Friends of Ours

Feds: Los Angeles Street Gang Was Ruled By Imprisoned Mexican Mafia Member

The feds have busted 18 suspected members of the Harpys gang on racketeering charges in Los Angeles, CA for their alleged roles "in at least one slaying, drug sales, extortion and robberies" as reported by The Los Angeles Times.  Among those arrested was the 37-year-old daughter of of a Mexican Mafia member Danny Roman "who allegedly controlled the gang while serving a life sentence at Pelican Bay State Prison."

Mexican Mafia Forcing Gang Alliances In Southern California; Order May Come From Drug Cartels

The Mexican Mafia is further consolidating its power over street gangs in southern California by ordering rivals to work together according to an indictment against 27 suspected gangbangers as reported by Jennifer Letzer for the Ventura County Star:  "officials said that in Ventura County, the Mexican Mafia forced rival street gangs into working together to commit violent crimes -- something authorities had not seen before."  Assistant Sheriff Gary Pentis says "it's a worrisome trend because it can make local gangs more powerful," and further adds that the move "may reflect orders coming from drug cartels in Mexico as they attempt to extend their authority over California drug trafficking" as reported by the Los Angeles Times.

Weekly Gang Roundup

***  The Treasury Department targets MS-13:

Officials said the move was designed to reduce the flow of gang money within the United States and across the border. Authorities believe money generated by MS-13 groups in the United States is funneled back to the group's leadership in El Salvador. The designation is likely to make it more difficult for gang members to use banks and wire transfers to move their profits.

***  A police officer is among the 25 defendants charged for their alleged roles with the Mexican Mafia in Houston, TX:  "a 22-count indictment contends that those charged conspired during the past four years to traffic drugs and carry out other gang business, including selling numerous 'assault rifles,'and detonation cord."

***  The U.S. Marshal for Arizona says "the Mexican mafia is the biggest threat that Arizonans face on a daily basis."

***  In New York local prosecutors argue that street gangs are the same as terrorist groups:

Violent crime committed by a street gang constitutes a crime of terrorism ... when it is motivated solely by the intent to establish a gang's "street credentials" . . . because those crimes are intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, prosecutors argue in a court filing.

***  Reputed Crips member gets 35 years for murder of Liberian immigrant in Providence, RI.

***  Self-avowed Crips member gets 55 years for nine-day shooting spree which killed two and wounded two other in Hartford, CT: 

Shortly after his arrest, [defendant] wrote a letter to the judge boasting of his crimes and his membership in the Crips street gang.  "I'm cripping with pride," he wrote. "My gang comes first."

***  Two charged with shooting a 16-month-old toddler in New Haven, CT:  "both suspects have ties to the so-called Grape Street Crips gang out of the Hill neighborhood, which is feuding right now with the Tre Bloods gang, based in the Kensington neighborhood where the child was shot."

Weekly Gang Roundup

***  Membership in street gangs is surging in communities across the country:  "gangs have become so 'entrenched' in some of the nation's largest cities that gang-related crime is largely immune from forces that have been driving down overall crime."

***  Street gangs like Facebook:  "monitoring the social media activity of known and suspected gang members has become a key component of tracking gang activity."

***  Illinois legislators finally enact a racketeering statute in order to target street gangs:

Like the federal statute it was modeled after, the state legislation is rooted in the idea of the gang being a criminal enterprise and making it a crime to engage in a pattern of misconduct. The Illinois bill identifies dozens of illegal acts, from drugs and sex trafficking to weapons offenses and murder.

***  A leader with the Fruit Town and Brick City Brims set of the Bloods street gang gets 30 years for his role in murder of teenage boy mistaken for rival in Newark, NJ.

***  Feds charge suspected Latin Kings members with drug trafficking in New Bedford, MA: 

In 2006, a similar investigation led to the prosecution of 37 Latin Kings members and associates, "significantly disrupting the gang for several years."  In 2010, officials began to see an increase in violence and street-level drug sales in areas of New Bedford known to be occupied by the Latin Kings.

***  Mexican Mafia member pleads guilty to racketeering involving extortion of street tax from drug dealer in San Diego, CA.

***  A soldier in the Forming Kaos pleads guilty to drug trafficking in Costa Mesa, CA:  the FK is "an international operation engaged in narcotics trafficking, murder, extortion and assault," and tied to the Mexican Mafia.

Weekly Gang Roundup

***  Jury orders the death penalty for 18th Street member convicted of murdering a 17-year-old high school football star mistaken for a gang rival in Los Angeles, CA.

***  Two Vista Home Boys get decades in prison for jewelry store robberies in Orange County, CA.

***  Suspected Mexican Mafia member charged with road rage murder from 1999 in San Antonio, TX.

***  Three reputed Netas members charged with the murders of two 17-year-old "pee wee" members from the rival Latin Kings in Brentwood, NY.

***  The feds target the Seventh Street Gang a/k/a Cheko's Crewwith racketeering charges in Buffalo, NY:  "The days of Cheko's Crew and the Seventh Street Gang committing shootings, murders and drug deals in the City of Buffalo are over," said U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr.

***  Apparently the Crips rule NYC jail:  "members of the notorious gang are a minority on Rikers Island but enjoy special privileges, including separate housing areas in each of the jail's facilities, Correction Department insiders say."

***  Reputed Crips member pleads guilty to manslaughter in stabbing death of a woman in Schenectady, NY.

***  Reputed Bloods leader gets 60 years in shooting over love triangle which left victim paralyzed in Paterson, NJ.

***  The feds bust the Bloods in Charlotte, NC:  "more than two dozen alleged members of the Bloods gang . . . have been charged in a racketeering enterprise that involved drugs, robberies and murder conspiracy."