Nuestra Familia leader Andrew Cervantes, 60, aka Mad Dog, of Stockton, Calif., was sentenced to 36 years in prison. 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. 1962(d) Racketeering Conspiracy, 21 U.S.C. San Jose police arrested 24 Nuestra Familia gang members during a massive bust March 20, 2015. Five days after Castillo was released from a short, His job was to make sure that San Francisco, Sacramento, Oakland, and San Jose all had a regiment in place, and made sure that the regiments were going by the gang's rules. The gang is allies with the Bloods, Crips, and Black Guerrilla Family, while it is hostile towards the Mexican Mafia, Mexikanemi, MS-13, Texas Syndicate, Fresno Bulldogs, Nazi Lowriders,Aryan Brotherhood, Public Enemy No. (Generations of United Norteos) that invited all Norteos into the NF. Since then the Familia has moved eastward across the The indictment outlines each position according to the NF Constitution. 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. 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. The Familia DOJ Nuestra Familia indictment info 082521, NF Areas of Criminal Influence map FBI SF. He has had to adjust to a life that has had choices no one should have to make. 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. AL DA premi a siete empresarios en seis categoras, y qued claro que estas mentes mejoran la calidad de vida de nuestras comunidades. While on parole, Gratton gained notoriety by producing a rap album known as G.U.N. He joined the Bay Area News Group in 2014. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. SAN JOSE, Calif. (KTVU and wires) - Seventeen alleged Nuestra Familia gang members were in custody and six others were being sought Friday on charges ranging from attempted murder to conspiring. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nations drug supply. Feds announce massive 'takedown' of Nuestra Familia gang and leadership 2021-09-24 - By Robert Salonga and Summer Lin Staff writer Nate Gartrell contributed to this report.. offenders serving the longest sentences, served to concentrate the in the Bay Area. operate with a "cause," an ideology that places great You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Nuestra Familia (Spanish for "our family") is a criminal organization of Mexican American . The Familia Their violence was turned against those from Southern . Nuestra Familia is a Mexican-American prison gang that was founded in Soledad prison, California in 1968. outside of prison, and those family members then verify reception Zarate and Maldonado admitted to two murder conspiracies in 2018 and 2019. the Nuestra Familia/Nortenos vs. the Mexican Mafia/Surenos. "Today's operation strikes a substantial blow to Nuestra Familia leadership. Nobody is safe in Salinas, California, where two Latino gangs, Nuestra Familia and the Mexican Mafia, are at war. East Bay rapper Bla$ta was playing his own music as he allegedly escaped police in 120 mph chase, authorities say While members of the Norteos gang are considered to be affiliated with Nuestra Familia, being a member of Nuestra Familia itself does not signify association as a Norteo. Evidence presented at trial established that from approximately fall 2010 through March 2013, under the supervision of Henry Cervantes and Larez, members and associates of Nuestra Familia engaged in the trafficking of methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin and committed robberies to raise money for themselves and the gang. 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 . letter of the alphabet, as well as the Northern Star, and the 14 He makes sure that business is conducted according Huerta received the NF drug proceeds and methamphetamine as a fee for facilitating communication between her husband and others. Level 2 includes negotiators, who act as messengers to other prison the Familia. The sentences reflect the egregious conduct of the defendants who lured and intimidated younger members of the community into being the next generation of gang members ready to accept a life of crime, drugs, and violence. 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. The trial focused on 10 removals in the Monterey County Jail between December 2012 and April 2014. Miss Manners: I shouldn't call because the phone scares people? The sombrero and the dagger are also common symbols. The NF imposed "gang taxes" on drug dealers and prostitutes to help them gain a flow of income, and in the 1990s, their ranks swelled to more than 1,000 gang members. Gratton, who died at the scene, was a captain in the Nuestra Familia prison gang during the 1990s. The U.S. Department of Justice said that Nuestra Familia (NF) and the Norteno gang are associated with each other, in that the Nortenos pledge loyalty to the NF. extortion. sex trade, while communicating with their members on the outside, 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. 3553. The bust was part of a five-year, multi-agency investigation and Hinds said the enforcement action is not over yet. Nuestra Familia were prison enemies of the Southern Latinos who comprised La Eme, better known as the Mexican Mafia. 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 13 is reserved for the Mexican Mafia, corresponding to the letter"M." PIX Now -- Wednesday morning headlines from the KPIX newsroom. recruited into the organization. In the 1970s, many Familianos migrated The Nuestra Familia have a strong base in Northern California, Sonoma County, Mendocino County, Santa Rosa, Windsor, and San Jose. 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. Nuestra Familia was founded in 1968 in California's Soledad Correctional Training Facility by Mexican-American inmates that split from the Mexican Mafia. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI (San Francisco, Sacramento, and Phoenix Divisions), the DEA, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the U.S. by thewestside May 20th, 2008, 2:20 am, Return to Mexico, Central America, South America & the Caribbean, Powered by phpBB Forum Software phpBB Limited. Because the process can take many years, only those convicted of They face competition from the Mexican Mafia, the predominant Hispanic gang in southern California (known to NF as "sewer rats" or "scraps"). According to trial evidence, any member in a Norteno housing unit who committed a serious violation of gang rules was subject to "removal," which is an organized attack upon the victim. The intended target wasnt struck, but 20-year-old Malik Johnson was, and died from his injuries. Additionally, prosecutors describe Zarate as a high level heroin and cocaine trafficker who also collected thousands in dues for the gang. In 1997 an FBI investigation revealed that top-ranking Nuestra hundreds of names and identifying characteristics of gang members Huerta is scheduled to be sentenced on June 24, 2013, by United States District Judge William B. Shubb. U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of California, Top Nuestra Familia Leader And Three Other Gang Members Sentenced For Murder, Racketeering, Oakland Resident Charged With Fentanyl And Methamphetamine Sales In Tenderloin, Jose Inez Garcia-Zarate Pleads Guilty To Federal Firearm Charges In Death Of Kate Steinle, East Bay Resident Found Guilty Of Attempting To Help Smuggle Cocaine Through Bay Area Airports. in crippling certain operations of the Familia, most investigators This article describes the organizational structure and function of La Nuestra Familia, a prison-based Chicano crime group (gang) that formed in California in 1968 and gradually expanded eastward across the United States and into the Colorado prison system. Although he was not a Nuestra Familia member anymore (he dropped out), he wanted to sell his drugs in the same place. Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. the state. The case was investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Attorneys Office of the Northern District of California, with assistance from the BOP. Even in lockdowns, NF members were able to communicate using fishing lines, and they could educate their friends about making crude weapons and using codes. then transport drugs, trade goods, or messages into and out of prison. If the debt is not repaid within a reasonable amount of time, debt 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 conspiracies he perpetuated while in Monterey County Jail, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Captain Henry "Happy" Cervantes was heard discussing a plan to kill two San Jose district attorneys, but Casper refused to allow the order. The NF gang has a Mafia-like structure, with the three top Nuestro Generals being called "La Mesa" ("the table"). The crimes alleged include racketeering, robberies, drug crimes, and murder. She faces a sentence of 10 years to life in prison and a $10 million fine. TTY: (415) 436-7221, Oakland: (510) 637-3680 Larez recruited individuals, including Jaime Cervantes, to commit crimes on behalf of the gang and Henry Cervantes supervised the criminal activities of the gang in Oakland. Bay State Prison, they controlled the intra-prison drug and The Bay Area's top federal prosecutor announced a sweeping array of indictments targeting the notorious Nuestra Familia prison gang, boasting that a fiveyear . The Nuestra Familia share allegiances with their Northern California-area 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. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. "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. Tiene empleados que llevan tanto tiempo trabajando con ella que se han convertido en miembros de su familia. Removals are approved in advance by the gang leader in charge of the facility. Monterey Herald. The meeting was ultimately unsuccessful because of the significant security measures in place at the facility. state-lines and touching the most vulnerable segment of the population, also use code words written in Nahuatl, an Aztec language. Please enter valid email address to continue. While members of the Norteos gang are considered to be foot soldiers of Nuestra Familia, being a member of Nuestra Familia itself does not signify association as a Norteo. Would dismantling Interstate 980 repair damage to Black neighborhoods? 450 Golden Gate Avenue If I betray you, kill me.. Evidence traced Garcia to all gang removals at the jail. The receivers of "While the physical movement of this leadership was restricted by prison walls, the indictment alleges their power and influence were not so constrained. number of the Nuestra Family, signifying "N" as the 13th Further, the indictment describes the appointment by these leaders of NF members to positions of power over hierarchical and paramilitary structures called regiments, imposed on its gang members operating on the streets in California. By contrast, Maldonado was serving a life sentence for a 2008 conviction of dissuading a witness from testifying against another gang member. maintained by a "finance minister." costs, and providing commissary goods to members placed in administrative Among the indicted are the seven members of Nuestra Familia leadership council. other gangs. In recent years, Gratton had been the leading source of information to law enforcement about the inner workings of the Nuestra Familia, Lewis said. 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. 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