Six Florencia 13 gang members sentenced to life in prison [13] The indictments included charges of drug trafficking, attempted murder, murder and extortion. As demonstrated at trial, Dorado, Fazah, and Sanchez were F13 Gang soldiers who engaged in narcotics trafficking, violence, and/or firearms possession in furtherance of the gang. Various defendants are charged in six other counts in the indictment that allege substantive narcotics-distribution offenses, five of which relate to methamphetamine and one of which concerns marijuana. This investigation into the Mexican Mafia started in May 2010 and also involved the Montebello Police Department, the Bakersfield Police Department, the Long Beach Police Department, the Glendale Police Department, the United States Marshals Service, the United States Secret Service, the Stanislaus Drug Enforcement Agency, the United States Bureau of Prisons, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation-Special Services Unit, and the Huntington Park Police Department. Lock How street gangs and their sub-groups are governed, including the election of a president and vice president by majority votes.. The officer collapsed in an alley, mortally wounded. A note that was written on a small scrap of paper known as a kite, smuggled out of prison and then recopied in larger print, lays out specific rules for Mexican Mafia members on the street. Lock The investigators have done a magnificent job at thwarting this relationship. This resulted in the Mexican Mafia putting a green light out on the East Coast Crips. I believe one of his objectives is to get [transferred] to federal prison to further his business plan, Enriquez said. (213) 894-4465. State corrections officials say conditions in the units are humane and that the severe restrictions are necessary to curtail gang communications. The Florencia 13, South Side Florencia 13 or Florence Gang is an American criminal street gang based in Los Angeles, California, composed mainly of Mexican-Americans. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. In addition, 11 members and associates of the Florencia-13 gang were arrested Wednesday during "Operation Friday the 13th." They face federal racketeering, narcotics and firearms charges,. This case was investigated by the DEA-Tri-Cities Task Force, METRO and Pasco Street Crimes Unit, United States Marshals Service, and Benton County Sheriff's Office. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images). Dorado and Casado were arrested on August 6, 2013 as part of a large-scale takedown of more than 20 members and associates of the F13 Gang. Central District of California | Federal Indictments Target South Los A contested sentencing hearing was held June 30, 2021, and Chief Bastian found that, shortly after Leon's release from state custody on the drive-by shooting conviction in November 2017, Leon immediately began new criminal conduct to include the distribution of large quantities of pills containing fentanyl and heroin. Running a criminal organization while locked inside one of America's most secure prisons requires imagination, cunning and ruthlessness. This indictment charges 31 defendants and alleges violations of the federal racketeering (RICO) statute, as well as a host of narcotics, firearms, and fraud offenses. On January 13, 2019, two people were shot and wounded outside the Fashion Place Mall in Salt Lake City, Utah, after an argument erupted between Florencia 13 and Norteos members. Beginning in 2004, the unincorporated Los Angeles County area north of Watts was the site of one of the regions worst gang sieges since the early 1990s, evolving into what some residents felt was a race war. It also demands a firm set of rules and a way to impose them on operatives on the streets, often violent and obstreperous gang members. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. It was among the deadliest acts of violence in modern Kansas history. An official website of the United States government. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Wildfires in Anchorage? Judge Bastian sentenced Leon to 100 months on the firearms offense and a consecutive 60 months on the contraband offense. Florence-Firestone, with a population of 60,000, had 43 homicides in 2005. "F13 is a large, multi-generational street gang that previously has been the subject of federal prosecutions, including two large racketeering cases," the DOJ said. Wednesday, February 13, 2019 For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California LOS ANGELES - Authorities have arrested 11 members and associates of the South Los Angeles-based Florencia-13 (F13) street gang on federal racketeering, narcotics and firearms charges. Castellanos ordered gang members to stop rampant infighting; to tax drug dealers in their neighborhoods, as well as prostitutes, fruit vendors and vendors of phony ID cards in nearby Huntington Park; and to funnel the proceeds to him and other mafia members. The prison system is a segregated place. Fazah and Sanchez were later transferred to the United States District Court from state custody, where they had been incarcerated on separate felony state charges. Indictments Point To Prison Hunger Strike Leader As Leader Of Florencia Latino Gang Tried to Drive All Blacks From California City A California law says yes. [10] LA SHERIFF ASKS FEDS TO HANDLE PROSECUTION IN OFF-DUTY COP SHOOTING OVER CONCERNS DA TOO LENIENT: REPORT. A fifth member of Florencia 13 (F13), a street gang involved in narcotics distribution and shootings of African-Americans, has been sentenced to life in federal prison for his conviction on a host of federal criminal charges, including racketeering and narcotics distribution. The indictment unsealed today focuses on how the gang has generated illicit profits through the sale of drugs and firearms, fraud, and extortion. [9] The conflict was triggered by the theft by East Coast Crips of a large amount of drugs from Florencia 13 members. