The indictment is the product of a three-year investigation called "Operation Black Widow" that involved the FBI, U.S. "Informants cannot be monitored 24 hours a day," says Coulson, the former FBI commander. But now, police said they are prepared to respond with tactics developed as part of Operation Ceasefire. Viramontes, 44, a.k.a. He later told a federal grand jury that law enforcement agents had not arrested the gang members earlier because prosecutors and the task force wanted to gather more evidence in the murder conspiracy. But he says the defense's claims against the government are actually more serious than entrapment, in which the rights of a suspect are violated, because they allege the government actually was in a position of knowingly tolerating crimes. Instead, they received 10-year sentences in a plea deal negotiated by the gang's leaders after . Informant Daniel Hernandez, a former Nuestra Familia leader, is expected to be a star witness in the federal trial under way in San Francisco. Amaro also faces life in federal prison. "Nuestra Familia will be back," says law enforcement gang consultant and former Modesto Police Officer Jared Lewis. But a few higher-level suspects, including Montoya, are headed to federal court, where arraignments were under way Thursday. Salcido was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Members of the organization are considered to have taken a "blood oath" to join the gang, and are considered lifelong participants. Watsonville police began targeting members of the California prison gang Nuestra Familia. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Hitt said agents tried to serve Guzman an arrest warrant in Salinas on Thursday but were unable to find her. The suspects, under heavy surveillance, roamed Salinas with loaded weapons for several days. Arizona, Florida,[2] Georgia, Idaho,[3] Nevada,[4] Kansas,[5] New Mexico, Northern California, 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. He is now in protective custody at an unknown location. Operation Black Widow, where murders, assaults and drug trafficking were committed under the watch of two informants working for the government, fuels the debate. It's a business. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. [20], 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. 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. Of 44 arrest warrants obtained, 37 warrants ended with arrests Thursday. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! When agents learn a violent crime is being plotted, should they step in to prevent it and risk botching their undercover probe? With no leaders in Pelican Bay, generals began fighting for power. Like Hanrahan, she was often named in witness testimony in the ongoing Valley Star trials in Sacramento federal court. Then, in May, his Salinas street crew entered a bar and shot and killed an enemy they believed was moving in on their heroin-dealing turf. 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. But to those who choose to stop the violence, there are available resources to help them. Federal law enforcement agencies, long unable to infiltrate Nuestra Familia, began to step up their investigations in the late 1990s. 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. Miss Manners: I shouldn't call because the phone scares people? "You can't be with him 24 hours a day. Robert Salonga is a Bay Area News Group reporter who covers criminal justice and public safety for The Mercury News and East Bay Times. A lock ( 3553. While the physical movement of this leadership was restricted by prison walls, the indictment alleges their power and influence were not so constrained. The trial of Heredia and the other defendants is scheduled to begin in January. Operation Black Widow Federal law enforcement agencies, long unable to infiltrate Nuestra Familia, began to step up their investigations in the late 1990s. Official websites use .gov Her attorney Jeremy Dzubay said its up to District Attorney Dean Flippo to decide whether her local case must be tried before Huerta is taken into federal custody. The indictments came after a three-year police investigation dubbed Operation Black Widow. Communicating with paroled gang members out in the streets, Nuestra Familia leaders have been able to order crimes and collect a percentage of the take from robberies and sales of methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana by the state's thousands of Norteos -- Northern California gang members. The largest investigation into both the Norteos and Nuestra Familia, this operation was characterized by more than 20 arrests. . Last fall, when Russoniello came to a Salinas gang summit for law enforcement, at least some of the time was spent on the early planning of Operation Knockout. He is duplicitous by nature. Before Ybarra and other gang members arrived at Gallegos' apartment, police parked a patrol unit near the building, according to police and FBI documents. Gracia stepped down after publicly proclaiming her love for Hanrahan at a City Hall press conference. Federal investigators refuse to comment on the case, saying they will eventually answer in court, and at least one local law enforcer calls the charge bogus. Nuestra Familia (Spanish for "our family") is a criminal organization of Mexican American (Chicano) prison gangs with origins in Northern California. Law enforcement efforts to break up the criminal operation have been extremely difficult. [21] Nuestra Familia's written constitution allegedly states that no member should prioritize women, money or drugs over their membership in the gang. If I stumble, push me. The government's response had been due to be filed with the court on Nov. 29, but prosecutors requested and were given an additional 10 days. Main Office: Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. "Courts tend to say this may well be something that should be policed internally, but they haven't been ready to give the benefit to defendants," Cohen said. Informants, he said, will always be an essential part of investigations. 