Hernandez cut a plea deal. 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. The FBI's Operation Black Widow resulted in arrests and indictments of 150 members of Nuestra Familia gang. Its the way we should do business. Operation Quiet Storm was the culmination of more than 5 years of complex investigative work. The indictment alleges an NF oath provides: If I lead, follow. Law enforcement efforts to break up the criminal operation have been extremely difficult. Very seldom a white face will have a black mind.Nikki Giovanni (b. FBI informant Daniel Her- nandez at a Nuestra Familia gang meeting in Rohnert Park. 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. Teen girls arrested after allegedly riding scooters into San Francisco pedestrians, Internet personality Yo Pesci receives seven year sentence after flashing firearms on social media, Gang member gave 14-year-old permission to open fire on woman with AR-15 after fender-bender, DA alleges, Pollutants were released into San Jose rivers from construction firm, lawsuit claims. The suspects, under heavy surveillance, roamed Salinas with loaded weapons for several days. But to those who choose to stop the violence, there are available resources to help them. 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. Membership in the gang extends beyond prison. The inmates who formed the Nuestra Familia gang banded together to protect themselves from the Mexican Mafia, but then grew to be involved in drug dealing, extortion and robbery.[17]. 846, 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B) Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. When agents learn a violent crime is being plotted, should they step in to prevent it and risk botching their undercover probe? In 2000 and 2001, 22 members were indictment|indicted on RICO (law)|racketeering charges, including several who were allegedly serving as high-ranking gang leaders while confined in Pelican Bay . It was not immediately disclosed how many of the 19 remaining defendants were arrested in the law-enforcement sweeps this week. The largest of the federal investigations was Operation Black Widow. By disrupting gang leadership, we reduce violence on our streets. Agents only need to know that there is a conspiracy, Coulson said. The allegations about the way Operation Black Widow handled the case are based on information from the government's discovery documents, Zilversmit said. 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. FBI informant Daniel Hernandez at a Nuestra Familia gang meeting in Rohnert Park. To join Nuestra Familia ("Our Family") and rise in its ranks takes years of studying the gang's written constitution, training, and committing violent crimes inside and outside of prison. "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. ", 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. Operation Black Widow. In the weeks leading up to Lizard's arrest, Kayln . He was due to be released soon from Corcoran state prison, prosecutors said, where he served time on a 2007 assault charge. FBI informant Daniel Her- nandez at a Nuestra Familia gang meeting in Rohnert Park. "The more successful your informant becomes in the gang, the better, the more information you get. They saw today what happens, Schwarzenegger said. The trial of Heredia and the other defendants is scheduled to begin in January. Amaros niece, Rebecca Guzman, was also charged. [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. If he is going to betray one group the gang what's going to stop him from betraying the second the government?". Have a question about Government Services? Once membership was achieved, this membership was for life. 1962(d) Racketeering Conspiracy. Soon after, prison investigators confiscated a letter from her to an inmate, saying she and Hanrahan planned to marry in June 2008. An ambitious multi-agency operation aimed at dismantling the Central Coast leadership structure of the Nuestra Familia gang resulted in more than three dozen arrests during sweeps early Thursday. As quoted in Newsweek magazine, p. 13 (June 30, 1986). Two of the defendants face the death penalty for ordering murders related to the drug trade. 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. Editorial | What will future hold for a 'reimagined' Seacliff State Beach? Federal Courthouse It's a business. U.S. Attorney Steven Gruel declined to comment on whether the informant might lose his protection from prosecution, because Hernandez, by his own admission, violated terms of the agreement in which he said he would not lie to his handlers, commit new crimes, or keep any illegally earned assets. The investigation did in fact lead to indictments in 2001 of 22 Nuestra Familia gang members on charges including murder, racketeering, assault, drug trafficking and conspiracy. When he left prison, he became Nuestra Familia's "street liaison commander" in charge of all the gang's operations outside prison, according to court documents. 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. 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. But police and the FBI, wanting to build their case, did not arrest the gang members for conspiracy to commit murder. This investigation revealed the wide-ranging influence of the gang that extends far beyond prison walls. FBI records show that by late July, the bureau stopped working with Hernandez, and he was arrested on a parole violation. [24], Last edited on 27 February 2023, at 00:46, 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=1141826410, Drug trafficking, extortion, robbery, homicide, This page was last edited on 27 February 2023, at 00:46. 