Crime Blotter July 08, 2009
In the nation's largest-ever gang investigation and prosecution, a law enforcement task force this morning arrested an additional 11 defendants named in federal charges that are linked to the Hawaiian Gardens gang that was previously the subject of a sweeping racketeering indictment. The 11 defendants arrested today are among 24 people named in a federal narcotics-trafficking indictment that outlines a drug pipeline to and from members of the Varrio Hawaiian Gardens gang.
In related developments across four Southern California counties today, another nine defendants were arrested and are expected to be charged in state court. Authorities also seized eight firearms, more than 400 rounds of ammunition, one pound of methamphetamine and a ballistic vest. Seven additional defendants charged in federal court were recently taken into custody.
With the investigation dubbed Operation Knock Out drawing to a close, federal authorities have unsealed indictments charging 192 defendants, and 132 of those defendants have been taken into custody. With dozens of arrests leading to charges being filed in state court, Operation Knock Out has led to more than 300 gang members and associates being taken off the street.
"This extremely successful investigation has led to a series of federal indictments against nearly 200 defendants who face the potential of lengthy prison sentences in federal penitentiaries, where there is no parole," said United States Attorney Thomas P. O'Brien. "The experience of conducting the largest gang sweep in U.S. history has taught us the power of law enforcement joining together to target criminal organizations that cause so much pain in our communities. As we have seen in other areas, such as the Drew Street section of Los Angeles, law enforcement can have a lasting impact to improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods."
Today's action is the second phase of Operation Knock Out, a coordinated investigation targeting Varrio Hawaiian Gardens and other gangs, including East Side Paramount, 18th Street, Morton Town Stoners, Santanas, Carmelas, Varrio Grape Street Watts, Compton T-Flats and Nazi Low-Riders. In May, in the first phase of Operation Knock Out, approximately 1,400 law enforcement officers arrested scores of defendants named in a racketeering indictment and related cases. A 57-defendant RICO indictment of the Hawaiian Gardens Gang unsealed in May describes the gang´s war against the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, as well as systematic efforts to rid the community of African-Americans with a campaign of shootings and other attacks.
The investigation into the Varrio Hawaiian Gardens gang began after the fatal shooting of Los Angeles Sheriff's Deputy Jerry Ortiz, who was gunned down four years ago by a gang member he was attempting to arrest on suspicion of shooting an African-American man. While the gang member, Jose Orozco, was quickly apprehended and currently sits on death row, the shooting of Deputy Ortiz sparked Operation Knock Out. To date, 132 defendants have been arrested on federal charges, and authorities are continuing to identify and apprehend additional defendants named in the federal indictments.
In addition to the murder of Deputy Ortiz, the racketeering indictment discusses other violent attacks, drug trafficking, carjackings and kidnappings. For example, George Manuel Flores, the lead defendant in the RICO indictment and a longtime member of the Hawaiian Gardens gang, allegedly ordered the murder of another gang member who was believed to be cooperating with law enforcement. Flores is also accused of providing a young gang member with a weapon and instructing him to shoot African-Americans who lived nearby.
During this investigation, approximately 33 pounds of methamphetamine were seized, along with lesser quantities of other narcotics and approximately 125 firearms.
The 11 defendants arrested today on federal charges are expected to make their initial appearances this afternoon in United States District Court in Los Angeles.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Operation Knock Out was an investigation into Varrio Hawaiian Gardens, as well as other gangs and individuals who were involved in criminal activity, conducted by the Los Angeles High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, which is comprised of agents and officers with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); and IRS-Criminal Investigation. The following agencies provided extraordinary support during both investigations and operations: the United States Marshals Service, the California Department of Justice's Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement, the Long Beach Police Department, the Ridgecrest Police Department, the Downey Police Department, the Kern County Sheriff's Department, the Bell Gardens Police Department, the Buena Park Police Department, the Costa Mesa Police Department, the California Highway Patrol, the Joint Forces Joint Training Base at Los Alamitos, the Los Angeles Police Department, the South Gate Police Department, the Hawthorne Police Department, the Montebello Police Department, the Santa Monica Police Department, PROAC, the Ontario Police Department, the San Diego Narcotics Task Force, the Riverside Sheriff's Department, LA Impact, the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, and the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services' Multi-Agency Response Team.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Public Enemies
Examiner.com - Baltimore
Johnny Depp has a new film coming out, PUBLIC ENEMIES, where he plays John Dillinger. For those of us ages 35-50, that’s our first thought when we think of gangs: guys in fedoras with Tommy Guns, driven to desperate measures due to the Depression. Or, if we’re more musically inclined, we may imagine the Sharks and Jets snapping fingers in WEST SIDE STORY. Or we develop a sudden penchant to watch our “Godfather” director’s-cut collection of DVDs.