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: Hill said she hoped the life sentences the defendants face will deter gang-involved youth from deeper involvement. Both pleaded guilty in separate cases. Summer Lin covers breaking news and general assignment for The Mercury News. 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. They do not have to get involved in this., Seave said the operation fits perfectly into the Ceasefire strategy. 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. Numerous convictions were overturned because information about informants was withheld from defendants and their attorneys. For more than 10 years, one of California's most brutal criminal organizations has been operating from behind the walls of the state's highest- security prison. Robert was a member of the Bay Area News Group reporting team awarded the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting for East Bay Times coverage of the fatal "Ghost Ship" fire. Salinas police sources say the FBI never passed on information about who had the guns, and Frias says that a number of the weapons are still in use today. 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. 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. The gangs targeted in this operation are responsible for much of the illicit drug distribution and violent crime that has plagued areas in the South Bay, Salinas and the Central Valley for years, Fair said. The gang has strict categories of military-style membership ranks, ranging from a Category One member, who might strive to be the "regiment commander" of a city, to Category Three, one of only three positions on the gang's governing board in Pelican Bay. 4 Nuestra Familia gang members face life after, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), 4 Nuestra Familia gang members face life after indictment from Operation Valley Star, Avalanche engulfs two stories of Tahoe apartment building; evacuations are ordered, Nursing school admission can be a long wait in California. Ceasefire depends on following through on commitments that if the violence doesnt stop, force will be applied vigorously.. Law enforcement's use of informants is controversial. 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. As quoted in Newsweek magazine, p. 13 (June 30, 1986). She previously covered D.C. politics and California lawsuits for McClatchy's publications, including the Sacramento Bee, as a national real-time reporter. 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. [23] After months of investigation, at least 37 alleged gang members were arrested during the raids conducted. The gangsters saw the vehicle as they approached and, according to the informant, postponed the attack. 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. You have a potential disaster waiting to happen," Cohen said. On that day, police undercover vehicles followed the gang members through the streets while a California Highway Patrol helicopter tracked them from the air. 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. Unbeknownst to him, he'd been snared in the web of Operation Black Widow, a three-year FBI sting operation that led to federal racketeering and murder indictments against 21 gang members. Operation Black Widow Federal law enforcement agencies, long unable to infiltrate Nuestra Familia, began to step up their investigations in the late 1990s. In legal motions filed over the past four weeks, defense attorneys for 15 alleged members of the Nuestra Familia the prison gang that governs the Northern California-based Norteo and. Hernandez, as street liaison commander, previously had given a "no-bloodshed" order, and, according to the transcript, he tried to calm the situation, although he was ambiguous in playing both of his roles -- informant and gang leader. Others arrested include Castroville residents Dakota Vernon Casperson and Sheena Nicole Casperson. If it comes to it we have no choice but if we have a choice in the matter, then let's make it the right choice. Sosa was impeached and Nuestra Familia's structure altered to im- pede future misconduct. Everyone in the Salinas Nuestra Familia crew was arrested in the murder, except Hernandez, who continued to inform on the gang. Also charged in the indictment are defendants who allegedly participated in two conspiracies to possess and distribute methamphetamine, one in May of 2019 and the other in September 2020 to March 2021. He was due to be released soon from Corcoran state prison, prosecutors said, where he served time on a 2007 assault charge. [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. Really? [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]. Six of the 13 are inmates at Pelican Bay State Prison. On June 18, 2001, Hernandez told his handlers that a subordinate was distributing more than a dozen guns to young gang members in town, according to FBI reports. Local deputies arrested her on March 16 in East Salinas for alleged probation violations, according to sheriffs logs. From our investigation, he appeared to be someone who was extremely dangerous and had a lot of authority within the Northern gang structure, she said. Blood in the Fields also documents the history of Operation Black Widow, the FBI's questionable decade-long effort to dismantle the Nuestra Familia, along with its compromised informants and the turf wars it created with local law enforcement agencies. The investigation, dubbed Operation Black Widow, was a joint effort by the FBI and state and local police in Northern California to break the Nuestra Familia gang, which police say operated from Salinas to the Oregon border and was run from inside the state's high-security Pelican Bay State Prison. The attorney is asking for the charges against his client, Heredia, to be dismissed, and the attorneys for 23 other defendants in the case have joined the filing, asking that all charges be dismissed. Lin covers breaking News and general assignment for the Mercury News and general assignment for the News. In Salinas on Thursday but were unable to infiltrate Nuestra Familia will be back ''! 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