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.

Two Essex County Men Sentenced to Lengthy Prison Terms in Gas Station Robberies

NEWARK—Two Essex County, New Jersey men who admitted to robbing three gas stations in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and Newark on March 8, 2011, were sentenced to prison today, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Abdul Muhammad, 22, of Newark, was sentenced to 228 months in prison, and Lamar Sanders, 24, of Newark, was sentenced to 207 months prison. Both men previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Dennis M. Cavanaugh to Informations charging them with three counts each of Hobbs Act robbery. Judge Cavanaugh imposed the sentences today in Newark federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

On March 8, 2011, Muhammad and Lamar Sanders robbed a Getty gas station and a Delta gas station, both in Newark, and a Lukoil gas station in Elizabeth. Muhammad admitted to taking money from the gas station attendants at the Getty and Delta gas stations and to firing a gun towards the victim of the Getty gas station robbery. Muhammad also admitted to punching the gas station attendant at the Lukoil gas station during the robbery. Sanders admitted to striking the gas station attendants at the Getty and Delta gas stations in the face during the robberies and to threatening the gas station attendant at the Lukoil gas station with a firearm. During the Lukoil robbery, Sanders handed the firearm to Muhammad, who then discharged the weapon, striking the Lukoil employee. Muhammad and Sanders violated the Hobbs Act when they obstructed the movement of articles and commodities in commerce by robbing the employees of the gas station while they were working.

In addition to the prison terms, Judge Cavanagh sentenced Muhammad and Sanders each to five years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents with the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Ward in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencings.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dara Aquila Govan of the Organized Crime/Gangs Unit in Newark.

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

New Hampshire Woman Sentenced to Three Years for Aiding and Abetting Robberies

CONCORD, NH—Shyloe Piper Johnson, 25, of Sanbornton, was sentenced in United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire to three years in federal prison after pleading guilty to aiding and abetting the robberies of the Kay Jewelers in Tilton, New Hampshire and the Northeast Credit Union in Manchester, New Hampshire in November and December of last year, announced United States Attorney John P. Kacavas.

The defendant, who admitted to being a driver for the Tilton robbery and to providing surveillance and other assistance for the robbery of the credit union, was apprehended in December 2011. Johnson was arrested with her then boyfriend, Walter Williams, of Compton, California, at the Landmark Hotel in Laconia. Williams has pled guilty in federal court to the robberies of the Kay Jewelers and the Northeast Credit Union as well as to the October 2011 robbery of the Hannoush Jewelers on South Willow Street in Manchester. Williams is scheduled to be sentenced on November 26, 2012.

Also arrested in connection with the credit union robbery was Prince Sage of Brooklyn, New York. He pled guilty to that robbery in U.S. District Court and will be sentenced on November 29, 2012. Delano Nelson, also of Compton, California, was indicted in connection with both of the jewelry store robberies by a federal grand jury in August and is scheduled for trial in November. Several other individuals have been charged in state court with lesser offenses related to the crimes. He is presumed innocent of all charges until he is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The defendant pled guilty in May of this year. In addition to the prison sentence, she was ordered to a three-year period of supervision by United States Probation.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Manchester Police Department, and the Tilton Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Helen White Fitzgibbon.