We generally don’t think about kids from affluent neighborhoods. But the times, they are a’changin…as the BALTIMORE SUN reports today in the story, “Gangs flourish in suburbs: Ex-gang member says 'fatherless generation' just as susceptible in affluent areas.”
As is all too (sadly) often the case, it took a tragedy to place this issue on the media’s front burner, the death of 14-year-old Christopher David Jones this past May in Anne Arundel County.
Why does this happen? The Sun notes that gang members “tend to be at-risk youth struggling with family problems, such as divorce or separation, physical abuse or dysfunctional parents,” or the lack of guidance from any adult at all. And old, but true formula, as may be seen in William Golding’s fiction classic, LORD OF THE FLIES.
So, what can be done? In the mid-90s I was the Public Information Officer for Thornton, a city in Colorado’s Front Range where gang activity was an increasing problem due to what was called the “smashed tomato” phenomenon. As police cracked down on gangs in Los Angeles and other major California cities, like a smashed tomato, members trickled outward, finding new homes in Colorado. Gangs sought new recruits and spawned “wannabes” from the ranks of area high schools.
One thing the City did to combat the problem was to assign police officers as full-time members of the high schools’ faculty where they taught, among other things, the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program. As PIO, my job was to help promote the City’s efforts which I did through articles in the city’s magazine and through Thornton's cable network.
These same tactics may be effective today in helping deal with the gang problem, if the idea of paying an officer to be a full-time teacher would fly in today’s budget-constricted-restricted times.
Perhaps another way to come at this problem would be to take a page from many hospitals’ playbooks. More doctors and nurses than ever are being trained in spotting signs of abuse, whether physical, emotional, or other form, to help patients get help that they may need beyond whatever landed them in the ER in the first place. Perhaps teachers, school nurses/doctors could receive the same sort of training from accredited counselors to help spot kids who may be in trouble.
In addition, many kids may want help, but don’t know how to ask for it—due to ignorance, fear, peer pressure, etc. Perhaps there might be a website where students could anonymously post their concerns and receive input back through a secure online mailbox. And/or go “old school” with a 24-hour phoneline.
It seems to me the best way to make a difference is to address the social issues at the root of the problem. When things escalate to the point that law enforcement must be called, it’s gone too far. It is the role of public relations people, whether in city government, education, or law enforcement to think locally-and-globally, to provide perspective, and help develop ideas to to help community/government leaders address these challenges. Which is one of the reasons I find PR to be a stimulating career, as one must be a bit of a “everyman”—that is, to cultivate insights and connections with all manner of audiences, and to “know a little bit of everything”…and to apply that knowledge creatively for the betterment of the clients we serve.
Johnny Depp has a new film coming out, PUBLIC ENEMIES, where he plays John Dillinger. For those of us ages 35-50, that’s our first thought when we think of gangs: guys in fedoras with Tommy Guns, driven to desperate measures due to the Depression. Or, if we’re more musically inclined, we may imagine the Sharks and Jets snapping fingers in WEST SIDE STORY. Or we develop a sudden penchant to watch our “Godfather” director’s-cut collection of DVDs.
We generally don’t think about kids from affluent neighborhoods. But the times, they are a’changin…as the BALTIMORE SUN reports today in the story, “Gangs flourish in suburbs: Ex-gang member says 'fatherless generation' just as susceptible in affluent areas.”
As is all too (sadly) often the case, it took a tragedy to place this issue on the media’s front burner, the death of 14-year-old Christopher David Jones this past May in Anne Arundel County.
Why does this happen? The Sun notes that gang members “tend to be at-risk youth struggling with family problems, such as divorce or separation, physical abuse or dysfunctional parents,” or the lack of guidance from any adult at all. And old, but true formula, as may be seen in William Golding’s fiction classic, LORD OF THE FLIES.
So, what can be done? In the mid-90s I was the Public Information Officer for Thornton, a city in Colorado’s Front Range where gang activity was an increasing problem due to what was called the “smashed tomato” phenomenon. As police cracked down on gangs in Los Angeles and other major California cities, like a smashed tomato, members trickled outward, finding new homes in Colorado. Gangs sought new recruits and spawned “wannabes” from the ranks of area high schools.
One thing the City did to combat the problem was to assign police officers as full-time members of the high schools’ faculty where they taught, among other things, the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program. As PIO, my job was to help promote the City’s efforts which I did through articles in the city’s magazine and through Thornton's cable network.
