Stretch. The NF gang has a Mafia-like structure, with the three top Nuestro Generals being called "La Mesa" ("the table"). Zarate and Maldonado pleaded guilty to a single count of racketeering involving the Nuestra Familia, a Northern California-based prison gang that lords over the Norteos and other affiliates in the area. Scott Adams faces 'consequence culture' as U.S. newspapers drop Dilbert, Tom Cruise's 'ditching' of Suri showcased by Judd Apatow's 'co-parenting' joke, ex-Scientology exec says. According to evidence introduced at trial, Andrew Cervantes used coded letters to order his fellow gang members to kill a fellow Nuestra Familia gang member for failing to uphold the rules of the organization. Monterey Herald. respective responsibilities. Some inmates Nuestra Familia is a Mexican-American prison gang that was founded in Soledad prison, California in 1968. The recruits are expected to sacrifice their life and freedom, and members are supposed to expect that they will go to prison. While law enforcement has succeeded They talked about his location in a county jail, selected a hitman, and discussed how E.C needed to be hit on sight, according to a prosecution sentencing memo. The workouts were intense, and they also had to read history books, law books, and philosophy books. Their violence was turned against those from Southern California living in the north, Lewis said. homeland of the Familianos. Many Familia leaders on the outside also Evidence traced Garcia to all gang removals at the jail. Familianos under one roof, strengthening their power within prison. The trial focused on 10 removals in the Monterey County Jail between December 2012 and April 2014. The charging announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Stephanie Hinds, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Crag D. Fair, and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Wade R. Shannon at a press conference this morning. The director oversees According to the evidence at trial, Larez and two of his underlings traveled to San Jose, lured the rival to their location with phone calls, and then executed him with point-blank shots to the face and neck. Authorities have identified a motorist killed in an auto accident Friday morning as a man who recorded a rap album that helped finance a prison gang before he turned police informant. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasn't followed: What should you do? The Limon Correctional A five-year-long investigation into gang activity in the Bay Area has culminated in federal charges for 55 members of the Nuestra Familia, El Hoyo Palmas and San Jose Grande gangs, federal. The Nuestra Familia is a prison gang that originally formed in the California state prison system in the 1960s. Convicted murderer charged in 1980 cold case slaying of woman found in rural Solano County Nuestra Familia (Spanish for "our family") is a criminal organization of Mexican American (Chicano) prison gangs with origins in Northern California. Nuestra Familia is one of a constellation of race-based prison gangs that organize and direct the growing subculture of California's inmates. 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. Assistant U.S. Larez and Henry Cervantes were senior gang members who reported to Andrew Cervantes. leader recently released from Pelican Bay was ordered to kill a Tiene empleados que llevan tanto tiempo trabajando con ella que se han convertido en miembros de su familia. communications chief directs the messages to members of other gangs In graffiti, this black eagle points north. SDLRLA NUESTRA FAMILIA LEADERSHIP AWARD. has been known to construct "Bad News Lists," containing Initiation of members into the Nuestra Familia requires not only "The arrests made yesterday, most significantly the arrests of the Nuestra Familia leadership, will severely cripple the ability of this criminal enterprise to continue to facilitate crimes in communities throughout the state and help break a decades-old cycle of violence," said FBI San Francisco Special Agent in Charge Fair. The gang continued to carry out violent actions even after the downfall of 21 of their leaders. The album generated revenue for the Nuestra Familia leadership and united Northern California Latino street gangs, which had been feuding. According to Koehler, the Familia is a secretive and strongly-cohesive He has had to adjust to a life that has had choices no one should have to make. Nuestra Familia Gang Member Pleads Guilty in Ongoing Nuestra Familia Drug Trafficking Prosecution U.S. Attorney's Office April 09, 2012 Eastern District of California (916) 554-2700 They face competition from the Mexican Mafia, the predominant Hispanic gang in southern California (known to NF as "sewer rats" or "scraps"). Removals are approved in advance by the gang leader in charge of the facility. Frias did not get the orders to not kill him, and a hidden security camera showed Frias shooting Sanchez in the back of the neck - Sanchez was