Regional Connector Project is Making its Way Beneath LA
Rubidoux Man Sentenced to State Prison for 2013 Shooting
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MONDAY, MAY 22, 2017 - MAY 28, 2017 - VOLUME 10, NO. 21
Crackdown On MS 13 Gang Nets 20 Arrests At Least Three Fugitives Still on the Run
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apping a nearly three-year investigation, federal, state and local law enforcement authorities recently took into custody a total of 21 members and associates of Mara Salvatrucha, a transnational criminal street gang commonly called MS-13 that was formed in Los Angeles about 30 years ago. Among those arrested by members of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Task Force on Violent Gangs (LAMTFVG) are 44 defendants who face federal charges, including the former head of the entire gang in Los Angeles and 12 senior leaders of the gang, who led a majority of the gang’s cliques in the Los Angeles region. These dozen highranking gang members had formed a de facto leadership council for the gang – a committee that was needed because no one person was
MS13 Gang Members Irwin Garcia, Jesse Perez, and Jorge Ramos remain fugitives.
willing to take on the top role in the wake of ongoing scrutiny by law enforcement. A racketeering indictment charges three MS-13
members for murders they committed in connection with the gang’s activities. These murders were solved as a result of the LAMTFVG investigation and its partnership with LAPD Olympic
Division Homicide detectives. Carlos Alfredo Cardoza Lopez, also known as “Little Boy,” 23, faces a violent crime in aid of racketeering (VICAR) murder charge
for allegedly fatally shooting an innocent bystander who was confronted on August 15, 2015 inside the gang-controlled Little San Salvador Nightclub and Restaurant on North West-
almost colliding into the Honda. In doing so, it caused the driver of the Honda to make an evasive maneuver and lose control of her vehicle, which eventually drove up onto the sidewalk and struck the pedestrian. The dark colored vehicle did not make contact with the Honda and fled the scene. The driver of the Honda is a 23-year-old resident of Long Beach who was uninjured. She was positively identified and released at the scene.
The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s office recently issued a reminder that all California employers must provide workers’ compensation insurance for their employees. “Those employers who break the law to gain an unfair advantage over their competitors are also putting their employees at risk,” District Attorney Mike Ramos said. “Our office will continue to ensure that all workers are protected and that the playing field is level for law-abiding businesses who
wish to conduct business in San Bernardino County.” Ramos added that when contractors violate the law and feed the underground economy, everybody suffers. An underground economy is one that includes activities where businesses fail to comply with business and consumer licensing requirements, fail to pay or underpay payroll tax and income tax, engage in unfair labor practices such as wage theft, paying under the table, denying insurance benefits, and failure to acquire workers’
Long Beach Traffic Fatality – 7th Street and Channel Drive
On Wednesday, May 17, 2017, at approximately 11:05 p.m., officers were dispatched to 7th Street east of Channel Drive regarding a traffic collision between a vehicle and a pedestrian. When officers arrived on scene, they discovered the male pedestrian lying unconscious on the sidewalk on the south side of 7th Street. Long Beach Fire Department Paramedics responded and determined the pedestrian deceased. The preliminary in-
vestigation revealed that a 2004 Honda Accord was traveling east on 7th Street in the number three lane passing Channel Drive. After passing the intersection, the driver lost control of her vehicle and drove up onto the sidewalk striking the 63-year-old male Westminster resident. According to witness and the Honda driver’s statement, there was a dark colored vehicle traveling east in the number two lane of 7th Street who attempted to change lanes into the number three lane
– Courtesy photos
ern Avenue. A friend of the murder victim was also stabbed during the attack. Two other MS-13 members – Samuel Alexander Paredes Rivas, also known as “Blacky,” 39, and Joffri Molina, also known as “Espia,” 24 – are also charged with VICAR murder. Rivas is accused of murdering a man on August 30, 2015 at a strip mall in Pacoima. Molina is accused of murdering a man on September 27, 2015 on street in North Hollywood. Lopez, Rivas and Molina are eligible for the death penalty if found guilty of the murder offenses. Prosecutors will decide whether to seek the death penalty at a later date. “This gang is responsible for murders – both of rival gangsters and innocent bystanders – as well as drug dealing and extortion SEE PAGE 3
San Bernardino DA’s Office Releases PSA Regarding Workers’ Compensation Insurance Fraud compensation insurance or making fraudulent misrepresentations to insurers in order to gain a competitive advantage over competitors who comply with all legal requirements. In order to continually fight the underground economy, the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s office has forged relationships with local government agencies. In a case that dates back to Dec. 2015, investigators SEE PAGE 2