These same tactics may be effective today in helping deal with the gang problem, if the idea of paying an officer to be a full-time teacher would fly in today’s budget-constricted-restricted times.
Perhaps another way to come at this problem would be to take a page from many hospitals’ playbooks. More doctors and nurses than ever are being trained in spotting signs of abuse, whether physical, emotional, or other form, to help patients get help that they may need beyond whatever landed them in the ER in the first place. Perhaps teachers, school nurses/doctors could receive the same sort of training from accredited counselors to help spot kids who may be in trouble.
In addition, many kids may want help, but don’t know how to ask for it—due to ignorance, fear, peer pressure, etc. Perhaps there might be a website where students could anonymously post their concerns and receive input back through a secure online mailbox. And/or go “old school” with a 24-hour phoneline.
It seems to me the best way to make a difference is to address the social issues at the root of the problem. When things escalate to the point that law enforcement must be called, it’s gone too far. It is the role of public relations people, whether in city government, education, or law enforcement to think locally-and-globally, to provide perspective, and help develop ideas to to help community/government leaders address these challenges. Which is one of the reasons I find PR to be a stimulating career, as one must be a bit of a “everyman”—that is, to cultivate insights and connections with all manner of audiences, and to “know a little bit of everything”…and to apply that knowledge creatively for the betterment of the clients we serve.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Law Enforcement Breaks Up Hispanic Street Gang
Law Enforcement Breaks Up Hispanic Street Gang
Posted: June 3, 2009 09:07 PM EDT
Updated: June 3, 2009 10:07 PM EDT
Meghan Youker
OMAHA (KPTM) - Federal agents team up with Omaha police to haul in nearly 70 guns and bust three-dozen alleged gang members and their associates. The 14-month-long investigation targeted members of the Hispanic street gang known as the Surenos.
22 handguns, 14 assault rifles, 16 shotguns and 17 other rifles, including a Barrett .50-caliber sniper rifle, are now out of the hands of criminals. "The removal of these weapons from the streets makes everyone safer and demonstrates that we will not tolerate criminals who provide the illegal firearms that reek so much havoc in our community," said Chief Eric Buske of the Omaha Police Department.
A joint effort by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Omaha Police Department resulted in the arrest Tuesday of 36 people known to law enforcement as members or associates of the Sureno street gang. All but five were in the U.S. illegally. "They've committed a lot of violent acts in Omaha alone, but across the country and in Mexico, they're involved in drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, you name the criminal act and they've probably touched it in some way," said William Wallrapp, ICE resident agent-in-charge.
Court documents show a confidential informant working with federal agents bought drugs, guns and ammunition from suspects, mostly in homes and parking lots outside businesses in south Omaha. "During the course of virtually every transaction, the informant told the seller that the guns were destined for Mexico's violent drug cartels," said Claude Arnold, regional ICE special agent-in-charge.
Guns that are now evidence against alleged members of the Hispanic gang, who police say have been active in Omaha since the mid 90s. "There are certain cliques of this gang that I believe we have disseminated," Wallrapp said. "The effect that it's had on this particular gang, they're going to be quiet for quite a while," added ATF special agent Paul White.
Federal agents believe most of the recovered guns are stolen. At this point, they're still trying to trace them and find their rightful owners. Ballistics testing is also underway to see if any of the guns can be tied to a specific crime.
Many of the suspects have been convicted of past crimes including burglary, assault and drug charges. Now 20 have been charged or indicted at either the state or federal level on drug and weapons charges. The other 16 are being held on immigrations violations.
Posted: June 3, 2009 09:07 PM EDT
Updated: June 3, 2009 10:07 PM EDT
Meghan Youker
OMAHA (KPTM) - Federal agents team up with Omaha police to haul in nearly 70 guns and bust three-dozen alleged gang members and their associates. The 14-month-long investigation targeted members of the Hispanic street gang known as the Surenos.
22 handguns, 14 assault rifles, 16 shotguns and 17 other rifles, including a Barrett .50-caliber sniper rifle, are now out of the hands of criminals. "The removal of these weapons from the streets makes everyone safer and demonstrates that we will not tolerate criminals who provide the illegal firearms that reek so much havoc in our community," said Chief Eric Buske of the Omaha Police Department.
A joint effort by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Omaha Police Department resulted in the arrest Tuesday of 36 people known to law enforcement as members or associates of the Sureno street gang. All but five were in the U.S. illegally. "They've committed a lot of violent acts in Omaha alone, but across the country and in Mexico, they're involved in drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, you name the criminal act and they've probably touched it in some way," said William Wallrapp, ICE resident agent-in-charge.