killed, and he fell into the alley. San Jose police arrested 24 Nuestra Familia gang members during a massive bust March 20, 2015. San Francisco, CA 94102, San Francisco: (415) 436-7200 Nuestra Familia members Santos and Gilbert Arenda are stabbed by Eme members. to the rules, and decides on important issues concerning the welfare Nuestro canal (NuestraFamiliTv) es formado por 5 miembro de la familia. Public File for KBCW-TV / KBCW 44 Cable 12. The final tally left 11 wounded and mafia member Archie Gallego, 25, dead. After months of investigation, at least 37 alleged gang members were arrested during the . Despite having this evidence, prosecutors didnt indict the pair until August 2021, two months after Zarate was allegedly involved in a shooting near a San Jose courthouse that left one man dead. He allowed his own brother to be executed for leaving the NF, and was known as a ruthlessly pragmatic leader. Robert Lee Gratton, 44, of Palmdale -- who authorities suspect was driving while intoxicated -- was backing his Chevrolet Cavalier down Highway 14 north of Agua Dulce Road about 1:15 a.m. Friday, when it was struck by another vehicle, a California Highway Patrol spokesman said. It is clear they have hard and fast rules, and those who run afoul are met with intimidation and violence that spills into our communities," said DEA Special . up an inmate's rectum. Somos . offenders serving the longest sentences, served to concentrate the This investigation revealed the wide-ranging influence of the gang that extends far beyond prison walls. manager, or "store" manager, is a level 1 member that MONTEREY (CBS SF/BCN) - A judge sentenced a high-up leader of the prison gang Nuestra Familia to over 25 years in federal prison Tuesday after being convicted of multiple gang violence. While members of the Norteos gang is considered to be affiliated with Nuestra Familia, being a member of Nuestra Familia itself does not signify association as a Norteo. Under George Collord, the police gathered informants in prison, including "Red Raider", who revealed the leadership structure of the gang. "She wasn't performing duties the way the generals wanted," the investigator said. Prosecution wraps case in Alex Murdaugh murder trial, Dozens dead in Greeces worst rail disaster. Crime and Public Safety | 1, and the Netas. it is not required for an initiate to commit murder. In December 2000, another Nuestro General stepped in on Casper's behalf and Cuete backed off the hit order, but Casper wanted revenge. and their influence within the prison subculture. Nuestra Familia (NF, Spanish for Our Family) was created in the late 1960's at the Soledad Correction Training Facility in California. Bay State Prison, they controlled the intra-prison drug and The Nuestra Familia share allegiances with their Northern California-area Before Christmas, he contacted authorities and decided to work with them against Rubelcaba. then forward the correct debt sum to the financial minister. Known commonly as NF, the gang has tens of thousands of members, and the 1998 El Norte Law decreed that all . Description of indictment by USDOJ against Nuestra Familia leaders, members and associates on Aug. 25, 2021. 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. Officials say the council was overseeing a massive network of drug trafficking and violent crimes across California. This case is the product of an investigation by the FBIs Stockton Violent Crime Task Force, the San Joaquin County Metropolitan Narcotics Task Force (METRO), the Stockton Police Department, the Salinas Police Department, the Watsonville Police Department, the Monterey County Sheriffs Department, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation into the activities of the Nuestra Familia (NF), a violent Hispanic prison gang based within the California and federal prison systems whose members exert control over street-level Norteo gang members engaged in drug trafficking and violent crime. Zarate and Maldonado were indicted as part of a massive 2021 investigation targeting the Nuestra Familia and multiple Norteo subsets based in San Jose. These duties can often be enforced by using blackmail or Informants helped the task force penetrate the upper echelons of the Nuestra Familia leadership . At the same time, Cuete Rubelcaba ordered a hit on Casper, whom he used as a scapegoat - Rubelcaba was accused of embezzling money from the gang, so he decided to pin the blame on Casper, the only person who knew that he stole from the gang. While the physical movement of this leadership was restricted by prison walls, the indictment alleges their power and influence were not so constrained. Because the process can take many years, only those convicted of . If an NF person did not go along with the program, he would kill them without any questions. 