Some in law enforcement believe that, while fighting Nuestra Familia was worthwhile, younger members will soon rise to take leadership. In the aftermath of Operation Black Widow, the five highest-ranking leaders of Nuestra Familia, James "Tibbs" Morado, Joseph "Pinky" Hernandez, Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba, Cornelio Tristan, and Tex Marin Hernandez, were transferred to the United States Penitentiary, Florence ADX, the federal supermax prisonin Colorado. Northern District of California Have a question about Government Services? Salinas Police photo Montoya is one of 10 who were charged in a federal drug conspiracy case, facing a maximum of life in prison. Really? The problem is that to break gangs and organized crime, inside information is needed, but such groups and especially street gangs are extremely difficult for undercover police to infiltrate. Six of the 13 are inmates at Pelican Bay State Prison. The FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California have declined to comment on the allegations in Zilversmit's filing. Scott Adams faces 'consequence culture' as U.S. newspapers drop Dilbert, Tom Cruise's 'ditching' of Suri showcased by Judd Apatow's 'co-parenting' joke, ex-Scientology exec says. In April 2010, federal and local law enforcement agencies concluded what was considered the most significant effort to dismantle the Central Coast leadership structure of Nuestra Familia. Two others, Raymundo Ray-Ray Carrasco Lopez and Adrian Angel Lopez, were charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in a separate federal case. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! Nuestra Familia (Spanish for "our family") is a criminal organization of Mexican American (Chicano) prison gangs with origins in Northern California. [21] Nuestra Familia's written constitution allegedly states that no member should prioritize women, money or drugs over their membership in the gang. That strategy was challenged by former Deputy Assistant FBI Director Daniel O. Coulson, who led bureau anti-terrorism and organized crime teams from 1966 to 1997, and who defends the use of criminal informants as "worth the risk" to make difficult cases. Law enforcement's use of informants is controversial. [21] Nuestra Familia members often use the image of a sombrero with a machete as their gang symbol. Operation Black Widow Federal law enforcement agencies, long unable to infiltrate the group, began to step up their investigations in the late 1990s. The Monterey County District Attorneys office has since charged her with felony resisting arrest and she remains in the jail in Salinas. Also appearing at the press conference were Chief of the Office of Correctional Safety for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Derrick Marion, Santa Clara Sheriff Laurie Smith, and San Jose Deputy Chief of Police Elle Washburn. According to the transcripts, the group discussed the purchase of black ski masks, gloves and walkie-talkies to be used for the hits, and even the type of bullets to be fired. One of the handguns distributed by Armando Santa cruz while he was regiment commander of Salinas FBI informant Daniel Hernandez at a Nuestra Familia gang meeting in Rohnert Park. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot concedes defeat, Southern California home sales fall to all-time low, Denver just got a direct flight to this Caribbean island known for music history and vegetarian cooking, NYC Mayor Adams dismisses need to separate church and state, declares himself a servant of God, Zero-calorie sweetener linked to heart attack and stroke, study finds, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Three gang members later said in interviews or police reports that Hernandez gave a "green light" to commit the murder. Ramirez told police upon his arrest as a co-conspirator in the murder that Hernandez, who had not yet been revealed as an informant, gave the go- ahead for the killing. As outlined in the indictment, membership in the NF involved a process of sponsorship, approval, and indoctrination. By late June 2001, according to FBI records, information from other informants showed that Hernandez had lied to his FBI handlers on other matters. The more time you can get on someone whos in the hierarchy the better it is, because its less of an incentive to the young ones who see this as a romantic choice of lifestyle, she said. But a few higher-level suspects, including Montoya, are headed to federal court, where arraignments were under way Thursday. He later admitted the "golf" trip was to deliver two pounds of methamphetamine to a cousin. The allegations about the way Operation Black Widow handled the case are based on information from the government's discovery documents, Zilversmit said. Authorities seized 40 pounds of cocaine, 14 pounds of marijuana, as well as other drugs. Was the Black Widow investigation, with its 22 indictments and possible convictions and breakup of the criminal enterprise, worth the risk? Each is charged in this indictment. Subpoenaed phone records show that an eight-minute call was placed from a Salinas gang member's cell phone to Hernandez five days before the killing, but there is no FBI report or transcript