Court documents show a confidential informant working with federal agents bought drugs, guns and ammunition from suspects, mostly in homes and parking lots outside businesses in south Omaha. "During the course of virtually every transaction, the informant told the seller that the guns were destined for Mexico's violent drug cartels," said Claude Arnold, regional ICE special agent-in-charge.
Guns that are now evidence against alleged members of the Hispanic gang, who police say have been active in Omaha since the mid 90s. "There are certain cliques of this gang that I believe we have disseminated," Wallrapp said. "The effect that it's had on this particular gang, they're going to be quiet for quite a while," added ATF special agent Paul White.
Federal agents believe most of the recovered guns are stolen. At this point, they're still trying to trace them and find their rightful owners. Ballistics testing is also underway to see if any of the guns can be tied to a specific crime.
Many of the suspects have been convicted of past crimes including burglary, assault and drug charges. Now 20 have been charged or indicted at either the state or federal level on drug and weapons charges. The other 16 are being held on immigrations violations.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Crips and Bloods: Made in America
Crips and Bloods: Made in America
A gang mentality for no good reason
Former Crips gang member Scrap is profiled in ''Crips and Bloods.'' (Bryan Wiley)
By Wesley Morris
Globe Staff / April 24, 2009
Stacy Peralta's documentary "Crips and Bloods: Made in America" means well, I suppose. It sits one or two academics down in front of a vibrantly graffitied wall and lets them explain the provenance of Los Angeles's gang wars. It permits community activists and "gang interventionists" to say a word or two. And the montage of people who've lost someone to gang violence is touching, as each stands before a similar vibrant background and fights back tears. To this the film adds somber narration by Forest Whitaker.
But for every somewhat intelligent thought about black power and every angry remark about the double scourge of drugs and racism, there is the movie's own scourge: a steady stream of what must be hundreds of gang photos. The pictures keep coming - black men with bandanas over their faces, with teardrops tattooed below their eyes, crouching, their fingers and hands fixed in the palsied contortions we've come to know as the gang sign. These photographs look old, from an era when rap music was still urgent and dangerous.
The photos also look authentic and personal - like someone with a bandana and gold fronts took them of his friends. How they came into Peralta's possession is unclear, but they come in flurries amid all the teary eyes, outrage, and talk of history, that last largely courtesy of Josh Sides, a fratty-looking professor whose book on blacks in Los Angeles appears to be the only one the filmmakers have read. The photos fade in and out of view, like a slide show, while a cheap beat stutters on the soundtrack. This is not the stuff of reasonable documentary filmmaking. It's what happens when you arrive at a MySpace page.
Peralta has made other nonfiction films. His previous two focused on skate culture ("Dogtown and Z-Boys") and surfing ("Riding Giants"). Those were well within his professional ambit; Peralta is a legendary name in board sports. Gangs are another matter. He stands off-camera as the men justify their vocation with received wisdom ("It's kill or be kilt"). Peralta listens, but the tough questions go unasked. "Did you have a normal childhood?" is the best he can do.
The role gangs play in the drug wars never comes up. The role they play in the fashion wars does - one photo shows a gangsta ironing his jeans. Drugs, we're told, have made junkies of so many mothers. Those women had babies with men who are now missing. What else is a kid to do besides shoot other kids? The movie tries to say something cogent about how South Los Angeles became a war zone. But sensationalistic overproduction sullies all. (When is a sniper's target positioned in front of Martin Luther King's head followed by a "blam!" ever necessary?)
The film seems afraid or incapable of locating the men behind the bravado (they can't even spare a real name) or what the city is doing to curb or, if you're so inclined, foment the violence. "Crips and Bloods" hasn't been made out of moral anger or a sense of conspiracy. As matters of journalism, sociology, and humanitarianism, the movie is incurious at best. At worst, it's a recruitment video.
A gang mentality for no good reason
Former Crips gang member Scrap is profiled in ''Crips and Bloods.'' (Bryan Wiley)
By Wesley Morris
Globe Staff / April 24, 2009
Stacy Peralta's documentary "Crips and Bloods: Made in America" means well, I suppose. It sits one or two academics down in front of a vibrantly graffitied wall and lets them explain the provenance of Los Angeles's gang wars. It permits community activists and "gang interventionists" to say a word or two. And the montage of people who've lost someone to gang violence is touching, as each stands before a similar vibrant background and fights back tears. To this the film adds somber narration by Forest Whitaker.
