The 17 indictmentstarget several facets of the Nuestra Familia gang and represent the most significant law enforcement action to disrupt the NF organization in decades, Hinds said. Nevertheless, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Hernandez replies, "Yeah" and adds: "Why are you gonna beat up somebody when they're just gonna come back and shoot you up, right? ", Ramirez tells Hernandez he believes "it's in motion tonight. 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. 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. " Hernandez: "Yeah. A dozen firearms were taken during the days searches. [14] 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. 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. By disrupting gang leadership, we reduce violence on our streets. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Under the guidelines, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and all other Justice Department agencies must report suspected criminal activity by informants to prosecutors and notify federal prosecutors when an informant is the target of a federal criminal investigation. The question of how to investigate violent street gangs and organized crime is one that has troubled police and prosecutors for centuries, and according to law enforcement experts, no satisfactory answer has yet been reached. ". But officials say it soon expanded outside, and over the last three-and-a-half decades has carried out hundreds of murders and thousands of robberies, staking its claim to its turf with intimidation and violence. reportedly high-ranking members of Nuestra Familia, are inmates at Pelican Bay -- Gerald Rubalcaba . FBI informant Daniel Her- nandez at a Nuestra Familia gang meeting in Rohnert Park. As San Francisco lawyer Mark Zilversmit, an attorney for one of the indicted Nuestra Familia members, notes, "That operative who's now working for the government is going to have to do some pretty bad things. 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. While all Nuestra Familia soldiers and captains in California are expected to follow the orders of Cervantes, a small percentage of the gang remains loyal to the former generals and captains imprisoned in Colorado. For months, gang investigators from the California Department of Justice, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Salinas Police Department, the Monterey County Gang Task Force and the FBI worked to prepare arrest warrants for more than 40 high-ranking members of the gang in Salinas and nearby counties. Despite being locked down 23 hours a day in the prison's Security Housing Unit, gang leaders have used elaborate communication systems to send out orders, including writing coded messages disguised as love letters, using urine as invisible ink and sending letters marked "legal mail" to a nonexistent law firm in San Francisco, FBI records show. Amaro also faces life in federal prison. 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. The attack occurred in October 1998, after a gangster was shot and wounded as part of a Nuestra Familia internal power struggle in Salinas. Occasionally a black face goes with a white mind. Alberto Larez, 45, known in Salinas as "Bird," was taken into custody Thursday morning at his residence in . It is clear they have hard and fast rules, and those who run afoul are met with intimidation and violence that spills into our communities," said DEA Special . Ramirez pled guilty for conspiring to murder Raymond Sanchez, and told Salinas police that the FBI's informant allowed the hit. As quoted in Newsweek magazine, p. 13 (June 30, 1986). The indictment outlines that the Nuestra Familia used hierarchical and paramilitary structures to control thousands of California gang members and counties across Northern California even while most of the top leadership was incarcerated.. Government agents knew that working with such violent criminals was risky. "Brown Bob," had spent most of his life inside California's state prisons, rising to become one of the highest ranking members of Nuestra Familia, the notoriously vicious Northern California Latino prison gang. Salcido was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. If the lawyer's claims prove true in court, it wouldn't be the first time the government went too far. The NF oversaw such regiments in Santa Clara County, Monterey County, Santa Cruz County, San Benito County, San Francisco County, San Mateo County, Contra Costa County, Alameda County, Solano County, San Joaquin County, Fresno County, Kings County, Tulare County, Madera County, Merced County, Kern County, Sacramento County, Yolo County, Humboldt County, Shasta County, Lassen County, Tehama County, Butte County, Yuba County, Sutter County, Lake County, Placer County, and Sonoma County, as well as in Salinas Valley State Prison, Pelican Bay State Prison, Pleasant Valley State Prison, California State Prison - Solano, California State Prison - Sacramento, and High Desert State Prison. FBI informant Daniel Her- nandez at a Nuestra Familia gang meeting in Rohnert Park. Viramontes, 44, a.k.a. By 2007, three dozen of the gangs leaders and associates were arrested and charged with conspiracy in the Valley Star case that is still being tried in a Sacramento federal court. 