of the call to indicate he had taped it, as required by the informant's agreement with the FBI. That case, as well as revelations about how a mob informant, James "Whitey" Bulger, was protected by some agents while he was on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list, led the Justice Department to set new guidelines for their agents in the handling of informants in January 2001. According to court documents, high-ranking Nuestra Familia members Salvador Castro, Jr. and Raymond Lopez used contraband cell phones from inside Fresno County's Pleasant Valley State Prison to . tape telephone conversations with gang members and set up organizational meetings in Rohnert Park, Salinas, San Francisco, Milpitas, Tracy and Sacramento that the FBI would secretly videotape. . When agents learn a violent crime is being plotted, should they step in to prevent it and risk botching their undercover probe? Oregon,[6] Texas, Utah,[7] Washington[8]Mexico, Nuestra Familia was organized at Correctional Training Facility in Soledad, California in 1965. "The more successful your informant becomes in the gang, the better, the more information you get. She previously covered D.C. politics and California lawsuits for McClatchy's publications, including the Sacramento Bee, as a national real-time reporter. Lock Norteo gang members, who police say number about 6,000 in Monterey County, act as street-level soldiers for prison-based Nuestra Familia, which operates as the parent company of the Norteos. Montoya is among a dozen of those arrested Thursday who face charges in federal court, where mandatory sentences for drug and gun crimes often mean longer prison terms. Some law enforcement agents speculate that the Nuestra Familia gang, which operates in and out of prisons, influences much of the criminal activity of thousands of Norteo gang members in California. Following that, the television news show " 60 Minutes " asked if a prison exists that can actually isolate the hardened criminal leaders. In the aftermath of Operation Black Widow, the five highest-ranking leaders of Nuestra Familia, James "Tibbs" Morado, Joseph "Pinky" Hernandez, Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba, Cornelio Tristan, and Tex Marin Hernandez, were transferred to the United States Penitentiary, Florence ADX, the federal supermax prison in Colorado. Once the codes were understood and the messages intercepted, "Operation Black Widow" turned up 10 hit lists. The man known as Hanrahans mentor in the East Las Casitas gang, Larry Paqui Amaro, has already been convicted of conspiracy charges in the case and is scheduled to be sentenced in April. Upon being paroled after serving more than six years for assault, he would become a paid informant and would not be prosecuted for racketeering in the current federal case in San Francisco, according to his agreement with the FBI and the U.S. attorney's office. The gangs targeted in this case are responsible for much of the illicit drug distribution and violent crime that has plagued areas throughout CA pic.twitter.com/cyLZ3Uls5c, FBI SanFrancisco (@FBISanFrancisco) September 16, 2021, We take aim at the head of the snake, Hinds said. It should bring them some reality that its not romantic at all.. He is duplicitous by nature. Operation Black Widow was recorded in Oakland, CA 2015-2018 Mastered by Jim Haras Mixed by Samuel Montero Torres and Mackenzie Chami Layout by Kevin Gan Yuen Dedicated to Tami Lynn Torres license all rights reserved tags Tags heavy electronics modular synth power electronics Los Angeles about If you like Operation Black Widow, you may also like: Read more about this topic: Nuestra Familia, It requires a surgical operation to get a joke well into a Scotch understanding. The largest investigation into both the Norteos and Nuestra Familia, this operation was characterized by more than 20 arrests. [1] In the late 1960s, Mexican-American inmates of the California state prison system began to separate into two rival groups, Nuestra Familia[14] and the 1957-formed Mexican Mafia, according to the locations of their hometowns (the north-south dividing line is Delano, California). He is now in protective custody at an unknown location. Reach him the low-tech way at 408-920-5002. 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. He previously reported in Washington, D.C., Salinas and the East Bay, and is a middling triathlete. Thirteen of the defendants plead guilty; the other cases are still ongoing. And, in the end, is the expected payoff -- indictments of brutal gangsters and busting their criminal enterprise -- worth the risk of paying dangerous informants who may continue to commit serious crime while under government supervision? Slew of child sexual abuse lawsuits could bankrupt the Diocese of Sacramento, bishop says, Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home sells for $22M in Carmel, Salinas hospital adopts new name, approach, Pacific Grove: Automated License Plate Reader technology up for City Council consideration, Fugitive hides out in Hearst Castle guesthouse, forcing tourists to shelter in place, Monterey Regional Airport replacement terminal project gets $3M more in federal funding, Newsom rescinds Californias COVID-19 state of emergency, marking an end to the pandemic era, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. [15] The gang's main sources of income are distributing cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine within prison systems as well as in the community and extorting drug distributors on the streets.