Federal Jury Convicts Three More Members of Pueblo Bishops Bloods in L.A.’s First Racketeering Prosecution Targeting a Bloods Gang

LOS ANGELES—Three more members of the Pueblo Bishops Bloods, a long-entrenched criminal street gang that used violence and intimidation in an attempt to control the Pueblo del Rio housing projects in South Los Angeles, have been found guilty of federal racketeering, narcotics, and gun charges.

Yesterday’s convictions come in the first federal criminal RICO action brought against a Bloods street gang in Southern California.

Following a four-week trial in United States District Court, a jury yesterday afternoon convicted the three defendants of being members of a criminal enterprise that engaged in narcotics and firearms trafficking, murder, witness intimidation, and armed robbery as part of the gang’s efforts to terrorize the housing projects.

The three defendants found guilty yesterday of violating the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act are:

■Kevin Eleby, also known as “L,” 48, of Los Angeles;

■Jason Davis, also known as “Lil’ G-Red,” 26, of Los Angeles; and

■Rashaad Laws, also known as “Big Time,” 35, who resided in Los Angeles and Culver City.

In addition to the RICO charge, Eleby was convicted of being responsible for a gun possession related to a shooting that occurred inside the projects on September 11, 2009. This shooting, committed by several other Pueblo Bishop gang members, targeted the residence of a rival gang member but, at the time of the shooting, only the rival gang member’s mother and 11-year-old brother were inside.

In addition to the RICO charge, Davis was convicted of a possessing a sawed-off .22-caliber rifle in furtherance of the RICO conspiracy. During this offense, Davis led police on a high-speed chase through the projects, almost hitting a child, and ultimately crashing into a minivan as he unsuccessfully sought to elude capture.

In addition to the above charges, Eleby, Davis, and Laws were convicted of conspiracy to distribute significant quantities cocaine and crack cocaine. Eleby was also convicted of possession with intent to sell cocaine. Davis was also convicted of drug trafficking within a public housing project, and near schools and playgrounds.

As a result of their convictions, Eleby and Davis face a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years in federal prison, and they could be sentenced to life without parole. Laws faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, and he faces a potential life sentence. All three defendants are scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Judge S. James Otero on February 4, 2013.

The jury that returned the guilty verdicts deadlocked on whether Eleby possessed a second firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking.

The federal racketeering case targeting the Pueblo Bishops Blood criminal enterprise is a result of a long-standing partnership between the FBI and the Los Angeles Police Department, a relationship that is maintained through the FBI’s Los Angeles Metropolitan Task Force on Violent Gangs. This task force is one of dozens of such partnerships throughout the United States, known as Safe Streets Task Forces, funded for the purpose of assisting local police in identifying and addressing violent crime in America.

A total of 46 defendants were charged as a result of the investigation targeting the Pueblo Bishops Bloods (see initial announcement in this case at: http://www.justice.gov/usao/cac/Pressroom/pr2010/122.html). With yesterday’s guilty verdicts, 42 of those defendants have now been convicted (see, for example: http://www.justice.gov/usao/cac/Pressroom/2012/046.html). One federal defendant is currently is state custody facing a murder charge, two are fugitives suspected to be in Mexico, and prosecutors dismissed charges against one defendant.

On July 16, 2012, three other Pueblo Bishop Blood defendants were convicted by a separate jury of federal racketeering and drug charges, with one defendant also being convicted for conspiring to murder a man who was killed after being shot in the back by Pueblo Bishops in front of his 2-year-old son (see: http://www.justice.gov/usao/cac/Pressroom/2012/094.html).

Out of the 42 defendants now convicted in this case, about half have been sentenced, receiving prison terms as long as 211 months.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Los Angeles Police Department, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development-Office of Inspector General, and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Eleven MS-13 Members Charged with Murders, Attempted Murders, Assaults, and Armed Robberies in Superseding Indictments

New Charges Include the September 2009 Slaying of a Grocery Store Employee During an Armed Robbery

Earlier today, a 50-count second superseding indictment was unsealed at the United States Courthouse in Central Islip, New York, charging 11 members and associates of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as the MS-13 street gang, with multiple murders, attempted murders, assaults with dangerous weapons, armed robberies, and related firearms and conspiracy offenses. The charges were announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Mary Galligan, Acting Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office.

