In the weeks leading up to Lizards arrest, Kayln Santiagos apartment had been stormed by FBI agents. I see the reality of things now and now that Ive gone through that, theres, like, no glory in it, you know?. In a way, its a compliment to me. The amount of violence attributed to the men inside the courtroom and their associates on the outside was staggering: fifteen killings, eighty conspiracies to murder, ten attempted murders, ten felony assaults, one hundred assaults, and two drive-by shootings. He said that after he drove away from a successful arms sale in the South Bay, at which he wore a wire, one of his underbosses called to warn him he was being tailed by a suspicious car, which Lizard knew was the investigator. While working as an informant, he tested positive for drug use. Instead, phone records and a confidential FBI source revealed that hed driven to a house in East San Jose, where hed bought two pounds of methamphetamine. The former leaders include James "Tibbs" Morado, Joseph "Pinky" Hernandez, Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba, Cornelio Tristan, and Tex Marin Hernandez. There was Henry "Happy" Cervantes, built like . Still, the accusations put Lizards conduct under scrutiny. A local health care fraud enforcement action has resulted in federal charges against of 25 Southern California defendants for their alleged involvement in healthcare fraud schemes that fraudulently sought over $150 million from the Medicare and Medicaid programs, as well as private insurers and union health benefit plans. Fourteen of those charged in federal court in Los Angeles and Santa Ana . But within a few months, Nato got pinched for robbery, and with his long rap sheet, he got 39 years. I can get a gun and go down and do it, he boasted. It took 26 years for death to catch up to Donald Ramon Ortiz. By the time Dyno got to the specially constructed federal courtroom, he was fifteen minutes behind schedule. He was very concerned about his familys safety, his safety. For the first time in decades, one man sits alone at the helm of the criminal organization that for more than 30 years has called the shots for thousands of Norte-o gang members in the Salinas Valley. Copyright 2023 "DC Cervantes is calling the shots," said J.R. Auten, a former gang investigator for state prisons and now a consultant for federal and state law enforcement. They, in turn, approved hits and issued directives, while prison censors were prevented from reading the supposedly legal correspondence. Lizard sent word to Big Smiley to corroborate this story. I didnt realize lyrics could be taken so seriously, he now says, claiming that he rapped for shock value on G.U.N. David Rochas arrest report depicts a guy caught off guard. To test his allegiance, he was ordered to move on his cellmate, Johnny Huero-T Fernandez. Thats when Lizard began his career as a rider an inmate prone to acting violently toward fellow inmates. Each day, the ranking member might assign a topic to his subordinates; by days end, a 1,500-word written essay was due. He said he knows they may try to find him, but that he will not hide. Membership. In December of 2001, Daniel Hernandez became the highest-ranking member of the Nuestra Familia prison gang to cooperate with federal investigators. The five former leaders are James "Tibbs" Morado, 59, whose common-law wife, 20-year-old Salinas resident Crystal Nenque, was found slain on Hecker Pass Road near Watsonville in 2005; Joseph "Pinky" Hernandez, 58; Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba, 52; Cornelio Tristan, 46; and former Monterey resident Tex Marin Hernandez, 53. And I did my time for what I was doing. Then in late April 2001, more than two years since hed last spoken to Robert Gratton, he was summoned to a meeting with his parole officer. Well, if youre upset with the content, the First Amendment says Too bad. According to prison officials, gang leaders could arrange such deals by offering to keep the peace. I didnt have a choice, he recalled. They pulled in young guys by the bushel.. attempts on two assistant district attorneys in Santa Clara When you look back, it didnt help us like we thought it would. At Lizards behest, Crazy Girl opened two bank accounts and made deposits from gang soldiers who were required to remit 25 percent of their profits. While Sanchez sipped beer, Frias met Martinez at his car. Rocha still did not understand the charge or why he was being placed into custody. Police dogs sniffed through his car and came up with three ounces of crystal meth. They made their beds, and so did Bob. A few years earlier, the two attorneys had nailed former general Pinky Hernandez for ordering a murder, and Cuete wanted to offer their coffins as a gift to Pinky. The former leaders include James "Tibbs" Morado, Joseph "Pinky" Hernandez, Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba, Cornelio Tristan, and Tex Marin Hernandez. At the end of the day he gets to go home.. As he awaits his new sentence, Lizard also awaits his new identity. His alleged crime is conspiracy in other words, simply having associated with the men sitting beside him. He argued with a dealer and ended up firing three bullets at the man as he ran away. He and his team of agents tore through Lizards hotel room, looking for evidence to send him back to the clink a bag of pot, a letter to a carnal, a bag of speed. Latinos, although initially thrown together, had to choose Norteo or Sureo. Nuestra Familia prestige is now generational, passed from father to son, uncle to nephew. He is also a consultant to a number of law enforcement agencies and prosecutors in this ever-changing war against gang violence. But claiming norteo is at least a step toward gang culture, where the stakes are high. One of those footnotes involves Sir Dyno who, despite his history of gangsta-rap posturing, clearly is not a criminal on a par with his codefendants. The idea was that rap music could unite and galvanize young Norteo soldiers across the state, and it did. Copyright 2023 