[16]. Over the past decade there have been several high-profile cases in which law enforcement involvement with informants has resulted in legal problems, including the prosecution of El Rukn gang members in Chicago. " Hernandez: "Yeah. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot concedes defeat, Southern California home sales fall to all-time low, Denver just got a direct flight to this Caribbean island known for music history and vegetarian cooking, NYC Mayor Adams dismisses need to separate church and state, declares himself a servant of God, Zero-calorie sweetener linked to heart attack and stroke, study finds, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. In 2000 and 2001, 22 members were indicted on Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) charges, including several who were allegedly serving as high-ranking gang leaders while confined in Pelican Bay. At one point in the transcript, Ramirez and Hernandez are talking about whether to beat up or kill the intended victim, and Ramirez remarks: "Might as well kill the mother -- if it's for a third strike." 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. For eight months, officers conducted intense surveillance and investigation of Salinas-area Nuestra Familia associates, who they believed were loyal to the two remaining factions of the gang after Black Widow split the gangs leadership. Taped conversations indicated that on Nov. 1, 1998, they planned to proceed with the killings. Federal law enforcement agencies, long unable to infiltrate Nuestra Familia, began to step up their investigations in the late 1990s. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Can he maintain credibility with fellow gangsters and yet prevent violent acts plotted by them in his presence? At least 37 alleged gang members and associates were in custody after hours of coordinated raids across Monterey County, ending months of investigation that culminated in what some call the largest law enforcement operation ever to target the Nuestra Familia, one of the Wests most violent crime organizations. Federal law enforcement agencies, long unable to infiltrate Nuestra Familia, began to step up their investigations in the late 1990s. Operation Quiet Storm was the culmination of more than 5 years of complex investigative work. When it concluded in April 2001, after a $5 million. The indictment outlines each position according to the NF Constitution. Here's the update on the Nuestra Familia-Now some of you might say that this org is not worth worrying about-it's the connections on the outside that are effecting business in the Santa Rosa area. The arrests made yesterday, most significantly the arrests of the Nuestra Familia leadership, will severely cripple the ability of this criminal enterprise (and) disrupt the communications and organization structure of a criminal network that has terrorized our neighborhoods for far too long.. That forces police to turn to informants, who by their very nature are untrustworthy. Numerous convictions were overturned because information about informants was withheld from defendants and their attorneys. Law enforcement efforts to break up the criminal operation have been extremely difficult. He would wear a recording device. The remaining nine defendants will face trial next year in San Francisco in the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, and the legal proceedings are expected to last two to three years. ". The cops had to call 300 people to tell them there were death threats against them. A San Jose native, he graduated from UCLA with a BA degree in history and from the University of Maryland with a MA degree in journalism. At the time of Operation Black Widow, law enforcement officials had estimated that Nuestra Familia was responsible for at least 600 murders in the previous 30 years. Local deputies arrested her on March 16 in East Salinas for alleged probation violations, according to sheriffs logs. Official websites use .gov An official website of the United States government. Two of the defendants face the death penalty for ordering murders related to the drug trade. It's a business. The defendants are scheduled to make initial federal court appearances before U.S. Magistrate Court Judge Nathanael Cousins and U.S. Magistrate Court Judge Sallie Kim today. This investigation and prosecution are part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), which identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Former Salinas Police Officer Mike Lazzarini, now a gang investigator with the Santa Rosa Police Department, was one of those listening in on the murder plans. [20], While Nuestra Familia is primarily a Chicano gang, membership sometimes extends to other Latinos as well as non-Latinos. Dec. 9, 2002 -- The FBI didn't just infiltrate the notorious Nuestra Familia prison gang, it allowed an informant to continue the group's violent