in crippling certain operations of the Familia, most investigators According to the indictment, NF members and associates were involved in plots to kill 14 victims between April 2013 and July 2019 as part of the charged racketeering conspiracy. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasn't followed: What should you do? They it is not required for an initiate to commit murder. 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. Known as one of the most powerful prison gangs in California, Nuestra Familia has been plagued by infighting in recent years, starting in the early 2000s when a number of high-ranking members. Authorities say Zarate blamed the intended victim for the March 2021 killing of his son, 25-year-old Eric Zarate Jr., and orchestrated the shooting. The Aryan Brotherhood is a white supremacist prison gang and considered the largest and most deadly in the United States. The police warned Castillo about the NF threat, but Castillo ignored them. Huerta provided a vital communications link to incarcerated NF generals. recruited into the organization. According to the NF Constitution, the Street Regiment General oversees the NFs overall street operations. The General of the Prisons is responsible for the NFs overall pinta [prison] functions, and the General Advocates Office is the NFs justice department. Tiered just below these three NF Generals was the Inner Council, which consisted of four senior NF members who served as advisors to the Generals and provided a system of checks and balances. Most of them occurred in K-Pod, a cell block in the jail that housed Nortenos exclusively. They all cut plea deals, and many convicted served at Florence, Colorado's supermax prison. The meeting was ultimately unsuccessful because of the significant security measures in place at the facility. One Neustra Familia Nuestra Familia leaders control and direct the gang's criminal activities both inside and outside of the prison system. Gang Culture, History and Info, Other Area, International Street Gangs & Organized Crime, Mexico, Central America, South America & the Caribbean, LOS ANGELES: Gangs /Clubs, Street Culture, History and Info, Gang Questions & Info: Black Gangs / Clubs, Gang Questions & Info: Latino gangs, Sureos, clubs, crews and varrios, Gang Questions & Info: Asian & White gangs. . criminal, and prison culture. The perpetration of violence and other crimes was ordinarily a prerequisite to entrance, continued membership, and advancement in the organization. According to Robert Koehler (2000), an ex-convict and past member In this case, one or more "hitters" stabbed the victim, followed by "bombers" who viciously beat the man without weapons. Several defendants have already pleaded guilty and been sentenced, including for other alleged murder conspiracies. September 17, 2021 / 1:09 AM Crime and Public Safety | Andrew Cervantes led the criminal organization from a federal prison in Pennsylvania, using complex coded letters and telephone calls to communicate to his underlings. La Nuestra Familia was formed in Folsom developed prison gangs in Colorado's prison system. . Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. In May 2002, at a Cinco de Mayo celebration, about 50 Norteos shot three men and stabbed two men in a fight with the Sureos. Nuestra Familia is one of a constellation of race-based prison gangs that organize and direct the growing subculture of California's inmates. Their footsoldiers make up an army on the streets that generate money for the organization, and they are based in Modesto, Salinas, and Santa Rosa in northern CA. The OCDETF Program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multi-level attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. He decided to go to the garage so that his wife and two sons were not killed in the house, and the message showed that even the leaders were able to be targeted. Known as one of the most powerful prison gangs in California, Nuestra Familia has been plagued by infighting in recent years, starting in the early 2000s when a number of high-ranking members. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS of the Nuestra Familia, the Family operates as a "mutual aid 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. Crime and Public Safety | The 950-member "Nuestra Familia" <NF) controls much of the street crime in San Jose and . affiliates the Nortenos, rivals of the Mexican Mafia's affiliated / CBS/Bay City News Service. San Francisco, CA 94102, San Francisco: (415) 436-7200 The Aryan Brotherhood is a. Zarate was out of jail during the conspiracy, which made him more valuable to the gang, authorities say. SACRAMENTO, CACarolyn Huerta, 37, of Castroville, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to traffic methamphetamine, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced. organized criminal operatives upon release, also known as "wolfpacks." You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Larez communicated with Andrew Cervantes primarily through prison phone calls and correspondence using coded language. In June 2001, Operation Black Widow ended, with 21 NF gang leaders arrested. drug operations. John Jordan, an attorney representing Zarate, pointed out in a sentencing memo that these two victims in this case were never actually injured and that Zarate has accepted full responsibility and shown remorse. OAKLAND Two members of the Nuestra Familia prison gang have been sentenced to varying federal prison terms for their roles in the same two murder conspiracies targeting lower-tier members of. 500 of their leaders are in prison, and tens of thousands of foot soldiers (Norteos) are also behind bars. By removing violent actors and crime drivers from the streets, we make our neighborhoods safer.. Section XI. The Nuestra Familia (Spanish for Our Family), was created in 1968 as a response to increased pressure from the Mexican Mafia within the Californian prison system, the Nuestra Familia group is a mostly Mexican-American criminal . Hinds was joined by FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig Fair, DEA Special Agent in Charge Wade Shannon, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Safety Chief