Police1. There was also the lean and smooth figure of Gerald Cuete Rubalcaba, the gangs most powerful captain, whose job inside Pelican Bay, a fellow gang member told the feds, was to keister the syndicates constitution in his rectum, along with the master hit list which, by now, read fifty names long. I wanted to get out of there, to come to California and do what I needed to do.. Gratton was also using heroin, another mistake in the eyes of the gang. In it, he explains how the CD brought him unwanted attention and more money than hed expected, but he never reveals whether Sir Dyno knew North Star was a front for Nuestra Familia. Sureos tended to be more-recent immigrants who often disparaged Norteos as second-generation Latinos who groveled for agricultural jobs and neglected their mother tongue, according to Joseph Hernandez, a criminal justice professor at Sacramento State University and expert in Latino gangs. Lizard also followed protocol and reported his arrival to the prisons ranking gang member, Daniel Wino Perez. The three ounces found in Sir Dynos car, Gratton was claiming, came from him a statement which, if true, puts Sir Dyno squarely within the gang conspiracy. CD to argue that Sir Dyno knew Gratton was affiliated with the mob. They also hardened into gang boundaries on the streets. After he was expelled, his parents sent him back north to live with an aunt in Pittsburg, where he continued to carouse. But if we want to prepare these people for integration to society, maybe we need to integrate them in the prison first, get them used to living with different peoples.. As a captain, he answered only to a handful of higher-ranking capos and the three generals inside Pelican Bay. He told them he could go undercover for them. There was also the lean and smooth figure of Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba, the gang's most powerful captain, whose job inside Pelican Bay, a fellow gang member told the feds, was to "keister" the syndicate's constitution in his rectum, along with the master hit list which, by now, read fifty names long. If you wish to change your alliance, you will still have to prove to Norteos you are worthy, and the Sureos will want to kill you for switching sides.. Look for a box or option labeled Home Page (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari) or On Startup (Chrome). In September, the final eight defendants pleaded guilty, following the first thirteen members indicted. Lo-fi beats backed simple, repetitive keyboard riffs. Nuestra Familia generals James "Tibbs" Morado, Cornelio Tristan and James "Pinky" Hernandez, and captains Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba and Tex Hernandez were already serving life sentences in California when they were indicted by a federal grand jury in 2001. After that, he said, I didnt want any speculation coming my way because we still had meetings to take care of. Lizard said he compensated by assisting in unauthorized drug and arms deals. Now he had to prove he had a mind to match. He just happened to have this talent, and he put this talent to use.. Vallejo is raising concerns about water. Ramirez confided to Lizard that his own boss, Heredia, who would later be Zilversmits client, wanted to go to war. What to do? His shackled codefendants didnt even look at him as he took his seat among them. Or better yet, two prosecuting attorneys., Cervantes persisted. Salinas underboss Alberto Larez estimated that over the last ten years hed sent Cuete and the generals 40, 45 thousand dollars.. It was during that interrogation Sir Dyno says he first learned about Grattons connections to Nuestra Familia. But witnesses corralled by police later refused to work with the district attorney. FBI reports show that while on the federal payroll, Lizard performed unauthorized drug deals. Once paroled, Lizard then served as Nuestra Familias highest-ranking member outside prison. Ultimately, Sir Dynos fate could come down to whether jurors believe the David Rocha at home on the couch, or Robert Gratton, the snitch on the stand. Even though he was broke and sleeping on friends couches, Sir Dyno felt he was on the cusp of the big time, ready to break. Dyno has since expanded his own label, Darkroom Studios, starred in three independent movies, and penned a fictional autobiography about a gangster named Joaquin who takes up arms for the Zapatistas. Thats not going to happen. New soldiers became captains and generals by stabbing or killing people. Im so afraid, oh my God/Dont take me away, he raps, slowly, to the jailers whove come for him. Chained to their seats on a triple-tiered bleacher facing the jury box were fourteen men dressed in blood-red jumpsuits. Im a Northerner, he says, arms wide. None of these other [Nuestra Familia members] have a thing to say about [Sir Dyno], Manson says. In November 1986, Lizard tried out these new skills on another inmate and was transferred to San Quentin. Lizard and Nato were both soon paroled. Inside Corcoran State Prison, Lizard reported to the ranking commander and heard some troubling news. Thats it. In all, 21 people were indicted in the FBIs three-year investigation into Nuestra Familia, code-named Operation Black Widow. One of the gangs living legends had recently been paroled. After he was expelled, his parents sent him back north to live with an aunt in Pittsburg, where he continued to. Like all Latino males incarcerated in California for the past three decades, Lizard was forced to choose a gang allegiance once inside prison. Police1 is revolutionizing the way the law enforcement community One day two months ago, federal agents arrived at her home, and she was swept into the program. CD, Lewis and Helton say. If he went back to Pelican Bay, his elders would be upset to see him. On seven of the CDs fourteen tracks, Sir Dyno raps as hired: Hes a heartless gangsta with a nihilistic agenda. Ramirez bragged to Lizard that hed already chased Sanchez out of Salinas Chinatown at least once, and had warned him that he needed to pay taxes