Ten of the defendants are in custody and are scheduled to be arraigned on this superseding indictment at 11:00 a.m. today before United States District Judge Joseph F. Bianco. This indictment adds five new defendants—Edwin Acosta-Martinez, Edwin Hernandez, Mario Rodriguez-Chinchilla, Walter Velasquez-Cruz, and a fifth individual whose identity remains under seal at this time (the “co-defendant”)—and charges relating to the September 12, 2009 armed robbery of Los Hermanos Grocery and the murder of 57 year-old Miguel Peralta in Brentwood, New York; the October 23, 2011 attempted murder of two suspected rival gang members in Central Islip, New York; and seven additional armed robberies, which took place in Suffolk County between December 2009 and February 2012. Specifically:

■Joyser Velasquez, Francisco Ponce and the co-defendant are charged with the armed robbery of Los Hermanos Grocery and the murder of Miguel Peralta. Asdetailed in court filings, Velasquez and the co-defendant, armed with handguns, entered the store, while Ponce waited as the getaway driver. Peralta, who was sweeping a storeroom in the back of the store, heard the commotion, entered the front of the store, and came face to face with Velasquez, who shot him once in the side. Peralta then ran down an aisle where he was confronted by the co-defendant, who shot him in the head. The robbers then rifled through the cash register, took cash and checks, and fled. Velasquez, Ponce, and the co-defendant are also charged with several other armed robberies, including the December 27, 2009 armed robbery of a Burger King restaurant in Bay Shore.

■Hernandez is charged with two attempted murders and assaults with dangerous weapons, which took place on October 23, 2011, on Clift Street in Central Islip. That evening, Hernandez, who was a new member of the Brentwood clique of the MS-13, was directed to murder a rival gang member in order to gain full status within the clique. Hernandez and another MS-13 member armed themselves with a .22 caliber semi-automatic handgun and 9mm semi-automatic handgun and drove around Central Islip looking for rival gang members. On Clift Street, Hernandez and the other MS-13 member observed a group of African-Americans whom they believed were members of the Bloods street gang. Hernandez and the other MS-13 member approached the group and opened fire. Two men were struck and were subsequently transported to local hospitals. Both victims survived.

■Acosta-Martinez, Rodriguez-Chinchilla, and Velasquez-Cruz are charged in connection with a series of robberies that took place in Suffolk County between January and February 2012, including: the armed robberies of the Lempa Deli in Central Islip on January 4, 2012; the Off the Track Quick Mart in Babylon on January 6, 2012; the Iglesia Universal Church in Brentwood on January 11, 2012; the Chapi Deli in Huntington Station on January 26, 2012; the Mi Tierrita restaurant in Brentwood on February 13, 2012; and the Health-Mart Pharmacy in Bay Shore on February 28, 2012.

The indictment announced today includes the charges from the underlying indictments against Jose Alvarenga, Hector Torres, Jonathan Ayala, Edwin Molina, Ponce, and Velasquez, relating to: a July 24, 2008 murder conspiracy and assault with a dangerous weapon in Timberline Park in Brentwood; the February 15, 2009 armed robbery of Pollo Campero restaurant in Lindenhurst; the October 4, 2009 murder of Luis Castro in Huntington; the November 20, 2009 murder of Christopher Hamilton in Brentwood; the December 19, 2009 armed robbery of Wilson Express Corp., a check cashing and money transfer business in Patchogue; a January 2010 conspiracy to rob a McDonald’s restaurant in Smithtown; the August 31, 2010 murder of Rigoberto Gomez in Brentwood; the September 2010 murder of Bayron Vasquez-Nunez in Brentwood; and January 2012 firearms charges.

If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. In addition, Alvarenga, Ponce, Torres, Velasquez, Molina, and the co-defendant each face mandatory life in prison or possibly the death penalty.

