Nineteen Chicago-area men, many
suspected members or associates of the of the Imperial Gangsters street gang,
were arrested yesterday by FBI special agents and Chicago Police officers
assigned to the FBI’s Joint Task Force on Gangs, culminating a nearly
three-year long investigation that targeted illicit drug and firearms sales in
and around the Humboldt park area on Chicago’s near northwest side.
Yesterday’s arrests were announced by
Robert D. Grant, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI), who was joined by Garry F. McCarthy,
Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department (CPD); Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United
States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Anita Alvarez, Cook
County State’s Attorney; Lisa Madigan, Illinois Attorney General; and Michael
Witz, Chief of the Franklin Park Police Department.
Some of the charges were contained in 12
separate criminal complaints filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, which
were unsealed yesterday and which charged 13 current or former Chicago-area
residents with distribution of a controlled substance or violating federal
firearms laws. Six others were charged with violating state drug or firearms
laws in charges filed in Cook County and Whiteside County Circuit Court.
According to the federal complaints,
between December 2009 and May 2012, eight defendants identified below
intentionally distributed a controlled substance, either cocaine or heroin, in
amounts ranging from 28 to 62 grams. Five others, also identified below and all
of whom have prior felony convictions, are alleged to have possessed various
makes and models of firearms, both handguns and assault type rifles between
December 2009 and November 2011.
The investigation leading to the charges
announced today was conducted by the Chicago FBI’s Joint Task Force on Gangs,
which is comprised of FBI special agents and officers from the Chicago Police
Department. Officers from the Franklin Park Police Department and the Sterling
Police Department also assisted. The charges announced today are part of an
ongoing and coordinated effort by the FBI and CPD’s Organized Crime Bureau and
Gang Investigations Division to identify those responsible for supplying
illicit drugs and firearms to Chicago’s criminal element, which are often used
in street violence.
Investigators made extensive use of
undercover and controlled purchases of illegal narcotics and firearms and
court-authorized electronic surveillance of telephones utilized by some of the
defendants in this case, both of which helped lead to the filing of the charges
announced today. During the course of the investigation, over a kilogram of
crack cocaine, over 250 grams of powder cocaine and approximately 125 grams of
heroin were recovered. In addition, 31 firearms, approximately $4,000 in cash
and three vehicles were seized.
In announcing the charges, Mr. Grant
reaffirmed a commitment to investigate and prosecute those who engage in
activities that threaten our communities. “Yesterday’s arrests should serve as
a warning to those who persist in endangering our communities through the sale
of drugs and guns. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners
to find you, to hold you accountable, and to make our neighborhoods safe for
the many innocent residents who often pay a huge price for the acts of a few.”
“The street gang targeted in this
mission is a violent, organized criminal organization with a history of
violence in our city, including the shooting of a Chicago Police officer,” said
Superintendent McCarthy. “This investigation especially highlights the entrenched
relationship between gangs, guns, and drugs, and demonstrates that the Chicago
Police and our federal law enforcement partners are committed to confronting
and eradicating the problem,” he added.
Regarding the combined efforts that led
to the charges, Attorney General Madigan said, “These arrests demonstrate how
effective coordination between law enforcement agencies at all levels can
produce significant results in fighting drug dealing and gang activity.”
Those arrested yesterday who were
charged with violating federal drug laws are identified as:
■Victor Arroyo, age 30, 2333 North
Ashland, Chicago
■Richard Cruz, age 29, 2831 North
Kostner, Chicago
■Jose Hernandez, age 40, 4351 West
Palmer, Chicago
■Faisal Khan, age 26, 2202 North
Rockwell, Chicago
■Oscar Montanez, age 33, 2710 South
Lombard, Berwyn
■Rogelio Perez, age 37, 4840 West
Henderson, Chicago
■Sergio Sanchez, age 25, 1643 North
Parkside, Chicago
■Lawrence Wade, age 41, 0 South 041 Page
Street, Winfield
Those arrested yesterday who were
charged federally with felon-in-possession of a firearm are identified as:
■Jaime Corral, age 32, 880 Joyce, Leyden
Township
■Lazaro Corral, age 29, 920 North
Roberta Avenue, Melrose Park
■Martin Murillo, age 29, 2433 West
Arthington, Chicago
■Miguel Pedraza, age 30, 1935 North
Central Park Avenue, Chicago
■Ismael Velasquez, 31, 2139 North
Keystone, Chicago
Those arrested on state charges are
identified as:
■Julio Collaza, age 42, 5918 West
Waveland, Chicago
■Craig Hartman, age 26, 1507 East 14th
Street, Sterling
■Elvis Lebron, age 39, 2528 N. Linder,
Chicago
■Ramon Marrero, age 31, 4321 South
Paulina, Chicago
■Catalino Soto, age 55, 5729 South
Trumbull, Chicago
■Francisco Wolf, age 32, 23 King Arthur
Court, Northlake
Those arrested on federal charges
appeared yesterday before Magistrate Judge Nan R. Nolan in Chicago, at which
time they were formally charged. All were ordered held until their next
scheduled court appearances. If convicted, those charged with possession of on
excess of 50 grams of crack cocaine face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10
years’ incarceration; those charged with possession of in excess of five grams
of crack cocaine face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’
incarceration; and those charged with felon-in-possession of a firearm face a
possible sentence of up to 10 years’ incarceration.
Those arrested on state charges were
scheduled to appear in bond court at dates and times to be determined. If
convicted, they face possible sentences of up to 30 years in the Illinois
Department of Corrections.
The public is reminded that a complaint
is not evidence of guilt and that all defendants in a criminal case are
presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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