One Neustra Familia The U.S. Department of Justice said that Nuestra Familia (NF) and the Norteno gang are associated with each other, in that the Nortenos pledge loyalty to the NF. within prison are those that have been incarcerated the longest. member of his own gang, top-ranking Salinas, California gang leader Michael combat the existing oppression of the traditionally dominant Mexican In January 2012, Jaime Cervantes and two other gang members committed a home invasion robbery of a drug dealer. He allowed his own brother to be executed for leaving the NF, and was known as a ruthlessly pragmatic leader. Level 2 includes negotiators, who act as messengers to other prison In the late 1960s, Mexican-American inmates of the California state prison system began to separate into two rival groups, Nuestra Familia and the 1957-formed Mexican Mafia, according to the locations of their hometowns (the north-south dividing line is Delano, California). While the physical movement of this leadership was restricted by prison walls, the indictment alleges their power and influence were not so constrained. prison population grew in the 1970s and 1980s, so too did the Familianos, Contact Us- Overview- Territory/Jurisdiction, News and Outreach- Press Room | Stories- In Your Community, About Us- Our People & Capabilities- What We Investigate- Our Partnerships- Sacramento History, This content has been reproduced from its. Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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 . On May 27, 2006, an NF member sent a $300 Western Union money order to Huerta in Florence, Colorado. Monterey Herald. Additionally, prosecutors describe Zarate as a high level heroin and cocaine trafficker who also collected thousands in dues for the gang. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. These duties can often be enforced by using blackmail or A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Todays operation strikes a substantial blow to Nuestra Familia leadership. First published on November 2, 2022 / 9:45 AM. In addition to recruiting "mules," the Nuestra Familia then transport drugs, trade goods, or messages into and out of prison. Assistant United States Attorneys Jason Hitt and William S. Wong are prosecuting the case. Familia members in prison at inexpensive or "face value" Main Office: This investigation revealed the wide-ranging influence of the gang that extends far beyond prison walls. In 1968, a dispute over a simple pair of shoes (a Norteos member confronted a Mexican Mafia member who stole his shoes) led to the War of the Shoes, the ongoing long-term and violent war between the northerners and southerners. Huerta provided a vital communications link to incarcerated NF generals. The gang was an enemy of the Mexican Mafia, and it decreed that all Nortenos ("northerners") were members of the NF, granting them protection from "La Eme" (the Mexican Mafia) behind bars. The Nuestra Familia gang's motto is "blood in, blood out", meaning that they get in the gang by shedding blood, and they get out by death. Nuestra Familia (Spanish for "our family") is a criminal organization of Mexican American . to the rules, and decides on important issues concerning the welfare offenders serving the longest sentences, served to concentrate the affiliates the Nortenos, rivals of the Mexican Mafia's affiliated Crime and Public Safety | With the final objective being to take down the leadership of Nuestra Familia, multiple raids were conducted . Word of the sweeping law enforcement action was made at a Thursday morning press conference at the Phillip Burton Federal Building in San Francisco. The Limon Correctional In March 2013, the inmate whom Andrew Cervantes believed had violated gang rules was assaulted and stabbed by two Nuestra Familia inmates in the prison dining facility and survived. The gang is allies with the Bloods, Crips, and Black Guerrilla Family, while it is hostile towards the Mexican Mafia, Mexikanemi, MS-13, Texas Syndicate, Fresno Bulldogs, Nazi Lowriders,Aryan Brotherhood, Public Enemy No. Bay City News Service contributed to this report. Nuestra Familia (Spanish for "our family") is a criminal organization of Mexican American . The NF fell into disarray, and Casper was still undercover when the chaos began. Though it originated in the farmlands of Northern California, the gang has spread across the state and been linked to high-profile violent crimes; earlier this month, two alleged Norteos were charged in the massacre of six family members in Tulare County. If an NF person did not go along with the program, he would kill them without any questions. (Generations of United Norteos) that invited all Norteos into the NF. Please enter valid email address to continue. "While the physical movement of this leadership was restricted by prison walls, the indictment alleges their power and influence were not so constrained. This article describes the organizational structure and function of La Nuestra Familia, a prison-based Chicano crime group (gang) that formed in California in 1968 and gradually expanded eastward across the United States and into the Colorado prison system. They bring in millions of dollars through the drug trade, but prostitution, extortion, and identity theft are also major rings. Additional assistance was provided by the Santa Clara County District Attorneys Office; the Oakland Police Department; the San Jose Police Department; the Red Bluff Police Department; the Livermore Police Department; the Alameda County Sheriffs Office; the Campbell Police Department; the Tehama County District Attorneys Office; and the Tehama County Sheriffs Office. Marshal Service, with the assistance of the Santa Clara County Sheriffs Office, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Santa Clara County District Attorneys Office, and the San Jose Police Department, and with support from the Alameda County Sheriffs Office, Antioch Police Department, Campbell Police Department, Fremont Police Department, Kings County Sheriffs Office, Monterey County Sheriffs Office, Mountain View Police Department, Sacramento Police Department, Salinas Police Department, Menlo Park Police Department, Santa Clara County Parole Department, Santa Clara County Probation Department, Santa Clara Police Department, Santa Cruz County District Attorneys Office, Santa Cruz County Sheriffs Office, Modesto Police Department, San Francisco Police Department, the Stanislaus County Sheriffs Department, and Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety. Through exclusive interviews with NF members and law enforcement personnel, this program describes Nuestra Familia's formation by convicts inside the prisons of northern California, its military-like structure, its dismaying power throughout the region and the U.S., and Operation . As the prison population has exploded in the past. The security chief prevents the intrusion of inmates into the Familia's While on parole, Gratton gained notoriety by producing a rap album known as G.U.N. and their influence within the prison subculture. Huerta is scheduled to be sentenced on June 24, 2013, by United States District Judge William B. Shubb. Now hes under review. Nobody is safe in Salinas, California, where two Latino gangs, Nuestra Familia and the Mexican Mafia, are at war. At the same time, Cuete Rubelcaba ordered a hit on Casper, whom he used as a scapegoat - Rubelcaba was accused of embezzling money from the gang, so he decided to pin the blame on Casper, the only person who knew that he stole from the gang. According to Koehler, in Colorado prisons, the Familia is an attempt to protect and preserve intercepted by a prison guard in Pelican Bay, who found it stuffed Operation Quiet Storm was the culmination of more than 5 years of complex investigative work. 