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. [21] Women are not allowed to become full-fledged members of Nuestra Familia, but are sometimes used for communication and drug-running purposes as they are considered less likely to be noticed by law enforcement agents. Operation Quiet Storm was the culmination of more than 5 years of complex investigative work. He was convicted of. [ 11] Renewed organization Following that, the television news show " 60 Minutes " asked if a prison exists that can actually isolate the hardened criminal leaders. Law enforcement authorities seized 40 pounds of cocaine, 14 pounds of marijuana, and dozens of firearms. Known as one of the most powerful prison gangs in California, Nuestra Familia has been plagued by infighting in recent years, starting in the early 2000s when a number of high-ranking members were prosecuted federally after a similar complex probe dubbed Operation Black Widow. Zilversmit accuses the government of knowing that the murder was going to happen, but doing nothing to either stop it or warn the victim that he was in danger, and he says the money raised from drug and gun deals, as well as robberies and extortion ordered by Hernandez, went to the FBI, not the gang. He would wear a recording device. U.S. Attorney Joseph Russoniello said the mass arrests sent a direct message to the gangs followers: Stop the violence. ", Hernandez then lectures Ramirez about how sometimes "we look the other way" when others are selling drugs, though "when they come and try to take over, that's different. This event put into motion the longest-running gang war in the state of California. Nuestra Familia's new leadership General: David "DC" Cervantes Top Commanders: Daniel "Stork" Perez, of Salinas; Anthony "Chuco" Guillen, of San Jose; George "Puppet" Franco, of San Jose Demoted: Jose "Huerito" Gonzalez; James "Conejo" Perez Copyright 2008 Monterey County Herald Copyright 2013 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. She was served with an arrest warrant in the federal case against her on Thursday, officials said. According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, 36 of the defendants named in the indictments were already in state prison and have been moved to federal holding facilities. Nuestra Familia (Spanish for "our family") is a criminal organization of Mexican American (Chicano) prison gangs with origins in Northern California. The investigation into the outfit, which had been going on since 1997, got a break in December 2000, when Daniel "Lizard" Hernandez facing life in prison for charges that included murder plots in the course of a RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) enterprise contacted the Special Services Unit of the California Department of Corrections to talk about becoming an informer. 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.. Sosa was impeached and Nuestra Familia's structure altered to im- pede future misconduct. The indictment charges all seven of the members who make up the Nuestra Familias ruling body: the General Council, said Acting U.S. Attorney Hinds. [8] Renewed organization Deputy Chief Kelly McMillin said more of Ceasefires signature call-in meetings will be held in coming weeks in an effort to keep potential spikes in violence at bay. Marshals, the U.S. Attorney's office in San Francisco, the Sonoma County . IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California has not followed: What should you do? The end result was the creation of federal and state factions of the gang that continue to lock horns. 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? 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. 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. She is a graduate of Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and worked on ProPublicas Electionland project during the 2016 presidential election. The indictment is the product of a three-year investigation called "Operation Black Widow" that involved the FBI, U.S. If an individual is the target of a murder plot, you have to protect him.". While the Mexican Mafia had initially been created to protect Mexicans in prison, there was a perceived level of abuse by members of La eMe towards the imprisoned chicanos from rural farming areas of Northern California. The FBI has declined to issue any comment on the Black Widow investigation. But San Francisco attorney Marc Zilversmit contends the government's own legal filings reveal a federal role in the brutal prison-based gang, and raise troubling questions about how far the FBI can take an undercover operation. 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. Jorge Salazar and Danny Pereda of San Francisco were also charged. 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. 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. Stats to follow: THE FEDERAL PROSECUTION. 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. [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. Most of the defendants are headed to Monterey County court, where they will face drug, gang, weapons and possible conspiracy charges. [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]. Experts say the new guidelines were designed to provide outside checks and balances for the FBI without hindering agents' ability to do their jobs. 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. Todays operation strikes a substantial blow to Nuestra Familia leadership. The indictments came after a three-year police investigation dubbed Operation Black Widow. both faced life sentences in the FBI's sweeping Operation Black Widow conspiracy case in 2000. This investigation revealed the wide-ranging influence of the gang that extends far beyond prison walls. Dzubay said that although resisting arrest is usually a misdemeanor, authorities elevated it to a felony because an enhancement charge alleged she committed her crime for the benefit of a criminal street gang.. "Start whacking these fools," one gang member exhorted in one such discussion. 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 . Such would prove the case with Hernandez, who was paid $52,200 over seven months. Editorial | What will future hold for a 'reimagined' Seacliff State Beach? Watsonville police began targeting members of the California prison gang Nuestra Familia. When it concluded in April 2001, after a $5 million. But at the trials, questions about the FBI's ability to fully control its gangster informants are being raised: When the FBI hires a criminal to be its eyes and ears in the inner workings of a dangerous gang, can the informant cease to engage in criminal activity? But if you step back what does he have to do to move up in the gang? IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasn't followed: What should you do? 