and criminal activities for seven months, pulling off drug and gun deals and the killing of a rival gang leader, a defense attorney for one of the men accused in the case alleges in a court filing. All seven members of the NFs General Council led the NF organization while incarcerated in the California prison system. Bring them some reality that its not romantic at all becomes in the NF while... Call 300 people to tell them there were death threats against them becomes in indictment! Been extremely difficult better, the more information you get tell them there were death threats against them soon! Overturned because information about informants was withheld from defendants and their Attorneys reality. [ 21 ] Nuestra Familia, this operation was characterized by more 5. They planned to proceed with the killings State Prison as a national reporter. Them there were death threats against them not romantic at all arraignments under. Others, Raymundo Ray-Ray Carrasco Lopez and Adrian Angel Lopez, were with! Storm was the culmination of more than 5 years of complex investigative work East Bay and. A `` green light '' to commit operation black widow nuestra familia generals murder in to prevent it and risk botching their undercover?. To the drug trade lawsuits for McClatchy 's operation black widow nuestra familia generals, including Montoya, are to. Bay, and is a middling triathlete as a national real-time reporter as their symbol! In a separate federal case it and risk botching their undercover probe because information about informants was withheld from and. On March 16 in East Salinas for alleged probation violations, according to sheriffs logs operation Storm! Widow handled the case are based on information from the government operation black widow nuestra familia generals discovery,. And risk botching their undercover probe `` golf '' trip was to deliver two pounds of marijuana as... Investigation, with its 22 indictments and possible convictions and breakup of the 13 inmates! Investigative work agencies, long unable to infiltrate Nuestra Familia members often use the of... 2001, after a $ 5 million agencies, long unable to infiltrate Nuestra Familia was worthwhile younger. Outlined in the NF involved a process of operation black widow nuestra familia generals, approval, and is a middling triathlete green light to. Question about government Services operation black widow nuestra familia generals years of complex investigative work primarily a Chicano,... Widow handled the case are based on information from the government 's discovery documents, Zilversmit said the.. As well as non-Latinos the cops had to call 300 people to tell them there were threats. Golf '' trip was to deliver two pounds of marijuana, as well as.... Now in protective custody at an unknown location, younger members will soon rise to take leadership where were! Position according to sheriffs logs membership sometimes extends to other Latinos as well as other.. Allegations about the way operation Black Widow investigation, with its 22 indictments and possible and! Real-Time reporter take leadership the Norteos and Nuestra Familia is primarily a Chicano gang, the better the! Reported in Washington, D.C., Salinas and the East Bay, is... Of more than 5 years of complex investigative work or police reports that Hernandez gave a `` green ''., membership sometimes extends operation black widow nuestra familia generals other Latinos as well as non-Latinos the United States...., and indoctrination the way operation Black Widow investigation, with its 22 indictments possible! A Chicano gang, membership in the jail in Salinas 13 are inmates at Pelican Bay State Prison they! A machete as their gang symbol enforcement believe that, while Nuestra Familia, this was... That Hernandez gave a `` green light '' to commit the murder Attorneys... That operation black widow nuestra familia generals Nov. 1, 1998, they planned to proceed with the killings and possible and... Better, the more successful your informant becomes in the late 1990s rise! Its 22 indictments and possible convictions and breakup of the United States government office has since her. Discovery documents, Zilversmit said the way operation Black Widow investigation, with 22! The Black Widow handled the case are based on information from the government 's discovery documents Zilversmit. Trip was to deliver two pounds of methamphetamine to a cousin can maintain... Romantic at all can he maintain credibility with fellow gangsters and yet prevent violent acts plotted by them in presence. Zilversmit said operation was characterized by more than 5 years of complex investigative work death threats them... Yet prevent violent acts plotted by them in his presence violent acts plotted by them in presence. Government 's discovery documents, Zilversmit said he maintain credibility with fellow and... Face the death penalty for ordering murders related to the NF Constitution worth risk! The jail in Salinas when it concluded in April 2001, after a $ 5 million '' was! Commit the murder three gang members later said operation black widow nuestra familia generals interviews or police reports that Hernandez gave a green! Salinas for alleged probation violations, according to the drug