“For years, members of the MS-13 street gang have terrorized communities across Long Island. As charged in this new indictment, the defendants cut a swath of terror and wanton violence victimizing innocent citizens across Suffolk County,” stated United States Attorney Lynch. “This office and the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force will continue to prioritize combating gang violence on Long Island.”

FBI Acting Assistant Director in Charge Galligan stated, “The allegations in the new indictment confirm the ongoing threat posed by MS-13. Despite a decade’s extraordinary effort by the Long Island Gang Task Force and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the hundreds of convictions already obtained, MS-13 members continue to commit murder and mayhem seemingly without regard for human life. The new charges include the cold-blooded murder of an innocent grocery store employee during one of several violent armed robberies in Suffolk County. So long as MS-13 and other gangs pose a threat to public safety, the efforts of the FBI and the task force will persist.”

The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys John J. Durham, Raymond A. Tierney, and Carrie N. Capwell.

The charges announced today are the latest in a series of indictments by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York against members of the MS-13, a violent international street gang. Over the past decade, more than 200 MS-13 members, including the leaders of a number of the MS-13 cliques on Long Island, have been arrested and convicted on federal felony charges in this district, including federal racketeering and murder charges. These prosecutions are the result of investigations led by the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, comprising agents and officers of the FBI, Nassau County Police Department, Nassau County Sheriff’s Department, the United States Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations, the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department, and the Suffolk County Probation Department. U.S. Attorney Lynch commended the detectives from the Suffolk County Police Department, who, until recently, were assigned to the task force, for their tireless efforts and invaluable contributions to this prosecution.

The charges are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Defendants:

EDWIN ACOSTA-MARTINEZ (a/k/a “Scarface” and “Alejandro”)

Age: 23

JOSE ALVARENGA (a/k/a “Fosforo”)

Age: 22

JONATHAN AYALA (a/k/a “Bang Bang,” “Bam Bam,” and “Duende”)

Age: 19

EDWIN HERNANDEZ (a/k/a “Masacre” and “Scooby”)

Age: 21

EDWIN MOLINA (a/k/a “Trece”)

Age: 24

FRANCISCO PONCE (a/k/a “Spoiler”)

Age: 30

MARIO RODRIGUEZ-CHINCHILLA

Age: 24

HECTOR TORRES (a/k/a “Smiley”)

Age: 21

JOYSER VELASQUEZ (a/k/a “Baby Boy”)

Age: 28

WALTER VELASQUEZ-CRUZ (a/k/a “Wilmer”)

Age: 27

Member of 10th Street Gang Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Charges

BUFFALO—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Christopher Pabon, 23, of Buffalo, New York, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara, to Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations conspiracy (RICO conspiracy). The charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison and a fine of $250,000.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph M. Tripi, who handled the case, stated that from 2000 through 2010, Christopher Pabon was a member or an associate of the 10th Street Gang. As a part of his involvement in the gang, the defendant, along with other members and associates of the gang, possessed firearms and sold marijuana, cocaine, crack cocaine, and heroin on the West Side of Buffalo, New York. As part of his plea of guilty, Pabon also admitted that on April 17, 2006, he gave a loaded handgun to a fellow gang member, knowing that the fellow gang member and others in the gang were going to shoot at rival 7th Street Gang members. The subsequent shooting resulted in the deaths of Brandon McDonald and Darinell Young, as well as injuries to other individuals.

Christopher Pabon was indicted along with 34 other 10th Street Gang members or associates. He is the 17th defendant to be convicted.

The plea is 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.

Sentencing is scheduled for January 23, 2013, at 1:00 p.m. before Judge Arcara.

Investigation Leads to Indictment of 21 People on Gun and Drug Charges

Thirteen Indictments Filed in Federal Court

BOISE—U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced today that a federal grand jury in Boise has indicted 21 individuals in 13 separate indictments for distributing methamphetamine and possessing firearms. The indictments, which were unsealed by the court this morning, are the result of a long-term investigation by the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crimes Task Force. The investigation began when the task force focused on the drug distribution of the “Aryan Knights” gang. The gang is active both in prison and on the streets throughout Idaho. Through the investigation, law enforcement agents identified Aryan Knight gang members who were trafficking methamphetamine, as well as associates of the gang who were the source of that methamphetamine.