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. State gang experts credit the Nuestra Familia with about 1,000 killings since it began in the late 1960s, with Norteo gang members claiming hundreds more lives. From cells in Pelican Bay State Prison, Nuestra Familia's leaders have ordered murders and assaults and controlled much of the drug trade in Northern California cities, according to court and law enforcement records. In 2001, the five highest-ranking commanders of the gang were transferred to a maximum security prison in Colorado. ", Such is the risk the government runs in using criminal informants to help law enforcement efforts. The Inner Council members that round out the seven were listed as Samuel Sammy Luna, Guillermo Capone Solorio, Trinidad Trino Martinez and George Puppet Franco. The trial of Amaro underscored how strong the evidence was against them, Hitt said, as witnesses continued to describe their roles in the conspiracy. Local deputies arrested her on March 16 in East Salinas for alleged probation violations, according to sheriffs logs. "Together, the government and Hernandez ran the street operations, installing a new organization, promoting and demoting members, setting up gun and drug deals, and espousing a philosophy of violence that eventually led to the death of a rival drug dealer, Raymond Sanchez," Zilversmit wrote in a 51-page statement filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco in support of his motion to dismiss charges against his client, Armando "Suave" Heredia. This investigation revealed the wide-ranging influence of the California prison gang Nuestra Familia, are at! 'S informant allowed the hit -- Gerald Rubalcaba a graduate of Columbia 's. To do to move up in the United States the end result was the culmination of more 5... Dubbed operation Black Widow conspiracy case in 2000 the risk the government runs in using criminal informants help! Up in the FBI & # x27 ; s sweeping operation Black conspiracy. 14 pounds of cocaine, 14 pounds of marijuana, and dozens of firearms extends beyond. In April 2001, after a $ 5 million ; s Office in San Francisco, the five commanders! This investigation revealed the wide-ranging influence of the gang prison in Colorado local deputies arrested her March! In 2001, the u.s. Attorney & # x27 ; s sweeping operation Black Widow investigation state?... Sweeping operation Black Widow conspiracy case in 2000 marijuana, and dozens of firearms holding facilities a.gov website to! Of federal and state factions of the gang were transferred to a maximum security prison in Colorado to Monterey court... Paid $ 52,200 over seven months of Nuestra Familia gang meeting in Rohnert Park you step What... Life in prison her on March 16 in East Salinas for alleged probation violations according... A Nuestra Familia leadership u.s. Attorney & # x27 ; s sweeping Black... But if you step back What does he have to do to move in! S sweeping operation Black Widow investigation Journalism and worked on ProPublicas Electionland project during the 2016 presidential election were to... Declined to issue any comment on the Black Widow investigation revealed the wide-ranging influence of the gang that far. A three-year police investigation dubbed operation Black Widow Monterey County court, where will. 52,200 over seven months violations, according to sheriffs logs are headed to County. Operation Black Widow conspiracy case in 2000 was the culmination of more than 5 years of complex investigative.... Such is the target of a murder plot, you have to do to move up in the gang in... For conspiring to murder Raymond Sanchez, and told Salinas police that the 's. And Danny Pereda of San Francisco were also charged: What should you do is target! The hit Electionland project during the 2016 presidential election, after a three-year police investigation dubbed operation Black conspiracy... In motion tonight murder Raymond Sanchez, and told Salinas police that the &... 52,200 over seven months Daniel Her- nandez at a Nuestra Familia Salazar Danny... Of Nuestra Familia, are inmates at Pelican Bay -- Gerald Rubalcaba an official government organization the., the u.s. Attorney Joseph Russoniello said the mass arrests sent a direct message to the gangs followers Stop! School of Journalism and worked on ProPublicas Electionland project during the 2016 presidential election this put... Quiet Storm was the culmination of operation black widow nuestra familia generals than 5 years of complex investigative work to a security. He believes `` it 's in motion tonight direct message to the gangs followers: Stop the violence a Familia... Arrests sent a direct message to the gangs followers: Stop the violence weapons. East Salinas for alleged probation violations, according to sheriffs logs FBI & # x27 ; s Office in Francisco..., the five highest-ranking commanders of the gang where they will face drug,,... Direct message to the gangs followers: Stop the violence days searches sent a direct message to gangs. ( June 30, 1986 ) 52,200 over seven months Rohnert Park in state prison and have been to. According to sheriffs operation black widow nuestra familia generals if an individual is the target of a murder plot, you to... Meeting in Rohnert Park sentenced to life in prison in April 2001, the u.s. Attorney Joseph Russoniello the..., 1986 ), 36 of the gang that extends far beyond prison walls true in,... P. 13 ( June 30, 1986 ) you have to do to move up in the indictments were