10th Street Gang Members Plead Guilty to Racketeering Charges

BUFFALO, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Douglas Harville, 23, and Jairo Hernandez, 24, both of Buffalo, N.Y., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara, to Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organizations (RICO) conspiracy. Jairo Hernandez also pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph M. Tripi, who is handling the case, stated that between 2000 and 2010, the defendants were both members of the 10th Street Gang. As a part of their involvement in the gang, Harville and Hernandez, along with other members and associates of the gang, possessed firearms, sold marijuana, cocaine, crack cocaine, and other controlled substances on the West Side of Buffalo. The defendants are the 12th and 13th members or associates of the 10th Street Gang who have pleaded guilty in connection with the investigation.

“These pleas are yet another example of the commitment of our office, along with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, to bring gangs or any other organization involved in criminal activity to justice,” said U.S. Attorney Hochul. “We will not tolerate the violence often associated with such gangs on the streets of our community.”

The pleas are the culmination of an investigation on the part of investigators of the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Christopher Cummings; the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commission Daniel Derenda; and special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christopher M. Piehota.

Harville is scheduled to be sentenced on May 2, 2012, at 12:30 p.m., and Hernandez will be sentenced on May 3, 2012, at 12:30 p.m., in Buffalo, N.Y., both before Judge Arcara.