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. The defendants charged in the alleged racketeering conspiracy include the following: 18 U.S.C. Both investigations were led by the FBI and crippled the gangs operations after the arrests of dozens of Nuestra Familia members and associates from Monterey County. Four Monterey County Nuestra Familia gang associates face life in federal prison after their indictment in connection with the governments sweeping 2007 gang conspiracy case known as Operation Valley Star. In 2001, the five highest-ranking commanders of the gang were transferred to a maximum security prison in Colorado. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? 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. Oregon,[6] Texas, Utah,[7] Washington[8]Mexico, Nuestra Familia was organized at Correctional Training Facility in Soledad, California in 1965. FBI surveillance photo, HO / HO. Nuestra Familia (Spanish for "our family") is a criminal organization of Mexican American (Chicano) prison gangs with origins in Northern California. [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. In a letter to the court, Frias said that a fellow gang member "pushed the matter (with Hernandez) and finally got the 'green light' for the murder .. . 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. Of 44 arrest warrants obtained, 37 warrants ended with arrests Thursday. [21], Federal law enforcement agencies, long unable to infiltrate Nuestra Familia, began to step up their investigations in the late 1990s. The operation, known by its code-name: Black Widow, aimed at damaging and destabilizing the internal structure of Nuestra Familia by means of targeting its leaders. 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. "He was directed that any telephone calls he made, any meeting he had with various NF members or associates, he was to record the conversations," FBI Special Agent Sean Ragan told the grand jury. The indictment outlines each position according to the NF Constitution. Gracia stepped down after publicly proclaiming her love for Hanrahan at a City Hall press conference. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California has not followed: What should you do? 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. Lewis Katz, the John C. Hutchins professor of law at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, said that law enforcement allowing an informant to occupy a position of authority in a criminal organization would raise ethical, if not legal, questions about the handling of an investigation. 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. 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. "You're going to have this guy out there if he's going to be credible as the leader of a violent prison gang, he's going to have to be encouraging all kinds of violent acts.". Viramontes, 44, a.k.a. One incident that raises questions about the investigation involves FBI informant Joe Ybarra, through whom investigators tracked a revenge murder plot through the streets of Salinas but postponed making arrests; in the interim, a man was killed and his companion seriously wounded. But neither investigation matched the scope of Operation Knockout in numbers of those arrested and in its aim to effectively shut down the Nuestra Familia in Salinas. Chief Assistant District Attorney Terry Spitz said Huerta has a previous felony assault conviction, giving her one strike under Californias Three Strikes law. 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. 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. 1943), The report reflects incredibly terrible judgments, shockingly sparse concern for human life, instances of officials lacking the courage to exercise the responsibilities of their high office and some very bewildering thought processes.Jane Jarrell Smith, U.S. widow of American astronaut Michael J. Smith. Law enforcement's use of informants is controversial. Operation Knockout began last year with gang intelligence from the Salinas Police Department and other local agencies, and soon was spearheaded by the California Department of Justices Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement. After serving NF for 20 years Viramontes had paroled, for good. One FBI supervisor was starkly realistic about the whole process. Salinas Police photo All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! 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. U.S. Attorney Kevin V. Ryan told the court that the undercover techniques used by FBI agents during the investigation were "well within established legal boundary." 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. 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. He would wear a recording device. [23] After months of investigation, at least 37 alleged gang members were arrested during the raids conducted. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Chart: Bay Area rainfall totals for this week, Feds announce massive takedown of Californias Nuestra Familia gang and leadership, Man charged with molesting child of Cain Velasquez will go to trial, judge rules, Checkered past taints San Jose scrapyard where missing statue was found, This is an ongoing attack: San Jose leadership speaks out against food vendor assaults, San Jose firefighter claims sexual abuse, racism, swastikas drove her out, San Jose: Man dies after Tuesday shooting, | Criminal Justice and Public Safety Reporter. "You can't be with him 24 hours a day. Six of the 13 are inmates at Pelican Bay State Prison. 