Todays sentences have a special significance in light of the courts findings that three of the defendants were among the highest ranked members of the organization internationally. By disrupting gang leadership, we reduce violence on our streets. In January 2019, with a high-ranking Nuestra Familia member named Samuel Luna, the two allegedly conspired to murder a Norteo who is referred to as E.C. in court records. In the span of just over one year, Jaime Cervantes participated in three armed robberies on behalf of the gang, and stabbed a rival at the direction of his carnal Larez. She previously covered D.C. politics and California lawsuits for McClatchy's publications, including the Sacramento Bee, as a national real-time reporter. If I betray you, kill me.. While the physical movement of this leadership was restricted by prison walls, the indictment alleges their power and influence were not so constrained. The indictment also describes the NFs organizational structure and, in particular, the gangs governing body: a seven-member General Council, made up of three Generals and a four-member Inner Council, which makes significant decisions and oversees the activities of the NF and its subservient gangs. When compared with the enormous growth of California's prison industry, the effect of the Nuestra Familia trials in San Jose -- and a recent federal prosecution of the Mexican Mafia -- are hard to . [21], Federal law enforcement agencies, long unable to infiltrate Nuestra Familia, began to step up their investigations in the late 1990s. Eric Zarate Sr., 44, was sentenced to 100 months in federal prison, while his co-defendant Robert Maldonado, 57, was given 88 months. The glorification of gang affiliation by celebrities in rap music, and through video games and movies have created a bonanza for recruitment. Criminal organization of Mexican American prison gangs in the US, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, "Prison Gangs (continued) - Gangs and Security Threat Group Awareness", "Authorities arrest 11 key gang members in east Hillsborough", "Bust of gang offers hope for Dodge City immigrants", "Gangs are becoming a growing threat across Utah", "The Marietta Daily Journal - Ga Supreme Court upholds brothers murder convictions", "Special Issue: Gangs in the United States", "Federal indictments crack vast prison crime ring", "Gang raid targets Nuestra Familia in Salinas", Organized Crime in California Annual Report 2007-08, "New leadership, constitution for Nuestra Familia", "Gang and Security Threat Group Awareness", "Eight-month investigation yields 37 high-level arrests", "Nuestra Familia case: Details of biggest gang prosecution in Santa Clara County history", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nuestra_Familia&oldid=1150062259, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox criminal organization with ethnicity or ethnic makeup parameters, Pages using infobox criminal organization with rivals parameter, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Drug trafficking, extortion, robbery, homicide, This page was last edited on 16 April 2023, at 03:57. The court also may order additional terms of supervised release, fines, and restitution. In September 2011, Jaime Cervantes and another gang member burned the bodies of two murder victims in an apartment in Oakland based on orders from Henry Cervantes. An official website of the United States government. While the NF was composed of a relative few, it exercised control and wielded influence over thousands of subordinate gang members in counties and prisons throughout Northern California using such regiments. He has had to adjust to a life that has had choices no one should have to make. The trial focused on 10 removals in the Monterey County Jail between December 2012 and April 2014. We will continue to target these criminal organizations, dismantle their leadership, and return the violent offenders to prison.. The indictment outlines each position according to the NF Constitution. Harriette Cole: How do I tell him we'll never be housemates? Nuestra Familia gang initiation rites include blood in, blood out which means committing a bloody crime such as assault or murder in order to join or leave the gang. San Jose: (408) 535-5061. [14] 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. Copyright 2023 The perpetration of violence and other crimes was ordinarily a prerequisite to entrance, continued membership, and advancement in the organization. That leaves Cervantes, who has always kept a keen eye on Salinas affairs, firmly in control as the organization's only general. The Bay Areas top federal prosecutor announced a sweeping array of indictments targeting the notorious Nuestra Familia prison gang, boasting that a five-year operation had culminated in a takedown of the organizations leadership responsible for an expanse of drug trafficking and brutal street violence spanning Northern California. SAN JOSE - A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging 17 defendants with racketeering conspiracy, including acts involving murder, robbery, drug trafficking, and money laundering, and charging five others with drug trafficking-related crimes. Nevertheless, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Main Office: Falling under the gang's supervision are Norteo street gangs established in numerous cities and counties, and in jails and prisons, throughout Northern California and elsewhere. 