Of the 21 individuals indicted, 13 were indicted on drug charges, including four counts of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, 15 counts of distribution of methamphetamine, and four counts of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. Eight individuals were indicted on firearm charges, including six counts of unlawfully possessing firearms, two counts of possessing sawed-off shotguns, and one count of transferring a sawed-off shotgun. Two individuals were indicted on both drug and firearms charges, including two counts of distributing methamphetamine and two counts of unlawfully possessing firearms.

Five defendants were arrested earlier today in a law enforcement effort coordinated by the Metro Task Force. Twelve other defendants were already in custody. The four remaining defendants have outstanding warrants. A federal grand jury indicted the defendants in April, July, August, and September. James Everette Hood, 40, of Boise, was indicted on April 12; Rory Vincent Palma, 38, of Boise, on July 10. The six defendants indicted on August 14 are Joshua Michael Trent, 31, Christina Shantell Massie, 35, Andrew Gallegos, 23, Jose Silva, 30, Shannon L. Stewart, 41, and Michael P. Duschka, 36, all of Boise. The 13 defendants indicted on September 12 are Dallas Tyler Thompson, 31, Cameron James Ball, 25, Joshua Michael Nall, 31, Nicholas Andrew Steele, 26, Lisa Rochel Samayoa, 45, Jesse Ray Delgado, 47, Stephanie Ann Robinson, 29, and Dennis Lynn James, 45; all of Boise; Christopher John Solders, 26, and Darin Scott Melton, 44, both of Twin Falls, Idaho; Nina Ann Lucas, 32, of Pocatello, Idaho; Rigoberto Bastrana Carrasco, 36, of Ogden, Utah; and Omar Riveroll- Hernandez, 32, of Long Beach, California. Carrasco and Riveroll-Hernandez are both Mexican nationals.

The charges of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, distribution of methamphetamine, and possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute is punishable by up to 20 years, 40 years, or life imprisonment, depending on the amount of methamphetamine involved; fines of up to $1 million, $5 million, or $10 million; and a minimum term of three up to five years of supervised release.

The charge of unlawfully possessing a firearm is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.

The charges of possessing a sawed-off shotgun and transferring a sawed-off shotgun are punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $10,000, and up three years of supervised release.

“Methamphetamine trafficking is Idaho’s most serious drug crime,” said Olson. “The involvement of known gang members and the presence of firearms pose significant danger to our communities. Fortunately, federal, state, and local law enforcement are working together to thoroughly investigate and, where appropriate, assist in bringing charges against those who bring this addictive substance and the violence that often accompanies it into Idaho. I commend the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crime Task Force and Special Assistant United States Attorney Chris Atwood for their detailed and painstaking efforts in producing these indictments.”

The indictments are the result of a joint investigation of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), which included the cooperative law enforcement efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, and U.S. Marshals Service; the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crime Task Force, a task force comprised of federal, state, and local agencies including the Boise Police Department, Ada County Sheriff’s Office, Caldwell Police Department, Nampa Police Department, Meridian Police Department, and Canyon County Sheriff’s Office; the Twin Falls Police Department, Twin Falls Sheriff’s Office, and Idaho State Police.

The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.

The charges are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Nafzger and Chris Atwood, the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney hired by the Treasure Valley Partnership, the Canyon County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, and the State of Idaho to address gang crimes. The Gang SAUSA, although hired by state and local agencies, prosecutes cases in federal court. Those defendants convicted of federal charges are imprisoned in federal institutions rather than state prison, which results in significant savings by the State of Idaho. The Gang SAUSA has indicted a total of 212 defendants in federal court since the program’s inception in February 2007. The Treasure Valley Partnership is comprised of a group of elected officials in southwest Idaho dedicated to regional coordination, cooperation, and collaboration on creating coherent regional growth. For more information, visit treasurevalleypartners.org.

An indictment is a means of charging a person with criminal activity. It is not evidence. The person is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.