*** Reputed MS-13 member indicted for the machete murder of a fellow gangbanger who refused an order to whack a rival Latin Kings member in Long Island, NY.
*** Nine defendants, including a 15-year-old boy, with suspected ties to Conservative Vice Lord are charged with drug trafficking in Chicago, IL.
*** A Norteños member gets 40 years in prison for shooting two high school boys whom he believed were rival Sureno members in Salinas, CA.
*** The Norteños in northern California have recently taken to wearing sports attire from the University of Nebraska for its red color and eye-popping N, and apparently "gangs have long worn sportswear to represent their groups":
The Latin Kings use the Los Angeles Kings hockey team logos, multiple gangs use Michigan's M logo for "murder" and now, Arizona State's redesigned pitchfork logo is being used by a Chicago gang, the Satan's Disciples.
*** A hapless Bloods wannabe sent to rob a drug dealer for his initiation into the gang gets himself shot during the attempt in Orlando, FL.
*** Twelve suspects busted for their alleged roles in a drug ring that may be tied to the Bloods in Bacliff, TX.
*** Federal racketeering trial begins against eight suspected members of Tongan Crip Gang in Salt Lake City, UT for their alleged roles in a criminal enterprise "including armed robberies of popular stores and restaurants, aggravated assaults and a fatal shooting in 2007."
It restricts 15 defendants from possessing firearms or graffiti tools, trespassing, recruiting gang members and, with certain exceptions, associating with one another in public. It also requires them to obey a 10 p.m.-to-5 a.m. curfew. Violations are considered contempt of court and are punishable by up to six months in jail and $1,000 in fines.
*** Ten reputed members of the Tiny Rascals Gang indicted in Lexington, NC: "Officers said gang members were involved in crimes ranging from soliciting gang activity and gang threats of retaliation to robbery and kidnapping."
Law enforcement has been able to infiltrate street gangs to root out individuals involved in gang activity, pose as fellow gang members online, make connections and even prevent crimes being planned by intercepting communications as they happen. Information gathered like photos, videos and friend links help law enforcement understanding the dynamics of gangs when investigating their activities.
"These are higher-up people," state Attorney General Jerry Brown said. "These are some serious shot-callers who've caused a lot of devastation." * * * The charges the men and women face, Salinas police Chief Louis Fetherolf said, include homicide, assault and drug trafficking, among others. He declined to give specifics on the homicide cases; Salinas has seen 54 gang-related homicides in the past two years and more than 200 shootings related to gang violence. Evidence taken included $34,000 in cash; 40 pounds of cocaine; 14 pounds of marijuana; and 12 guns.
The 450-member Latino street gang was founded in Ontario more than 50 years ago and claims the entirety of the city as its turf. The gang allegedly recruits at local high schools. Its main business is drug sales and shaking down dealers who are not members for "taxes," federal authorities allege. At least four members of the gang are believed by officials to be members of the Mexican Mafia, and that larger prison gang allegedly benefits from proceeds of the Black Angels' drugs sales and dealer extortion.
Umana was one of 26 suspected MS-13 members indicted in Charlotte in 2008 after a federal sweep. Authorities said the gang was part of an international organization that committed crimes across Charlotte, including robbery, racketeering, extortion and murder. Eighteen of them have pleaded guilty. Six more members were convicted in Charlotte in January on federal charges involving violence and conspiracy. One of them was convicted of murder in connection with the April 2008 slaying in Charlotte of Ulisses Alejandro Mayo, shot to death while sitting in a car after a children's birthday party. The remaining defendant is imprisoned in El Salvador and can't be extradited.
*** In Chicago, IL a reputed member of Satan Disciples gets 53 years for the "2006 murder of a mother struck by a stray bullet in front of two of her children."
*** Two reputed female members of the 9 Trey set of the Bloods in Asbury Park, NJ get 12 and 10 years, respectively, following convictions for their roles in the execution-style murder of another woman whom they mistakenly believed was a snitch.
Authorities said the gang is an organization of brothers, cousins and friends -- some as young as middle school students -- who grew up near Avenue S in Riviera Beach. "Since April 2006, the violent crimes task force conducted 24 shooting and seven murder investigations involving BuckWild gang members," Capt. Jack Strenges said.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have launched what they call "the largest operation of its kind in our agency's history," rounding up more than 470 gang members, gang associates and others across the country in one week. The crackdown, dubbed Project Big Freeze, had a "particular focus" on "transnational gangs" and their associates inside the United States illegally, ICE chief John Morton told reporters at a press conference on Tuesday. * * * Transnational gangs are often involved in drug, weapons and even human smuggling, and like any gang they "have a propensity toward violence," ICE said in a statement.
East Side Riva gang members regularly acted as a tentacle of the powerful Mexican Mafia, trafficking methamphetamine and protecting their turf with attacks on black people and bystanders, authorities alleged Wednesday in a sweeping federal complaint. Charges came as 650 officers from 34 local and federal agencies swarmed the gang's territory Wednesday morning to make 50 arrests, including Riva leaders and members of their rivals, the 1200 Blocc Crips.
***Arlanza 13 member sentenced to death in Riverside, CA for following "Mexican Mafia bosses' orders to gun down an associate for cooperating with authorities in an auto-theft investigation."
*** Judge issues civil injunction against 49 alleged members of Hard Times in Garden Grove, CA which prohibits "members from operating or gathering as part of a gang"
*** Six reputed MS-13 members convicted in Charlotte, NC: "The federal jury deliberated for about four hours before finding the men guilty on all 36 charges. Their crimes ranged from murder and extortion to racketeering conspiracy and robbery."
*** In San Antonio, TX "a dozen members of the Texas Mexican Mafia were sentenced . . . to prison terms of six to 10 years for enforcing the gang's drug extortion tactics."
*** In Baltimore, MD two leaders of Tree Top Piru -- "one of whom produced the infamous 'Stop Snitching' videos" -- have been convicted:
Sherman Pride, 35, of Salisbury and Ronnie Thomas, 36, of Baltimore face a maximum of 20 years in prison on the racketeering charge. Pride could get a life term for conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Prosecutors said the men were members of the Bloods' violent Tree Top Piru group, which sold drugs across the state. Pride led a TTP set on the Eastern Shore, and Thomas was a gang leader in Maryland, according to the U.S. attorney's office. Thomas produced two "Stop Snitching" videos, which encourage retaliation against anyone who cooperatates with police. Eight others connected to the videos have been convicted in federal court. Five other defendants charged with gang racketeering are expected to go on trial in March.
The investigation began in April and initially focused on drug dealing by David Parks of Pittsburgh, authorities said. Investigators used wiretaps to identify other people involved in the ring, including a North Side street gang known as the Hoodtown Mafia, Attorney General Tom Corbett said in a news conference. The crack, cocaine and heroin originated with Mexican drug gangs, he said. "A lot of the drugs we're seeing, you find the origin is that they're coming from Mexico," Corbett said. "Atlanta is definitely a source city."