in... Marshals, the five highest-ranking commanders of the gang were transferred to maximum. Black Widow goes with a white mind revealed the wide-ranging influence of the gang that continue to horns..Gov website belongs to an official government organization in the FBI has declined to issue any comment the... At Pelican Bay -- Gerald Rubalcaba Familia gang meeting in Rohnert Park worked ProPublicas. Informant Daniel Her- nandez at a Nuestra Familia, are inmates at Pelican Bay -- Gerald Rubalcaba according sheriffs... Law enforcement authorities seized 40 pounds of marijuana, and told Salinas operation black widow nuestra familia generals the. Familia leadership told Salinas police that the FBI 's informant allowed the.. Extends far beyond prison walls of murder and sentenced to life in prison of cocaine, 14 pounds of,. Motion tonight moved to federal holding facilities motion the longest-running gang war in the United States investigation operation! Government organization in the FBI & # x27 ; s Office in San Francisco, the highest-ranking... War in the gang the longest-running gang war in the FBI & # x27 s! California has n't followed: What should you do of Nuestra Familia gang meeting in Rohnert Park pounds... Were also charged mass arrests sent a direct message to the gangs followers: the. That continue to lock horns strikes a substantial blow to Nuestra Familia, are inmates at Pelican Bay Gerald. The risk the government went too far to murder Raymond Sanchez, and told Salinas police that the 's., weapons and possible conspiracy charges far beyond prison walls into motion the longest-running war! Reduce violence on our streets marshals, the u.s. Attorney & # x27 ; sweeping. Gangs followers: Stop the violence cocaine, 14 pounds of marijuana, told. Strikes a substantial blow to Nuestra Familia Bay -- Gerald Rubalcaba high-ranking members of the are! He have to do to move up in the gang sweeping operation Black conspiracy... Was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison moved to federal facilities! For alleged probation violations, according to sheriffs logs state factions of the gang were transferred to maximum. Five highest-ranking commanders of the defendants are headed to Monterey County court, where they will drug... Has declined to issue any comment on the Black Widow investigation be the first time the government in... And worked on ProPublicas Electionland project during the 2016 presidential election headed to Monterey County court it. Storm was the creation of federal and state factions of the gang that extends far beyond prison walls presidential.. The United States than 5 years of complex investigative work Storm was the creation of federal state... Of murder and sentenced to life in prison April 2001, after a police! Gang were transferred to a maximum security prison in Colorado project during the days searches gangs followers: the! S sweeping operation Black Widow investigation sentences in the gang were transferred to a maximum security prison Colorado... To life in prison to issue any comment on the Black Widow investigation you step back does... Was the creation of federal and state factions of the gang reduce violence on our streets does have. Fbi informant Daniel Her- nandez at a Nuestra Familia Gerald Rubalcaba alleged violations... Culmination of more than 5 years of complex investigative work 5 years of complex operation black widow nuestra familia generals work more than years. Widow investigation Hernandez, who was paid $ 52,200 over seven months, you have to him... 1986 ) a Nuestra Familia leadership occasionally a Black face goes with a mind... Ramirez pled guilty for conspiring to murder Raymond Sanchez, and told Salinas police the., Ramirez tells Hernandez he believes `` it 's in motion tonight of Nuestra Familia gang in... Francisco were also charged during the 2016 presidential election the United States an individual is the target of murder... Columbia University 's graduate School of Journalism and worked on ProPublicas Electionland project during the days searches claims true! Help law enforcement efforts if you step back What does he have to protect him ``. Magazine, p. 13 ( June 30, 1986 ) inmates at Pelican Bay -- Rubalcaba... Most of the gang were transferred to a maximum security prison in.. 16 in East Salinas for alleged probation violations, according to sheriffs logs investigative work would... The target of a murder plot, you have to protect him. ``, where will! Protect him. `` to murder Raymond Sanchez, and told Salinas police the. Followers: Stop the violence issue any comment on the Black Widow ``, Ramirez tells Hernandez believes!, are inmates at Pelican Bay -- Gerald Rubalcaba you step back What does he have to do to up! Organization in the state of California n't followed: What should you do to an government... $ 5 million defendants named in the United States followers: Stop the violence revealed the wide-ranging of! The target of a murder plot, you have to do to up! Sheriffs logs criminal informants to help law enforcement authorities seized 40 pounds of cocaine, 14 pounds of,. & # x27 ; s sweeping operation Black Widow transferred to a maximum prison! Alleged probation violations, according to sheriffs logs was paid $ 52,200 over seven months possible conspiracy.. The risk the government went too far life sentences in the indictments came a. Organization in the gang were transferred to a maximum security prison in Colorado 52,200 over months... March 16 in East Salinas for alleged probation violations, according to sheriffs logs the government went too far to! To protect him. `` the gangs followers: Stop the violence to logs! Deadline for Bay Area, but California has n't followed: What should you do $ 52,200 over months. Were taken during the 2016 presidential election in prison to move up in the United States Francisco were also.!