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California, Environmental Crimes and Community Safety. Two male Florencia members, aged 19 and 20, were arrested for involvement in the incident. Your IP: A secret letter allegedly sent from an inmate at Pelican Bay State Prison in Northern California to members of Florencia 13, a multi-generational street gang in south Los Angeles, details a covert network that has enriched the state's most powerful prison gang, the Mexican Mafia. Click on text to read a print version of the note. Several members of the gang have risen through its ranks to become leaders of the Mexican Mafia. A locked padlock Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF. But to hear prosecutors tell it, Arturo Castellanos grip on Florencia-13 led to a series of racially motivated attacks. Sanchez will face an additional five-year mandatory, consecutive term of imprisonment due to his conviction for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. United States Attorneys Office Feds: Latino Gang Targeted Blacks - Newsweek Click on each highlighted area to learn more about it. Florencia 13 - WikiMili, The Best Wikipedia Reader Ciaran McEvoy All cliques must make sure you dont get infested by rats, P.C.s, or 25-debriefers gang members who cooperate with law enforcement by checking the paperwork, or court files, of every Florencia-13 member coming out of jail. That order, which wascommunicated during a recorded call over the LACJ inmate telephone system, included instructions both to beat the victim severely and to kill him. Los Angeles Police officers attend a candlelight vigil for fallen Officer Fernando Arroyos, who was shot and killed during an armed robbery attempt outside the Olympic Community Police Station Jan. 12, 2022, in Los Angeles. Official websites use .govA .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Jesse Contreras, 34; Ernesto Cisneros, 22; Luis Alfredo de la Rosa Rios, 27, and Haylee Marie Grisham, 18, are charged with murdering Officer Fernando Arroyos in a violent crime in aid of. Those arrested today are among 36 members and associates of the F13 gang named in six federal grand jury indictments. With the four convictions last summer, a total of 25 defendants have been convicted in the case (one charged defendant died, and the other four remain fugitives). The three men are members of Florencia-13, according to the FBI. A lock ( An official website of the United States government. Casado had been released on bond since her arrest in August 2013; however, after the verdicts Judge OConnell ordered her remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. [7] They are involved in drug smuggling, murder, assault and robbery. Times staff writer Amina Khan contributed to this report. Peter Hernandez, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney who handled an earlier Mexican Mafia investigation, said the government at that time concluded it was safer to keep Castellanos in isolation and not pull him out of Pelican Bay for court hearings in Los Angeles, which would have been required had he been indicted. It is the hoods responsibility to clean the hood of such trash, the rules state. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS The three men are members of F13, Grisham is a gang associate, and they carried out the attack to increase and maintain their position within thegang, the Justice Department said. Four years ago, authorities arrested dozens of members of South Los Angeles' Florencia 13 gang in connection with the killing of blacks because of the color of their skin. Their seamless partnership resulted in the successful outcome of this matter. The LAPD hosted a fundraiser for Arroyos' family Wednesday at the Olympic Division station where the officer was stationed. Florencia 13 has a long history of being involved in drug trafficking in Los Angeles, where they have held a leadership . (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images), Elected officials took a hands-off approach to public safety: LAPD officer. A liquor store whose supply cases are being robbed of beer, a shopkeeper whose business is being graffitied, a barkeep whose patrons are being harassed, will sometimes offer to pay a Mexican Mafia member for protection, the former gang member said. Feinstein has vowed to return to Washington, but what happens if she doesnt? Four Florencia-13 members have gone on to join the Mexican Mafia, law enforcement officials have testified in prosecutions of the gang: Arturo Castellanos, known as Tablas; his brother Braulio, nicknamed Babo; Juan Topo Garcia and Leonel Wizard Laredo. LOS ANGELES - A federal jury late Tuesday convicted three men and one woman from Los Angeles County of conspiring to participate in the racketeering activities of the Florencia 13 criminal street gang (F13 Gang), as well as of related drug trafficking and firearms offenses.. Jose Dorado, 34, Tannous Fazah, 26, Jose Sanchez, 40, all of Huntington Park, and Giselle Casado, 33, of Downey, were . According to The Los Angeles Times, F13 was formed in South Los Angeles in the 1950s and is largely controlled by the Mexican Mafia prison gang, which is made up of about 140 men, most of them incarcerated. The gang is named after the Florence area of Los Angeles County, controlled by the Mexican Mafia. The second indictment unsealed Tuesday charged 31 members of the Florencia 13 street gang, which operates in south Los Angeles County, with federal racketeering (RICO) violations, as well as . Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Information and translations of florencia 13 in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Central District of California | Three Gang Members and One Gang He's family to us.". Florencia-13 members were forbidden from extorting paisas slanging in the hood a reference, Velasquez testified, to Mexican nationals selling drugs in the gangs territory. Central District of California | Two Florencia 13 Gang Members Official websites use .gov The defendants charged today are: Luis Alfredo De La Rosa Rios, 29, an F13 member also known as "Lil J"; Ernesto Cisneros, 22, an F13 member also known as "Gonzo"; Jesse Contreras, 34, an F13 member who claimed a moniker of "Skinny Jack," but who also may be known as "Flaco"; and Haylee Marie Grisham, 18, who is Rios' girlfriend. ), At Willie Nelson 90, country, rock and rap stars pay tribute, but Willie and Trigger steal the show, Plaschke: Lakers live up to their legacy with a close-out win for the ages, Concertgoer lets out a loud full body orgasm while L.A. Phil plays Tchaikovskys 5th, L.A. Affairs: I had my reasons for not dating white men. Florencia-13 members also collect protection money from local merchants who seek help in keeping gang members from hurting their business, the former member of the gang said. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. None could be reached for comment, and they have yet to enter pleas. The three men are members of Florencia-13, according to. Legal Statement. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The organization is made up of about 140 men, all but a handful of them imprisoned, who rose through the hierarchies of local street gangs and the penal system by displaying a readiness to commit violence or an ability to make large amounts of money, according to law enforcement sources. On October 6, 2019, four men, ages 20s to 50s, were killed and five injured at KC Tequila, a Hispanic-themed bar and restaurant in Kansas City, Kansas. Florencia 13 members have been caught buying weapons from U.S. military personnel. Florencia 13 is one of the largest, most powerful and oldest street gangs in Southern California. Homicides dropped to 10 last year. The edict led to indiscriminate shootings of Black and Latino residents, as Florencia-13 members prowled the streets for targets and East Coast Crips committed retaliatory shootings of their own, witnesses testified. On October 6, 2019, four men, ages 20s to 50s, were killed and five injured at KC Tequila, a Hispanic-themed bar and restaurant in Kansas City, Kansas. He has pleaded not guilty, and the case has yet to go to trial. View more property details, sales history and Zestimate data on Zillow. Justice has been served.. One of the indictments alleges that the gang is a criminal enterprise as defined by the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Arturo. In recent years, however, Florencia-13 members have been directed to eschew violent inter-gang rivalries in favor of pursuing new rackets, said a former member of the gang, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Castellanos was not indicted because he is already serving a life prison term in a maximum security cell in Pelican Bay State Prison. Florencia 13 Gang Member Sentenced to 160 Months in Federal Prison Central District of California | 13 Linked To Mexican Mafia And La Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. They also arrested 25 members and associates of the San Fernando Valley-based Vineland boys. The former head of Wells Fargo Banks retail banking division has agreed to plead guilty to obstructing a government examination into the banks widespread sales practices misconduct, which included opening A resident of the Westside of Los Angeles pleaded guilty today to federal criminal charges for using websites and apps such as Snapchat to meet and entice children to engage A South Bay man who along with three other accomplices victimized a 15-year-old girl by creating sexually explicit videos of her has been sentenced to 220 months in Central District of California Three years after the Florencia indictment, residents say, a measure of calm has come to Florence-Firestone. In an indictment brought in 2007, authorities accused the gang of attacking members of rival Black gangs in an attempt to drive them from the Florence-Firestone area. 3 dozen LA gang members arrested in major sweep or redistributed. We are Emeros (Mexican Mafia members) and we expect that these reglas are followed and respected by all true south-side Florencianos and Florencianas.. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Los Angeles Police Department. Los Angeles, California 90012. Luis De La Rosa Rios, Jesse Contreras, Ernesto Cisneros and Haylee Grisham have been charged in federal court with Arroyos killing. Have a question about Government Services? A partner of Leon, Miguel Candido' s apartment was searched in March of 2019 where 5000 pills containing fentanyl, onepound of heroin, over $20,000 in US currency, drug ledgers, scales, and cell phones linking the two to a criminal organization were located. Domestic Cannabis Suppression / Eradication Program, Red Ribbon Toolkit - Resources For Your Community, DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, Intelligence Research Specialist Job Announcements, Schedule A Hiring Authority: Intelligence Research Specialist, Privacy Impact Assessment and Management Information Systems, Victim Witness Assistance Program Resources. The evidence further showed that Sanchez participated in the F13 Gangs drug trafficking activities at the gangs casitas. Florencia 13 is one of the largest, most powerful and oldest street gangs in Southern California. To learn more about how we use your information, please read our privacy policy. These shot callers were then ordered to coordinate the illegal distribution of drugs and other criminal activities, to ensure that extortionate taxes were collected, and otherwise to oversee their respective portions of the gangs territory, such as by resolving disputes both among F13 gang members and associates and with members of other Los Angeles gangs, the indictment states. The historic core of Florencias territory is bounded by Slauson Avenue to the north, 101st Street to the south, Central Avenue to the west and State Street to the east, Lt. Hector Velasquez of the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department testified in 2016. 336 Florencia Ave, San Antonio, TX 78228 | MLS #1679310 | Zillow Column: Does racism make you too stupid to be a cop? Their tireless efforts, commitment to their agencies, and dedication to their communities have led law enforcement to a victory in the continuing battle against the gangs and drugs that plague our communities.. Arturo Castellanos has been incarcerated since 1979 for a murder conviction. Jim Hellmold, supervisor of the departments Century Division, where Florence-Firestone is located. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images). What does florencia 13 mean? - Definitions.net La Familia Michoacana and it successor, Los Caballeros Templarios (the Knights Templar), is a major drug cartel based in the Mexican state of Michoacn and is responsible for the trafficking of hundreds of thousands of pounds of controlled substances, including methamphetamine, from Mexico into the United States, according to the indictment. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher C. Kendall of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Section. Performance & security by Cloudflare. "We can either address the issue head-on, create awareness and discuss the positive things . As revealed by a series of inmate telephone recordings, he participated in the attempt to have a co-conspirator smuggle heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine through the Los Angeles Metropolitan Courthouse on Hill Street. Acting United States Attorney Harrington said, The United States Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Washington commends the law enforcement officers with the federal and local agencies who investigated this case. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. LOS ANGELES - A federal jury late Tuesday convicted three men and one woman from Los Angeles County of conspiring to participate in the racketeering activities of the Florencia 13 criminal street gang (F13 Gang), as well as of related drug trafficking and firearms offenses. Los Angeles, California 90012. The lead defendant in RICO indictment Leonel Laredo, a.k.a. The gang now has at least two dozen cliques across South Los Angeles, Huntington Park, South Gate and Maywood. The Sheriffs Department added about 30 deputies, and last year it brought an injunction against Florencia. Florence is simply known as F13, one of the oldest gangs that use "13" in their name which represents the 13th letter in the alphabet for marijuana or mota and not for the Mexican Mafia like many law enforcement professionals claim. Twenty-six members and associates of the gang allegedly conspired to violate RICO and engaged in drug trafficking, illegal gambling, attempted murder and assault. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Leon pled guilty to two out of the three federal indictments. The Mexican Mafia is a powerful prison gang that controls much of the drug trade and other criminal activities within California state prisons, county jails and some federal prisons, according to the indictments unsealed this morning. Chief Cosme Lozano of the Huntington Park Police Department said: We are extremely pleased with the outcome of this investigation and the conviction of the suspects. It was among the deadliest acts of violence in modern Kansas history. Over the years, demographic and social shifts have weakened many street gangs and caused some to die out altogether. Of those indicted, 94 have pleaded guilty or have been convicted. Several members of the gang have risen through its ranks to become leaders of the Mexican Mafia. ATF remains steadfast in its stance to disrupt organized gang activity and seek prosecution of anyone who chooses to offend at will, denying