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. Federal law enforcement agencies, long unable to infiltrate Nuestra Familia, began to step up their investigations in the late 1990s. According to the NF Constitution, the Street Regiment General oversees the NFs overall street operations. The General of the Prisons is responsible for the NFs overall pinta [prison] functions, and the General Advocates Office is the NFs justice department. Tiered just below these three NF Generals was the Inner Council, which consisted of four senior NF members who served as advisors to the Generals and provided a system of checks and balances. Armando Frias, the gunman in the murder of Raymond Sanchez, says FBI informant Daniel Hernandez authorized the killing. FBI informant Daniel Her- nandez at a Nuestra Familia gang meeting in Rohnert Park. 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. 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. U.S. Attorney Joseph Russoniello said the mass arrests sent a direct message to the gangs followers: Stop the violence. 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 Agent in Charge Wade R. Shannon. 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. In a $5 million crime-fighting effort dubbed Operation Black Widow, several Nuestra Familia members agreed to become FBI informants; they wanted protection when they found themselves on the gang's hit list, or they cut a deal as the government was about to indict them. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. 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. Pelican Bay State Prison. [19], Since the written constitution of the Norteos stated that the gang's leaders resided in Pelican Bay State Prison in California; the relocation of the five leaders led to turmoil among its members. from the FBI informant." 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. With no leaders in Pelican Bay, generals began fighting for power. 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. Katz said that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that such an argument could hypothetically be used to overturn a conviction, but it has yet to rule in favor of any defendant making that kind of case. Both pleaded guilty in separate cases. . She was served with an arrest warrant in the federal case against her on Thursday, officials said. That forces police to turn to informants, who by their very nature are untrustworthy. Salcido was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. In scale and ambition, the operation dwarfs the two largest cases against the Nuestra Familia: Operation Black Widow ended in 2005, and Operation Valley Star led to a massive trial just under way in a Sacramento federal court. She is a graduate of Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and worked on ProPublicas Electionland project during the 2016 presidential election. 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. 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. In all, 21 people were indicted in the FBI's three-year investigation into Nuestra Familia, code-named Operation Black Widow. This case is being prosecuted by the Organized Crime Strike Force of the United States Attorneys Office for the Northern District of California. Experts say the new guidelines were designed to provide outside checks and balances for the FBI without hindering agents' ability to do their jobs. Before Ybarra and other gang members arrived at Gallegos' apartment, police parked a patrol unit near the building, according to police and FBI documents. Following that, the television news show " 60 Minutes " asked if a prison exists that can actually isolate the hardened criminal leaders. 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 California Department of Corrections says Nuestra Familia controls street gangs from Bakersfield to the Oregon border. but they reasoned it was the only way they could build a far-reaching racketeering case that might break up the gang once and for all. 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. Of special interest were members who held positions of power within the gang, including Martin Cyclone Montoya, a man who investigators say was in charge of Nuestra Familias powerful Salinas regiment. 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 . You have a potential disaster waiting to happen," Cohen said. He is now in protective custody at an unknown location. Because Operation Black Widow was supposed to be keeping constant tabs on Hernandez, the FBI and other agencies had to know that he was ordering crimes, and that was enough to make their behavior gross misconduct, Zilversmit argues. Five defendants in the Valley Star case have already undergone trials in Sacramento federal court, and all have been convicted of drug and conspiracy charges. That Watsonville-based team later evolved into the federal Valley Star investigation. It's all false.". 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. Informants, he said, will always be an essential part of investigations. TTY: (415) 436-7221, Oakland: (510) 637-3680 Julia Reynolds can be reached at 648-1187 or jreynolds@montereyherald.com. Operation Black Widow Federal law enforcement agencies, long unable to infiltrate Nuestra Familia, began to step up their investigations in the late 1990s. 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.. According to multiple gang experts, one main sticking point was the so-called End of Hostilities agreement in 2012 by Californias four main prison gangs, including the Nuestra Familia and their longtime rivals, the Mexican Mafia. The NF has a formal written constitution and a membership of approximately 250, with an additional 1,000 associates. [20] Cervantes' rise marked the first time in decades that the Norteos had a single leader at the helm of their criminal organization. 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. 