Major Raid Nabs Alleged Orange County Mexican Mafia Leaders and Soldiers

In what U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte Jr. called a "staggering and comprehensive blow'' to the Mexican Mafia, federal and state authorities Wednesday announced that 99 people face federal charges in a takedown of gangs in and out of prison.

Known as Black Flag, the three-year operation aimed to cripple organized crime linked to drug dealing and multiple conspiracies to commit murder in Orange County.

The major raid, featuring more than 500 law enforcement officers including the FBI and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and District Attorney’s Office capitalized on a power struggle between Mexican Mafia leaders over control of the Orange County area.

The Mexican Mafia is a California prison gang that exerts power over Hispanic gang members in California.

“Gang members at the street level know that they’ll eventually be incarcerated, and they’ll need protection from the Mexican Mafia when that happens,” said Laura Eimiller, spokeswoman for the FBI.

So most Hispanic gangs in Southern California “pay taxes” or drug money to the Mexican Mafia. Members of gangs that fail to pay taxes are “green lit,” or placed on a “hard candy” list, which means they are targeted for assault or murder. Included in the indictments handed down today are charges against wives and girlfriends of gang members who allegedly helped smuggle Mexican Mafia orders in and out of prisons as well as the Orange County Jail.

“Our philosophy is to cripple gang leadership,” said Susan Kang Schroeder, spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. “It (the case) is going to impact all street gang activity.”

Orange County prosecutors have filed charges against 26 defendants
related to conspiracies to kill and assault seven inmates in the Orange County Jail system.

According to investigators, Mexican Mafia member Peter Ojeda, 40, controlled local gang members from the Orange County jail until 2009, when Armando Moreno, a higher-ranking member of the Mexican Mafia was transferred to the jail. Prosecutors say that a power struggle ensued between the two, and their supporters were ordered to carry out assaults and stabbings on their behalf at the Orange County Jail. Additional attacks were carried out against gang members who granted interviews with television crews from MSNBC’s Lockup Extended Stay, which was taped in the Orange County Jail, according to the indictments.

There are a total of 99 people facing charges from federal grand jury
indictments and in the state courts. Fifty-seven members of the Mexican Mafia and the Costa Mesa-based Forming Kaos street gang are named in five federal indictments handed up last month, authorities said.

"We stand here this morning united in one message: No gang member is untouchable or unreachable,'' Birotte said at a news conference at Santa Ana Police Department headquarters.

The federal indictments "paint a chilling portrait of violence and
mayhem'' the gangs are responsible for in and out of prison, Birotte said.

The case is significant because it focused on Mexican Mafia leaders as well as the gang members committing crimes on the streets, added the FBI's Eimiller.

- City News Service Contributed to this report.