But for every somewhat intelligent thought about black power and every angry remark about the double scourge of drugs and racism, there is the movie's own scourge: a steady stream of what must be hundreds of gang photos. The pictures keep coming - black men with bandanas over their faces, with teardrops tattooed below their eyes, crouching, their fingers and hands fixed in the palsied contortions we've come to know as the gang sign. These photographs look old, from an era when rap music was still urgent and dangerous.
The photos also look authentic and personal - like someone with a bandana and gold fronts took them of his friends. How they came into Peralta's possession is unclear, but they come in flurries amid all the teary eyes, outrage, and talk of history, that last largely courtesy of Josh Sides, a fratty-looking professor whose book on blacks in Los Angeles appears to be the only one the filmmakers have read. The photos fade in and out of view, like a slide show, while a cheap beat stutters on the soundtrack. This is not the stuff of reasonable documentary filmmaking. It's what happens when you arrive at a MySpace page.
Peralta has made other nonfiction films. His previous two focused on skate culture ("Dogtown and Z-Boys") and surfing ("Riding Giants"). Those were well within his professional ambit; Peralta is a legendary name in board sports. Gangs are another matter. He stands off-camera as the men justify their vocation with received wisdom ("It's kill or be kilt"). Peralta listens, but the tough questions go unasked. "Did you have a normal childhood?" is the best he can do.
The role gangs play in the drug wars never comes up. The role they play in the fashion wars does - one photo shows a gangsta ironing his jeans. Drugs, we're told, have made junkies of so many mothers. Those women had babies with men who are now missing. What else is a kid to do besides shoot other kids? The movie tries to say something cogent about how South Los Angeles became a war zone. But sensationalistic overproduction sullies all. (When is a sniper's target positioned in front of Martin Luther King's head followed by a "blam!" ever necessary?)
The film seems afraid or incapable of locating the men behind the bravado (they can't even spare a real name) or what the city is doing to curb or, if you're so inclined, foment the violence. "Crips and Bloods" hasn't been made out of moral anger or a sense of conspiracy. As matters of journalism, sociology, and humanitarianism, the movie is incurious at best. At worst, it's a recruitment video.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Affidavit Places Spotlight On Gang (BGF)
Smuggling Alleged In Md. Prisons
By Henri E. Cauvin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, April 18, 2009
An unlikely meeting unfolded this week not far from the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore.
About 100 people gathered in a park for what authorities say was an open-air meeting of the Black Guerilla Family, the gang at the center of a newly disclosed federal investigation into smuggling in Maryland's state prisons.
After police broke up the gathering in Druid Hill Park, a leader of the gang scolded a subordinate for holding the meeting in such a way that it drew the attention of police, federal prosecutors said in an affidavit.
"I been tellin' you and tellin' you and you ain't listenin'," Eric Brown, speaking from a Baltimore prison, told Rainbow Williams in a phone conversation.
Federal agents were listening, though -- on wiretaps.
Informants had given investigators cellphone numbers for several imprisoned BGF members, including Brown, according to an affidavit filed in court.
Federal prosecutors thrust a spotlight on the gang Thursday by unsealing indictments against 24 alleged members and associates, including Brown, Williams and four current or former state prison employees.
BGF, as it is known, was founded in 1966 in San Quentin State Prison in California. It is the biggest and most powerful prison gang in Maryland, where its smuggling operation is unrivaled, authorities said.
"The BGF runs the prison system when it comes to controlling contraband," said Capt. Phil Smith, assistant director of the state prison system's intelligence unit.
In Maryland, BGF has been involved in extortion and the smuggling of drugs and other contraband, sometimes with the help of guards, often for the purpose of selling to other inmates, prosecutors say. The gang's leaders have also indulged more decadent tastes, arranging for deliveries of champagne, salmon and crab imperial.
But after decades of operating primarily behind bars, BGF has been establishing a bigger presence on the streets of Baltimore, expanding its footprint into the city's volatile narcotics trade, prosecutors said.
Like some other prison gangs, BGF fashions itself as a movement, Smith said.
"I think you do have some who generally want to educate and want to teach the guys, but . . . you have a certain group or certain faction that's all about the criminal element," Smith said.
Traditionally, the gang's members have been older prisoners, in their 30s and 40s, who are serving longer sentences, Smith said. They remain its leaders, but as the group has branched out into Baltimore, it has recruited younger members as well, Smith said. "You have to have your foot soldiers who you need to do the work," he said.
Like other prison gangs, it is also enlisting people without criminal backgrounds who can, for example, obtain jobs in prisons, Smith said.
"I strongly believe that the majority of our staff are good," he said, "but it only takes a few bad seeds to make everyone look bad."
Organized along paramilitary lines, the BGF has a charter, code of ethics and oath of allegiance, according to government documents.