215 likes, 9 comments - Banda Independiente Federal (@bandaindependientefederal) on Instagram: "Cmo Junta Directiva nuestro objetivo es crecer exponencialmente tanto en la parte musical, admi . The response they received included much information about how Nuestra Familia leaders, direct underlings to perform home invasions, enhance drug profits, and even commit murder. Nuestra Familia is a prison gang that originally formed in the California state prison system in the 1960s. Each is charged in this indictment. The defendants were members or associates of the federal branch of the Nuestra Familia, which was controlled by two principal overseers incarcerated in the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), including Andrew Cervantes. / CBS/Bay City News Service. Northern California, or Norte, is the original homeland of the Familianos. All rights reserved. The NF is alleged in the indictment to be a criminal enterprise that was created to organize, protect, discipline, profit from, and maintain the allegiance of gang members on the streets of and within custodial facilities in California. Gunmen storm Mexican resort, kill 7 people, including a child, California is changing how it goes after illegal cannabis farms, Caught off guard: How South Floridas rare storm compares to others, and where it sits in history, The final encore for Phantom: What the show means to one New Yorker who saw it dozens of times, For Varland brothers, now both in the MLB at same time, a dream come true, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. By disrupting gang leadership, we reduce violence on our streets. Zarate was out of jail during the conspiracy, which made him more valuable to the gang, authorities say. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. OAKLAND Four members of the Nuestra Familia criminal organization including the top gang leader were sentenced to federal prison today for racketeering, murders, robberies, drug offenses, and related acts announced U.S. Attorney Brian J. Mission Statement "Find the highest quality teaching about our history and make it available without cost to the community." Introducing. A lot of the street violence in the past 10 years in Salinas and Watsonville and San Jose stems from this, and in the prison yards too.. This civil war has been going on for quite a while, almost since the Black Widow convictions, said Julie Reynolds, a journalist who authored the book Blood in the Fields about the Black Widow case. Roy Morales. Nuestra Familia leader Andrew Cervantes, 60, aka Mad Dog, of Stockton, Calif., was sentenced to 36 years in prison. A former member said in an interview that leaders may use an ancient indigenous Mexican language, may send coded directions written in urine, and have also been known to smuggle information out of even the tightest prison cells through elaborate artwork. Main Office: These regiments primarily guaranteed the NFs vast influence and control over its own and its street gang members, ensured avenues to direct violence and other illicit activity, and secured means for the NF to make money through the commission of criminal activity. The largest of the federal investigations was Operation Black Widow. Este ao, la fecha lmite." Californias Hispanic gangs are divided geographically into northerners and southerners, called Norteos and Sureos. FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office officials announce charges Thursday against 55 people after a five-year investigation centered on the Nuestra Familia prison gang. Maldonados mother wrote to the court that he entered the prison system as an immature young man and has been affected by prison life. Nevertheless, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Los abuelos no slo cuidan; son el tronco de la familia extendida, aportan algo que los padres no siempre vislumbran: pertenencia e identidad, factores indispensables en los nuevos brotes. Young people see celebrities dressing and swaggering like gangsters and try to emulate that behavior. Pacifica: Suspect sought in indecent exposure incident, Fremont: Two-alarm apartment fire displaces 85 residents, Los Gatos party mom asks judge what sentence would be if she pleaded guilty as charged, They spent their lives teaching California's children. This effort will attempt to gather information from all areas of Indigenous* History. In September, 2011, Henry Cervantes stabbed two people to death in an apartment in Oakland. 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. En la declaracin de impuestos final, el cnyuge sobreviviente o representante debe anotar que la persona falleci. At this time, Hispanic gangs united against the Black Guerrilla Family and Aryan Brotherhood. While the recognized leaders of Nuestra Familia in Pelican Bay ask that members respect the former leaders, they have been effectively stripped of their authority. Northern District of California The Nuestra Familia was not recognized as a prison gang by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation until 1979. Federal Courthouse Zarate and Maldonado pleaded guilty to a single count of racketeering involving the Nuestra Familia, a Northern California-based prison gang that lords over the Norteos and other affiliates in the area. The indictment alleges an NF oath provides: If I lead, follow. Initiation to Nuestra Familia gang may also include a lengthy and painful beating from fellow members. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. What they will do within the federal prison remains to be seen, but investigators said stabbings have increased and communication with the outside has been established through cell phones smuggled into prison. 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. For the first time in decades, one man sits alone at the helm of the criminal organization that for more than 30 years has called the shots for thousands of Norte-o gang members in the Salinas Valley. If I fall, avenge me. 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