if he wanted to deal in Salinas. The unit requires pin-drop silence from its inmates. Ultimately, Judge Charles Breyer denied Zilversmits motion. Enter https://www.police1.com/ and click OK. Then, several weeks later, a Pelican Bay investigator intercepted a letter penned by Lizard to one of his superiors. When Lizard arrived in January of 1995, he checked in with the ranking gang member. After the informant completed his undercover work, I discovered that the informant had engaged in unauthorized drug deals, Agent Ragan wrote. She disguised her own missives as legal mail from a fictitious San Francisco attorney and sent them directly back into the Secured Housing Unit, where all three gang generals were locked up. In the early 1970s, gang fights which were called race riots then became more common inside the prisons. Special Agent Kelly explained to Rocha that he was being placed under arrest for violation of RICO conspiracy, the report states. He said he felt no jitters, nor did he question his loyalties to the brothers he was betraying. How could he go back in with Cuete wanting him dead? He told his interviewers Sir Dyno put out Gang Stories without permission and, for that, was very close to being placed on a hit list.. His character on the track writes a letter to his daughter, apologizing for his absence while she grows up. Napa's downtown parking meters were removed three decades ago. He complained again that his overhead was too high; he had to charge $3,200 per pound of meth, while his competitors were selling it at $2,600 to $2,800. According to transcripts and court documents, Ramirez brought up the touchy subject of Ray Sanchez, a competing heroin dealer who was boasting of taking over the drug game. Up to that point, Lizard had identified himself as a Sureo, but only when pressed. To Sir Dyno and his attorneys, the report demonstrates his utter confusion under unbelievable circumstances. Orders from the generals were arriving on the streets within weeks, if not days. All rights reserved. Eager to shore up his status in Nuestra Familia, Lizard said, he soon stabbed Sureo Rudolpho Castillo in the throat, nearly killing him. When his handlers shook him from his slumber, Lizard felt relieved, not irritated. The California Supreme Court is now reviewing a case that questions whether inmates can be segregated for their first sixty days at reception prisons such as San Quentin. For this outburst, prison administrators shipped Lizard off to Pelican Bay State Prison the last stop for riders. And the transfer led to internal power struggles played out in the streets, police say. was drawing the attention its makers craved, and then some. Consider this reasoning using an unrelated example: All chickens are bipeds; John Ashcroft is a biped. Hed loaded up the hit list and was feuding with two of the generals while angling for a promotion. The justices will decide whether prisoners are denied their constitutional rights when forced to cell with another inmate based on race; a ruling could force administrators to consider full integration. Nuestra Familia is organized in a military-like hierarchy, with generals running the gang from inside prison and paroled regiment captains running the streets outside. In early 1998, fellow La Mesa heavyweight Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba ordered Viramontes dead. And I wanted to go high.. Lizard swung his weight around hard. Ribota declined comment for this story, in light of the upcoming trial. When you turn your back on all of that. Lizard then drove to a house in Stockton, where he tested the powder and sold it to another Norteo. Lexipol. and manufacturers. Hes convinced hell get off scot-free. He was as bright and loyal as they came, so Cuete could trust him.. Right after the CD came out, red-on-red violence all but ended, he says. According to Lizard and FBI informants, the accounts held up to $25,000. Now, for a CD he cut five years ago, for a guy he claims he barely knew, for a dollar he never made, David Rocha faces a life sentence on a single count of conspiracy. But paid parking could return, in some form, this year, as the city works to pu. Zilversmit represents Armando Suave Heredia, a gang member arrested for ordering a successful hit on Salinas heroin dealer Ray Sanchez. Lizard was charged with attempted murder, and sent back to jail. At home, Sir Dyno says hes just waiting for the truth to come out, but the phrase emerges like one thats been worn out, a fortification against the harsher truth: He stands to lose everything. He arrived on time, with one of his friends waiting in the lobby. Im wearing a wire. According to an FBI report, Cuete and his cohorts have continued to manage the gang while awaiting transfer to federal prisons from Alameda Countys Santa Rita Jail. Whatever you want. That 50 percent looked like gold., Sir Dyno claims he never asked where Gratton got his money, and whether or not the jury believes that could be key to his fate. FBI agents did not respond to interview requests. Even though theyd heard about the hit in advance, FBI agents never told Sanchez he was marked for violence. Following his arrival at the jail, Dyno was interviewed by Thomas Ribota, another Modesto detective. Lizard says the drug was merely Vicodin, a pain reliever he took after strenuous workouts at the gym. Hes got a future. Cuete arranged for the new hotshot to move into his cell. Just dont go out looking for it and doing anything., Ramirez replied, Its in motion. After three decades, Nuestra Familia is now an institution on Northern California streets and is spreading rapidly through the suburbs of the Central Valley, gang investigator Lewis said. Lizards government handlers ultimately boasted that their prized informant delivered unprecedented effectiveness as a cooperating witness. According to a memo by prosecutors in the US Attorneys Office, his unshakable undercover effort will forever leave its mark in the history of law enforcement. 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