Brown recently published "The Black Book -- Empowering Black Families and Communities." According to the publishing company's Web site, the book is designed to make people "aware of the vision of comrade George Jackson" -- the founder of BGF -- "and the struggle that he lived and died for."
A BGF member who is cooperating with investigators told them that the book is a ploy to make the group appear legitimate, according to an affidavit filed in support of the charges.
When the crowd dispersed from Druid Hill Park on Monday, police found copies of "The Black Book" and a gun.
By Henri E. Cauvin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, April 18, 2009
An unlikely meeting unfolded this week not far from the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore.
About 100 people gathered in a park for what authorities say was an open-air meeting of the Black Guerilla Family, the gang at the center of a newly disclosed federal investigation into smuggling in Maryland's state prisons.
After police broke up the gathering in Druid Hill Park, a leader of the gang scolded a subordinate for holding the meeting in such a way that it drew the attention of police, federal prosecutors said in an affidavit.
"I been tellin' you and tellin' you and you ain't listenin'," Eric Brown, speaking from a Baltimore prison, told Rainbow Williams in a phone conversation.
Federal agents were listening, though -- on wiretaps.
Informants had given investigators cellphone numbers for several imprisoned BGF members, including Brown, according to an affidavit filed in court.
Federal prosecutors thrust a spotlight on the gang Thursday by unsealing indictments against 24 alleged members and associates, including Brown, Williams and four current or former state prison employees.
BGF, as it is known, was founded in 1966 in San Quentin State Prison in California. It is the biggest and most powerful prison gang in Maryland, where its smuggling operation is unrivaled, authorities said.
"The BGF runs the prison system when it comes to controlling contraband," said Capt. Phil Smith, assistant director of the state prison system's intelligence unit.
In Maryland, BGF has been involved in extortion and the smuggling of drugs and other contraband, sometimes with the help of guards, often for the purpose of selling to other inmates, prosecutors say. The gang's leaders have also indulged more decadent tastes, arranging for deliveries of champagne, salmon and crab imperial.
But after decades of operating primarily behind bars, BGF has been establishing a bigger presence on the streets of Baltimore, expanding its footprint into the city's volatile narcotics trade, prosecutors said.
Like some other prison gangs, BGF fashions itself as a movement, Smith said.
"I think you do have some who generally want to educate and want to teach the guys, but . . . you have a certain group or certain faction that's all about the criminal element," Smith said.
Traditionally, the gang's members have been older prisoners, in their 30s and 40s, who are serving longer sentences, Smith said. They remain its leaders, but as the group has branched out into Baltimore, it has recruited younger members as well, Smith said. "You have to have your foot soldiers who you need to do the work," he said.
Like other prison gangs, it is also enlisting people without criminal backgrounds who can, for example, obtain jobs in prisons, Smith said.
"I strongly believe that the majority of our staff are good," he said, "but it only takes a few bad seeds to make everyone look bad."
Organized along paramilitary lines, the BGF has a charter, code of ethics and oath of allegiance, according to government documents.
Brown recently published "The Black Book -- Empowering Black Families and Communities." According to the publishing company's Web site, the book is designed to make people "aware of the vision of comrade George Jackson" -- the founder of BGF -- "and the struggle that he lived and died for."
A BGF member who is cooperating with investigators told them that the book is a ploy to make the group appear legitimate, according to an affidavit filed in support of the charges.
When the crowd dispersed from Druid Hill Park on Monday, police found copies of "The Black Book" and a gun.
Prison Guards Accused of Supplying Gang Members
Reported by: Jeff Hager
Reported by: Delia Goncalves
Last Update: 4/16 10:52 pm
Manager of troubled nightclub involved in gang arrests.
Police said it was a string of violent crime that led them to crack down on Club 410. They successfully padlocked the trouble spot last week, when manager Tomeka Harris vowed to fight the closure. She told us, “There is no drug activity going on here it's all rumors it's all lies."
Come to find out Harris, who so openly defended the club, was under investigation herself. “I'm a law abiding citizen I do what I'm supposed to do so I don't commit crime," she said on April 8th. Now investigators say Harris was a member of the Black Guerrilla Family. They arrested her - and 23 others - on drug, extortion and conspiracy charges. The indictment even alleges members coordinated hits from their jail cell - where the gang, which dates back to the 1960’s, originated. “Gang members of BGF when they're incarcerated continue to involved in gang activities using contraband cell phones in our prisons to call out to fellow members outside the prison," explained U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein.
A major crack in the case, came just a few days ago when police spotted nearly 200 gang members at Druid Hill Park. Two were arrested. Baltimore Police Commissioner Fred Bealefeld said, “It's a great opportunity for us not to wait for fire. Someone smelled smoke and we went and were able to get some bad guys off the streets."
