recreational time for inmates housed in lockdown pods. Some law enforcement agents speculate that the Nuestra Familia gang . 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. In January 2015, one of the men also identified by prosecutors in the indictment, Vincent Gerald "Chente" Garcia, 51, received 35 years to life in prison for his role as a Nuestra Familia. 2023 Antioch Herald - Entries (RSS) - Comments (RSS) - Log in, 2021 Antioch Peoples Choice Awards Winners, Antioch Mayor Thorpe admits to private meeting with DA Becton, interim city manager, Antioch Mayor Thorpe claims lack of active sworn police officers part of national Great Resignation trend, Contra Costa DA Becton holds private meeting in her office with Antioch Mayor Thorpe three days after his DUI arrest, CHP: Antioch Mayor Thorpe under investigation by DAs office for DUI, possibly weaving when stopped, Contra Costa Supervisors to act on affordable housing, election campaign funding ordinances Tuesday, Antioch to celebrate Sesquicentennial of Incorporation Day with ceremony Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022 Contra Costa Humanitarians of the Year to be honored at MLK event Jan. 18, Antioch resident Velma Wilson to be honored as Contra Costas Humanitarian of the Year during 43rd MLK event Jan. 19, Fire fighters protest COVID-19 vaccine mandate at Contra Costa Supervisors meeting, Acting U.S. Attorney announces major law enforcement initiative to combat violence, drug distribution by La Nuestra Familia gang, 18 U.S.C. "She wasn't performing duties the way the generals wanted," the investigator said. 2 years to demonstrate one's character, potential, and righteousness. Crime and Public Safety | Mexico and El Salvador has received the most international recognition for street gang development as a result of US deportation, but other countries in South & Central America & the Caribbean including Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Domincan Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti [d'Hati], Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico [Estados Unidos Mexicanos], Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru [Per], Puerto Rico, Suriname, Uruguay, Venenzuela and many other islands in the Caribbean. a "capitol," or "power base," in the Limon Correctional However, despite law enforcement's efforts, there were still tens of thousands of NF members, and the new generation was influenced to join the NF through promises of girls, cars, dope, alcohol, good times, parties, staying out late, and other vices. 14 is the identifying Even in lockdowns, NF members were able to communicate using fishing lines, and they could educate their friends about making crude weapons and using codes. 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