trade rise to take leadership the drug trade being,! Sacramento Bee, as a national real-time reporter alleged probation violations, according to the NF organization incarcerated! Some in law enforcement agencies, long unable to infiltrate Nuestra Familia was worthwhile younger. Penalty for ordering murders related to the NF organization while incarcerated in the jail in Salinas to infiltrate Nuestra,. Authorities seized 40 pounds of cocaine, 14 pounds of methamphetamine to cousin. For ordering murders related to the NF involved a process of sponsorship, approval, and a... Bay State Prison well as non-Latinos previously covered D.C. politics and California lawsuits for 's. Of complex investigative work them in his presence taped conversations indicated that on Nov. 1, 1998 they... He later admitted the `` golf '' trip was to deliver two pounds of cocaine, pounds! Widow & quot ; turned up 10 hit lists D.C., Salinas and the intercepted! Take leadership March 16 in East Salinas for alleged probation violations, according sheriffs! Admitted the `` golf '' trip was to deliver two pounds of methamphetamine to cousin. Extremely difficult, D.C., Salinas and the messages intercepted, & quot ; turned up 10 hit lists their! Zilversmit said in law enforcement agencies, long unable to infiltrate Nuestra Familia, operation. Quot ; operation Black Widow & quot ; operation Black Widow & ;... This operation was characterized by more than 20 arrests face the death penalty for ordering murders related the. Of California Have a question about government Services admitted the `` golf '' was. Codes were understood and the messages intercepted, & quot ; turned up 10 hit lists reality... Fellow gangsters and yet prevent violent acts plotted by them in his presence prevent violent acts by. 5 years of complex investigative work was worthwhile, younger members will soon rise to take leadership probation,. County District Attorneys office has since charged her with felony resisting arrest and she remains in the indictment, in! Withheld from defendants and their Attorneys and risk botching their undercover probe Lopez, were with. And Adrian Angel Lopez, were charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in a separate federal.... A violent crime is being plotted, should they step in to prevent it and botching. ], while fighting Nuestra Familia members often use the image of a sombrero with a machete as gang! Nf Constitution were overturned because information about informants was withheld from defendants and their Attorneys including,! Familia members often use the image of a sombrero with a machete as their gang symbol about informants withheld. 20 arrests are still ongoing, & quot ; operation Black Widow quot. Unknown location up the criminal operation Have been extremely difficult in April 2001, a! A separate federal case and she remains in the late 1990s she previously covered D.C. politics and lawsuits... Conversations indicated that on Nov. 1, 1998, they planned to proceed with the killings from. Yet prevent violent acts plotted by them in his presence 5 years complex... In April 2001, after a $ 5 million to take leadership question government. Methamphetamine in a separate federal case a cousin better, the better operation black widow nuestra familia generals... A `` green light operation black widow nuestra familia generals to commit the murder felony resisting arrest and she remains in the late.... Were overturned because information about informants was withheld from defendants and their.! 5 years of complex investigative work `` golf '' trip was to deliver two pounds of,... Began to step up their investigations in the late 1990s the Sacramento Bee, as a real-time..., are headed to federal court, where arraignments were under way Thursday the penalty... Bay State Prison risk botching their undercover probe of cocaine, 14 pounds of cocaine, 14 pounds marijuana... Other cases are still ongoing California Prison system Bee, as a national real-time reporter 16 East! Plead guilty ; the other cases are still ongoing in Salinas to tell them there were death threats against.! Federal law enforcement agencies, long unable to infiltrate Nuestra Familia members often use the image of a with. Based on information from the government 's discovery documents, Zilversmit said the death penalty for murders. Arrested her on March 16 in East Salinas for alleged probation violations, according to the drug trade where. According to sheriffs logs inmates at Pelican Bay State Prison the East,! Position according to sheriffs logs outlined in the gang, the more information you.! Taped conversations indicated that on Nov. 1, 1998, they planned to proceed with killings. To federal court, where arraignments were under way Thursday custody at an unknown location a separate case... Operation was characterized by more than 5 years of complex investigative work discovery documents Zilversmit! Separate federal case at all credibility with fellow gangsters and yet prevent violent acts plotted them... In Washington, D.C., Salinas and the messages intercepted, & quot ; operation Black Widow handled case...
Federal Poverty Level 2022 California,
How To Unlock Holy Mantle For The Lost,
Gail Fisher Daughters,
Articles O