Police won't comment on the link between Tomeka Harris' gang arrest and their efforts to shut down Club 410 but neighbors are relieved it looks like the club is gone - for good.
It’s a prison gang that dates back to the sixties, but the federal indictments suggest the Black Guerilla Family, or BMF, used modern-day, state-of-the-art technology to continue operating its drug trade and to order hits from behind bars.
"Using contraband cell phones in our prisons to call out to fellow members outside the prison... even to call other members that are located in other prisons," said U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein.
Among the two dozen gang members or associates arrested in prisons across the state, the feds busted four current or former corrections employees.
"These are bad examples of the profession and they need to be weeded out... rooted out for everybody's safety," said Maryland Public Safety and Correctional Services Secretary Gary D. Maynard.
In addition to contraband cell phones, here at the Metropolitan Transition Center in Baltimore, we're told gang leaders would courier in fancy food and liquor including champagne, vodka and seafood.
As the investigation inside the prisons came to a head, it left gang members on the outside in chaos.
City police, acting upon information provided by state and federal agents, broke up a Black Guerilla Family gang meeting in Druid Hill Park on Monday.
"We got great intelligence,” said Baltimore City Police Commissioner Frederick Bealefeld, “We responded in a good comprehensive way and we were able to capture some of the guys with guns."
In an effort to further crack down on active gang operations behind bars, prison officials are using phone-sniffing dogs to locate contraband cell phones, and in a few months, proposed federal legislation may lead to signal-blocking devices for those, which remain in the inmates’ hands.
Copyright 2009 The E.W. Scripps Co. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Reported by: Delia Goncalves
Last Update: 4/16 10:52 pm
Manager of troubled nightclub involved in gang arrests.
Police said it was a string of violent crime that led them to crack down on Club 410. They successfully padlocked the trouble spot last week, when manager Tomeka Harris vowed to fight the closure. She told us, “There is no drug activity going on here it's all rumors it's all lies."
Come to find out Harris, who so openly defended the club, was under investigation herself. “I'm a law abiding citizen I do what I'm supposed to do so I don't commit crime," she said on April 8th. Now investigators say Harris was a member of the Black Guerrilla Family. They arrested her - and 23 others - on drug, extortion and conspiracy charges. The indictment even alleges members coordinated hits from their jail cell - where the gang, which dates back to the 1960’s, originated. “Gang members of BGF when they're incarcerated continue to involved in gang activities using contraband cell phones in our prisons to call out to fellow members outside the prison," explained U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein.
A major crack in the case, came just a few days ago when police spotted nearly 200 gang members at Druid Hill Park. Two were arrested. Baltimore Police Commissioner Fred Bealefeld said, “It's a great opportunity for us not to wait for fire. Someone smelled smoke and we went and were able to get some bad guys off the streets."
Police won't comment on the link between Tomeka Harris' gang arrest and their efforts to shut down Club 410 but neighbors are relieved it looks like the club is gone - for good.
It’s a prison gang that dates back to the sixties, but the federal indictments suggest the Black Guerilla Family, or BMF, used modern-day, state-of-the-art technology to continue operating its drug trade and to order hits from behind bars.
"Using contraband cell phones in our prisons to call out to fellow members outside the prison... even to call other members that are located in other prisons," said U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein.
Among the two dozen gang members or associates arrested in prisons across the state, the feds busted four current or former corrections employees.
"These are bad examples of the profession and they need to be weeded out... rooted out for everybody's safety," said Maryland Public Safety and Correctional Services Secretary Gary D. Maynard.
In addition to contraband cell phones, here at the Metropolitan Transition Center in Baltimore, we're told gang leaders would courier in fancy food and liquor including champagne, vodka and seafood.
As the investigation inside the prisons came to a head, it left gang members on the outside in chaos.
City police, acting upon information provided by state and federal agents, broke up a Black Guerilla Family gang meeting in Druid Hill Park on Monday.
"We got great intelligence,” said Baltimore City Police Commissioner Frederick Bealefeld, “We responded in a good comprehensive way and we were able to capture some of the guys with guns."
In an effort to further crack down on active gang operations behind bars, prison officials are using phone-sniffing dogs to locate contraband cell phones, and in a few months, proposed federal legislation may lead to signal-blocking devices for those, which remain in the inmates’ hands.