13 is reserved for the Mexican Mafia, corresponding to the letter"M." According to the indictment, gang leadership would issue orders from six prisons Northern California prisons: California State Prison-Sacramento, California State Prison-Solano, High Desert State Prison,Pelican Bay State Prison, Pleasant Valley State Prison and Salinas Valley State Prison. As outlined in the indictment, membership in the NF involved a process of sponsorship, approval, and indoctrination. Huertas travel expenses for this trip were paid using NF drug money. 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. The OCDETF Program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multi-level attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. 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. Now hes under review. At the direction of Andrew Cervantes, Larez instructed his subordinates to send proceeds from their criminal activities to the commissary accounts of gang leaders incarcerated in several BOP facilities, including the account of Andrew Cervantes. He asked for an 84-month prison term. Assistant United States Attorneys Jason Hitt and William S. Wong are prosecuting the case. 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. Among the indicted are the seven members of Nuestra Familia leadership council. Todays sentences have a special significance in light of the courts findings that three of the defendants were among the highest ranked members of the organization internationally. also use code words written in Nahuatl, an Aztec language. Through exclusive interviews with NF members and law enforcement personnel, this program describes Nuestra Familia's formation by convicts inside the prisons of northern California, its military-like structure, its dismaying power throughout the region and the U.S., and Operation . He then ordered two of his underlings to destroy the crime scene by pouring gasoline over the bodies and lighting them on fire. Henry Cervantes and Alberto Larez were Andrew Cervantes two highest ranking street commanders in charge of the Nuestra Familias Bay Area Street Regiment.. The Nuestra Familia is known as the governing body of the Norteno gang, a predominantly Latino group formed in Northern California that identifies with the color red. DOJ NF indictment 082521, The indictment charges all seven of the members who make up the Nuestra Familias ruling body: the General Council, said Acting U.S. Attorney Hinds. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. a greater chance of escaping the suspicion of prison guards. If I fall, avenge me. One of these was The beating by the bombers inflicted further injury to the stabbed target and continued the attack's "chaotic distraction" at the jail, which allowed time for the hitters to hide their weapons and wash off, prosecutors said. The financial status and balances of the Familia is SAN JOSE A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging 17 defendants with racketeering conspiracy, including acts involving murder, robbery, drug trafficking, and money laundering, and charging five others with drug trafficking-related crimes. (Generations of United Norteos) that invited all Norteos into the NF. number of the Nuestra Family, signifying "N" as the 13th Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. Nuestra Familia is a prison gang that originally formed in the California state prison system in the 1960s. A locked padlock scraps of paper filled with small, almost microscopic letters. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Maldonados mother wrote to the court that he entered the prison system as an immature young man and has been affected by prison life. Todays operation strikes a substantial blow to Nuestra Familia leadership. Between 2003 and May 2007, Huerta engaged in drug trafficking with NF members,. intercepted by a prison guard in Pelican Bay, who found it stuffed While on parole, Gratton gained notoriety by producing a rap album known as G.U.N. maintained by a "finance minister." The leadership . Familia attempt to convert guards into "mules," who may PressReader. Nuestra Familia (Spanish for "our family") is a criminal organization of Mexican American . [19] The spark that led to the ongoing war between Nuestra . Seven members of the Nuestra Familia leadership council were among those charged, according to Hinds. DUI jail sentence, he was shot at close range in the head. by SUR 14 May 19th, 2008, 11:21 pm, Unread post membership can also alleviate the psychological harm imposed by Facility, whose purpose was to house the more dangerous and violent 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 . The eagle can also be An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The NF fell into disarray, and Casper was still undercover when the chaos began. Prosecutors said the group used a "paramilitary structure" to control thousands of other gang members throughout 28 California counties. The main targets of the investigation including alleged members of the Nuestra Familias leadership counsel are still in federal detention awaiting a resolution to their cases. 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