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. He has had to adjust to a life that has had choices no one should have to make. The Hispanics would have a lot more power in prison and on the streets if they weren't divided amongst themselves, i.e. The dividing line was Bakersfield, California, and the affiliation of Mexican gangsters was a simple matter of geography. 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. Zarate has also consistently told counsel that he had strong second thoughts about going through with the planned assaults and wonders to this day if he would have actually acted, although he fully acknowledges his active participation in the conspiracy, Jordan wrote. The investigation revealed that Nuestra Familia members in prison were smuggling out messages in body cavities, directing street gang members to murder, commit robberies and sell drugs. Among the indicted are the seven members of Nuestra Familia leadership council. The meeting was ultimately unsuccessful because of the significant security measures in place at the facility. a "capitol," or "power base," in the Limon Correctional Dear Abby: Why do they imply my husband is a freak? Since then the Familia has moved eastward across the "While the physical movement of this leadership was restricted by prison walls, the indictment alleges their power and influence were not so constrained. READ MORE: Feds: 'Head of the Snake' Taken Down In Nuestra Familia Prison Gang Bust. 2019 - Catherine Arambula. the Nuestra Familia/Nortenos vs. the Mexican Mafia/Surenos. The bust was part of a five-year, multi-agency investigation and Hinds said the enforcement action is not over yet. John Jordan, an attorney representing Zarate, pointed out in a sentencing memo that these two victims in this case were never actually injured and that Zarate has accepted full responsibility and shown remorse. If the debt is not repaid within a reasonable amount of time, debt He joined the Bay Area News Group in 2014. Familia leaders were creating new recruits and turning them into By removing violent actors and crime drivers from the streets, we make our neighborhoods safer." According to the documents unsealed today, La Nuestra Familia - Spanish for "Our Family"- was a prison gang operating in the California state prison system. 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. All seven members of the NFs General Council led the NF organization while incarcerated in the California prison system. including the 3 "highest-ranking" Nuestra Familia leaders "store" are kept secret by the store owner, or memorized "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," said Fair. Esta responsabilidad siempre . Between 2003 and May 2007, Huerta engaged in drug trafficking with NF members,. The case was investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Attorneys Office of the Northern District of California, with assistance from the BOP. His second-in-command Joseph "Death Row Joe" Gonzalez spent years on death row before he was commuted to a life sentence, and he had no patience for fools. Facility in Colorado, considered the most concentrated facility costs, and providing commissary goods to members placed in administrative Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. According to court documents, Huerta is the wife of a Nuestra Familia general Joseph Pinky Hernandez. These wolfpacks are handed the responsibility of generating From their thrones in California's Pelican The Aryan Brotherhood is a. Nuestra Familia members Santos and Gilbert Arenda are stabbed by Eme members. This investigation revealed the wide-ranging influence of the gang that extends far beyond prison walls. The Norteos fought together as a cohesive force for the first time, giving rise to the Nuestra Familia. Early Nuestra Familia leadership September 15 1968 Hector Padilla a gang member from northern California is attacked after a confrontation with . In an intercepted prison message, Nuestra Familia leaders explained that Crystal Morado was killed because she was no longer "functioning," according to a specialist who has investigated the gang for federal and state agencies for 15 years. 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. We will continue to look at these organizations structurally to disrupt and dismantle them., According to the indictment, the 17 racketeering defendants were members and associates of the Nuestra Familia (NF) prison gang, a violent and lucrative organization formed in the 1960s. MONTEREY (CBS SF/BCN) A judge sentenced a high-up leader of the prison gang Nuestra Familia to over 25 years in federal prison Tuesday after being convicted of multiple gang violence conspiracies he perpetuated while in Monterey County Jail, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Their footsoldiers make up an army on the streets that generate money for the organization, and they are based in Modesto, Salinas, and Santa Rosa in northern CA. . Their prison stronghold was Pelican Bay, where their main leaders lived. This set of rules includes: Who may become a full member (not females); The structure of leadership; DUI jail sentence, he was shot at close range in the head. If I fall, avenge me. OAKLAND Two members of the Nuestra Familia prison gang have been sentenced to varying federal prison terms for their roles in the same two murder conspiracies targeting lower-tier members of their organized crime network, court records show. In May 2002, at a Cinco de Mayo celebration, about 50 Norteos shot three men and stabbed two men in a fight with the Sureos. Before Christmas, he contacted authorities and decided to work with them against Rubelcaba. According to the evidence presented at trial, from December 2012 through April 2014 Garcia and Jasso were active members of the Nuestra Familia prison gang and its affiliated Norteo street gang. In June 2021, Zarate was arrested and charged with murder for his alleged participation in a retaliatory shooting in San Jose. 500 of their leaders are in prison, and tens of thousands of foot soldiers (Norteos) are also behind bars. 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