Copyright 2009 The E.W. Scripps Co. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Gang-related bus murders rattle Guatemala capital
Fri Apr 17, 2009 5:13pm EDT
* Dozens of bus employees attacked so far this year
* Extortions said to generate nearly $10,000 a day
* Guatemala president points to international traffickers
By Sarah Grainger
GUATEMALA CITY, April 17 (Reuters) - Guatemalan police have arrested a street gang leader on suspicion of organizing the murders of dozens of bus drivers, part of a wave of attacks on the capital's public transport system.
Police say 21-year-old Axel Ramirez, alias "El Smaily" ("Smiley"), belongs to the "Mara 18" gang and ordered more than 20 shootings of bus drivers and fare collectors for not paying extortionists.
Ramirez, arrested on Thursday after a shootout, had been released from prison in December after serving about four years for murdering a rival gang member.
"He was doing a lot of harm, not just extorting our country but organizing murders and generating terror wherever he lived," Interior Minister Salvador Gandara told local radio.
Gangs have attacked more than 40 bus employees this year. Usually the killers pull up to rickety city buses on motorcycles and open fire, or climb aboard and shoot the drivers.
Some 135 bus drivers were slain last year, 50 percent more than in 2007 and more than twice the number murdered in 2006.
Buses often crash after the shootings and passengers are killed or injured in the mayhem. Some bus companies have staged transit strikes in protest.
A 2-month-old baby recently was killed by a stray bullet when gunmen boarded a bus and shot the driver. The same week, an 85-year-old man died in a similar incident.
With more than 6,000 murders last year in a country of 13 million people, Guatemala is one of Latin America's most violent countries. Still scarred from a 1960-96 civil war, it is struggling to contain youth gangs and drug cartels.
Gangs like the "Mara 18" and the rival "Mara Salvatrucha" have thousands of members in vast criminal networks spanning Los Angeles to Central America. They live off extortion, armed assault and drug dealing. Many are adolescents.
Bus extortions in Guatemala City now generate close to $10,000 a day, according to the head of the bus owner's association, and murders of drivers have exploded.
The government is phasing in a $35 million program to replace cash fares with prepaid plastic cards on buses.
This week President Alvaro Colom linked the murders with increased drug smuggling into Guatemala as Mexican cartels move south to avoid an army crackdown at home and seek new trafficking routes.
"The violence is planned and managed by those with political and economic interests who participate in organized crime and international narco-trafficking," Colom said. (Editing by Xavier Briand)
© Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved
* Dozens of bus employees attacked so far this year
* Extortions said to generate nearly $10,000 a day
* Guatemala president points to international traffickers
By Sarah Grainger
GUATEMALA CITY, April 17 (Reuters) - Guatemalan police have arrested a street gang leader on suspicion of organizing the murders of dozens of bus drivers, part of a wave of attacks on the capital's public transport system.
Police say 21-year-old Axel Ramirez, alias "El Smaily" ("Smiley"), belongs to the "Mara 18" gang and ordered more than 20 shootings of bus drivers and fare collectors for not paying extortionists.
Ramirez, arrested on Thursday after a shootout, had been released from prison in December after serving about four years for murdering a rival gang member.
"He was doing a lot of harm, not just extorting our country but organizing murders and generating terror wherever he lived," Interior Minister Salvador Gandara told local radio.
Gangs have attacked more than 40 bus employees this year. Usually the killers pull up to rickety city buses on motorcycles and open fire, or climb aboard and shoot the drivers.
Some 135 bus drivers were slain last year, 50 percent more than in 2007 and more than twice the number murdered in 2006.
Buses often crash after the shootings and passengers are killed or injured in the mayhem. Some bus companies have staged transit strikes in protest.
A 2-month-old baby recently was killed by a stray bullet when gunmen boarded a bus and shot the driver. The same week, an 85-year-old man died in a similar incident.
With more than 6,000 murders last year in a country of 13 million people, Guatemala is one of Latin America's most violent countries. Still scarred from a 1960-96 civil war, it is struggling to contain youth gangs and drug cartels.
Gangs like the "Mara 18" and the rival "Mara Salvatrucha" have thousands of members in vast criminal networks spanning Los Angeles to Central America. They live off extortion, armed assault and drug dealing. Many are adolescents.
Bus extortions in Guatemala City now generate close to $10,000 a day, according to the head of the bus owner's association, and murders of drivers have exploded.
The government is phasing in a $35 million program to replace cash fares with prepaid plastic cards on buses.
This week President Alvaro Colom linked the murders with increased drug smuggling into Guatemala as Mexican cartels move south to avoid an army crackdown at home and seek new trafficking routes.
"The violence is planned and managed by those with political and economic interests who participate in organized crime and international narco-trafficking," Colom said. (Editing by Xavier Briand)
© Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved
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