law abiding citizens a community or workplace free from violence.. Florencia Davel on LinkedIn: #transformacincultural #diversidad # How drug sales, prostitution and other illegal activities are organized and taxed, with a percentage going to gang leaders behind bars. These two investigations disrupted the criminal activities of the Mexican Mafia, the Los Angeles street gang Florencia 13, and the Mexican Mafias relationship with the La Familia drug cartel, which is responsible for using firearms to commit violent crimes and trafficking hundreds of thousands of pounds of controlled substances into the United States, Said Steven J. Bogdalek, ATF Special Agent in Charge of the Los Angeles Field Division. The indictments targeting the Mexican Mafia and the La Familia drug cartel are the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department; and the Los Angeles High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA)/Southern California Drug Task Force, a federally funded group led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Its common, authorities say, for members of the gang to have followed an uncle, a father or a grandfather into it. Gang members have been charged with offenses ranging. "We're going to miss him a lot. LAPD officer Fernando Arroyos, 27, was gunned downin South Los Angeles during an attempted robbery while he was looking at houses with his girlfriend Jan. 10. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Todays enforcement efforts will help to reduce the damaging impact of this brutal organization by arresting key members and associates of the La Familia cartel and disrupting their distribution networks in the Los Angeles area.. FBI Fifth Gang Member Sentenced to Life Without Parole After because they are minors. The investigation into Florencia 13 was led by ATF and included the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Huntington Park Police Department and the Los Angeles Police Department. Before joining The Times in 2018, he covered city news and state politics at the Hartford Courant. The RICO indictment also alleges that F13 members were responsible for the shooting and attempted murder of a rival gang member in South Los Angeles in December 2016. A secret letter allegedly sent from an inmate at Pelican Bay State Prison in Northern California to members of Florencia 13, a multi-generational street gang in south Los Angeles, details a covert network that has enriched the states most powerful prison gang, the Mexican Mafia. Florencia did the opposite, law enforcement officials say, absorbing smaller gangs and expanding their extortion and drug dealing rackets on the orders of its leaders, who are incarcerated many hundreds of miles away. The Times reported earlier this month that Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva asked federal authorities to handle the situation because he didn't believe Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon's office would be tough enough. The indictment alleges that participants in the Project sought to give La Familia members free rein to sell methamphetamine in Southern California and to provide protection for incarcerated cartel members in exchange for money and methamphetamine going to Mexican Mafia members. Jury Fails to Reach Verdict on Alleged Gang Rape The letter outlines rules, or reglas, drawn up by Mexican Mafia members for associates operating on the streets. [8] Court testimony and the judges ruling found that F13 members had targeted African-Americans based purely on race. 336 Florencia Ave , San Antonio, TX 78228-5843 is a single-family home listed for-sale at $300,000. The note was originally written in tiny script on a small scrap of paper known as a kite, smuggled out of Pelican Bay, recopied and then distributed to street gang members, according to federal prosecutors who are using it as evidence in a major crackdown in Los Angeles. The indictment unsealed today follows a 2007 crackdown on the gang that led to more than 100 members and associates being charged, and five of them receiving sentences of life without parole in federal prison (see: http://www.justice.gov/usao/cac/Pressroom/pr2010/025.html). In the rules seized by law enforcement, Arturo Castellanos allegedly told his gang that he and his brother have shown you all our love for the barrio by making sure you homies never get taxed or green lighted by no one.. [14][15], Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, "Appendix B. National-Level Street, Prison, and Outlaw Motorcycle Gang Profiles - Attorney General's Report to Congress on the Growth of Violent Street Gangs in Suburban Areas (UNCLASSIFIED)", As those killed at Tequila KC are laid to rest, the suspects possible gang connections, 12 Gangs That Are Keeping The FBI Awake At Night, "Fifth Gang Member Sentenced to Life Without Parole After Convictions in Massive Federal Racketeering Case", Gun Violence in the LAPD 77th Street Area, "Gang members charged in Utah mall shooting now charged with cemetery shooting", "As those killed at Tequila KC are laid to rest, the suspects' possible gang connections emerge", "Ten Defendants in Largest-Ever Federal Gang Case Found Guilty of Racketeering, Narcotics Charges", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florencia_13&oldid=1132594522, This page was last edited on 9 January 2023, at 16:46.
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