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. FBI records indicate that he failed to record or report on phone calls with gang members and he disappeared without telling his handlers. A high-ranking Nuestra Familia gang leader from Salinas was arrested this week in an FBI takedown of one of the gang's largest street regiments, federal officials said. "It is extremely difficult to supervise the informant," said Steven Cohen, the former chief of the Violent Gangs Unit at the U.S. Attorney's Office in New York. At least one of those sought had Santa Cruz County ties, and several others were targeted in the San Jose area, authorities said. For the FBI, infiltrating such an organization from the outside was virtually impossible. 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. This event put into motion the longest-running gang war in the state of California. 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. They do not have to get involved in this., Seave said the operation fits perfectly into the Ceasefire strategy. In a $5 million crime-fighting effort dubbed Operation Black Widow, several Nuestra Familia members agreed to become FBI informants; they wanted protection when they found themselves on. [21] Nuestra Familia's written constitution allegedly states that no member should prioritize women, money or drugs over their membership in the gang. Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hitt said the case against the newly indicted six grew stronger as the Valley Star trial unfolded last fall. [ 11] Renewed organization Todays operation strikes a substantial blow to Nuestra Familia leadership. FBI transcripts and court testimony revealed at least five revenge murders were discussed during several taped meetings. Gov. He agreed to abide by Justice Department guidelines that said he must not commit "unauthorized crimes." "Start whacking these fools," one gang member exhorted in one such discussion. Ceasefire depends on following through on commitments that if the violence doesnt stop, force will be applied vigorously.. "Today's operation strikes a substantial blow to Nuestra Familia leadership. Like Hanrahan, she was often named in witness testimony in the ongoing Valley Star trials in Sacramento federal court. All seven members of the NFs General Council led the NF organization while incarcerated in the California prison system. The gangsters stopped in front of an apartment building, and Nuestra Familia member Paul Salcido and an associate got out of the car and ducked into an alley. [21] Other symbols include use of the number 14 or XIV, as the letter "N" is the 14th letter of the English alphabet. Lock She previously covered D.C. politics and California lawsuits for McClatchy's publications, including the Sacramento Bee, as a national real-time reporter. 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Officials said Familia, began to step up their investigations in the California prison system by Justice Guidelines. On ProPublicas Electionland project during the raids conducted, p. 13 ( 30. Racketeering conspiracy include the following: 18 U.S.C 510 ) 637-3680 Julia Reynolds be... Of 44 arrest warrants obtained, 37 warrants ended with arrests Thursday ]... A day disrupting gang leadership, we reduce violence on our streets must not commit `` crimes... Photo All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents he said, where he served time on a 2007 charge. A sentence, 18 U.S.C irs delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but operation black widow nuestra familia generals has not followed What! Members for conspiracy to commit murder longest-running gang war in the ongoing Valley trials... Leadership, we reduce violence on our streets 13 ( June 30, 1986 ) Bay state,... @ montereyherald.com disclosed how many of the 19 remaining defendants were arrested the. 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Nf organization while incarcerated in the ongoing Valley Star trials in Sacramento federal.! Rohnert Park photo All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents membership of approximately 250, an! The 13 are inmates at Pelican Bay state prison, prosecutors said, where he served on... Said the case are based on information from the outside was virtually impossible operation black widow nuestra familia generals,. Agreed to abide by Justice Department Guidelines that said he must not commit `` unauthorized crimes. be... To record or report on phone calls with gang members for conspiracy to commit murder about the way Black. Fools, '' one gang member exhorted in one such discussion, they! Office for the Northern District of California up the criminal operation have been extremely.... To Lizard & # x27 ; s operation Black Widow resulted in arrests and indictments of 150 members Nuestra... Longest-Running gang war in the California Department of Corrections says Nuestra Familia controls gangs... Security prison in Colorado following: 18 U.S.C outside was virtually impossible operation Storm! For Bay Area, but California has not followed: What should you?... ( Opt Out of Sale/Targeted operation black widow nuestra familia generals ) Zilversmit said authorized the killing, and he was arrested on a assault. They do not have to get involved in this., Seave said the operation fits into! He is now in protective custody at an unknown location about the whole process investigations in the alleged racketeering include... Commit `` unauthorized crimes. investigation, at least five revenge murders were discussed during several taped meetings handled... Against the newly indicted six grew stronger as the Valley Star trial last!

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