Derrick Marion, Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith and San Jose Police Deputy Chief Elle Washburn. Officials say the council was overseeing a massive network of drug trafficking and violent crimes across California. DUI jail sentence, he was shot at close range in the head. The Familia hundreds of names and identifying characteristics of gang members sport tattoos of a black eagle with arched wings on their wrists. Marshal Service, with the assistance of the Santa Clara County Sheriffs Office, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Santa Clara County District Attorneys Office, and the San Jose Police Department, and with support from the Alameda County Sheriffs Office, Antioch Police Department, Campbell Police Department, Fremont Police Department, Kings County Sheriffs Office, Monterey County Sheriffs Office, Mountain View Police Department, Sacramento Police Department, Salinas Police Department, Menlo Park Police Department, Santa Clara County Parole Department, Santa Clara County Probation Department, Santa Clara Police Department, Santa Cruz County District Attorneys Office, Santa Cruz County Sheriffs Office, Modesto Police Department, San Francisco Police Department, the Stanislaus County Sheriffs Department, and Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety. The Nuestra Familia has a gang constitution called The Supreme Power Structure of Nuestra Familia that outlines the organization's goals, requirements, and expectations of its members. The Nuestra Familia share allegiances with their Northern California-area As the prison population has exploded in the past. In both instances, authorities knew of the plots because they were wiretapping the defendants phones, warned the victims and prevented the killings from occurring, prosecutors say. The . They found no shortage of young men willing to sign up, with money and power seducing many Mexican-Americans to joining the gang. captains. Today, four additional members of the Nuestra Familia gang were sentenced for the heinous crimes they perpetrated upon our community, bringing to 12 the number of defendants sentenced as a result of this investigation, said U.S. Attorney Brian J. Casper was not allowed to put a hit on Armando Frias, as he was a government informant, but he said that he would have killed him if he was a regular NF member. The Limon Correctional The Hispanics would have a lot more power in prison and on the streets if they weren't divided amongst themselves, i.e. very serious offences, such as murder or armed robbery, are successfully Both men had support letters from their mothers. SDLRLA LEGACY AWARD. Official websites use .gov Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Government introduced a video at trial of the stabbing. Gratton later began working for police as part of a massive prosecution of Nuestra Familia leaders, known as Black Widow.. 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. "The indictment charges all seven of the members who make up the Nuestra Familia's ruling body: the General Council," said Acting U.S. Attorney Hinds. Fair said arrests were made in Santa Clara, Alameda, Modesto, San Benito, Santa Cruz, Kern, San Francisco, Tulare and Stanislaus counties, with officers seizing bulk cash, dangerous weapons and narcotics. 's lives, and continued to host meetings over the next four months that were taped. group, and judging by their self-assuredness, ideological adherence, Since then the Familia has moved eastward across the Eight co-defendants previously pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and other offenses and were sentenced to terms of imprisonment ranging from eight to 15 years. The main targets of the investigation including alleged members of the Nuestra Familia's leadership counsel are still in federal detention awaiting a . During the robbery, Jaime Cervantes beat one victim over the head with a baseball bat and another victim was shot. homeland of the Familianos. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory sentencing factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. to the Familia when the Familia requests a confirmation, usually 450 Golden Gate Avenue Nuestra Familia is a prison gang that originally formed in the California state prison system in the 1960s. Assistant United States Attorneys Jason Hitt and William S. Wong are prosecuting the case. were reported by informants in 2000 to be instructed by their Familia This investigation revealed the wide-ranging influence of the gang that extends far beyond prison walls. Nevertheless, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. In the late 1960s, Mexican-American inmates of the California state prison system began to separate into two rival groups, Nuestra Familia and the 1957-formed Mexican Mafia, according to the locations of their hometowns (the north-south dividing line is Delano, California). housing the longest-serving Familianos and Familiano leaders in "The indictment charges all seven of the members who make up the Nuestra Familia's ruling body: the General Council," said Acting U.S. Attorney Hinds. 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The NF oversaw such regiments in Contra Costa County, Santa Clara County, Monterey County, Santa Cruz County, San Benito County, San Francisco County, San Mateo County, Alameda County, Solano County, San Joaquin County, Fresno County, Kings County, Tulare County, Madera County, Merced County, Kern County, Sacramento County, Yolo County, Humboldt County, Shasta County, Lassen County, Tehama County, Butte County, Yuba County, Sutter County, Lake County, Placer County, and Sonoma County, as well as in Salinas Valley State Prison, Pelican Bay State Prison, Pleasant Valley State Prison, California State Prison Solano, California State Prison Sacramento, and High Desert State Prison. repaid by Familianos' family members outside of prison, who send In compliance with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) requirements, some of these records are no longer in the physical possession of the FBI, eliminating the FBI's capability to re-review and/or re-process this material. 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