Remond Akleh a member of the Hells Angels' Nomads wing, has taken the extraordinary measure of taking the stand in his own defence

longtime Hells Angel was overcome with emotion as he described the risks he's taking to defend himself against allegations of conspiring to murder an underworld rival."I believe my life is in extreme danger and so is my family's," Remond Akleh said Tuesday morning, before dissolving into tears.Mr. Akleh, a member of the Hells Angels' Nomads wing, has taken the extraordinary measure of taking the stand in his own defence and testifying about his activities as a police informant. He told a Superior Court jury Tuesday he had to waive his confidentiality agreement with Durham police and talk about his days as an informant in order to prove his innocence."I needed this all to come out so everyone would know," an emotional Mr. Akleh said, acknowledging at the same time the information places him and his family in grave peril."Today I wish I could take it all back," he said of sharing information with police."I don't know what the future holds. I could find myself in a ditch somewhere."Mr. Akleh and Oshawa Hells Angels president Mark Stephenson have pleaded not guilty to conspiring to commit murder and counselling to commit murder. During this trial, which began in Whitby in October, jurors heard Steven Gault, a police agent who infiltrated the Angels, testify the men enlisted him in June of 2006 to murder Frank Lenti, a Woodbridge biker with ties to the rival Bandidos gang. The alleged plot was never acted on.Mr. Akleh said Tuesday he started talking in 2003 with a Durham police officer Mr. Gault was convicted of threatening. The men had something in common, Mr. Akleh said: He testified Mr. Gault threatened to kill him after he raised concerns among Oshawa bikers that Mr. Gault was a police informant. (For his trouble Mr. Akleh was virtually drummed out of the Oshawa chapter and strongly advised to leave Durham Region, jurors heard. Mr. Akleh said he took that advice; he moved before his Taunton Road home sold and carried two mortgages for almost a year.)As time went on Mr. Akleh shared more information, talking to the officer about Mr. Gault and other members of the Oshawa chapter. He said he realized he was breaching a cardinal tenet of biker culture, but was motivated by a desire to protect himself and his family from Mr. Gault and others."I wasn't being loyal to the Hells Angels at all," Mr. Akleh observed. "I was doing what I thought was best for myself and my family."Jurors heard Mr. Akleh's accusations about Mr. Gault stirred anger among the Oshawa Angels. He testified he'd had a gun held to his head and was warned to get out of the region.And Mr. Akleh said he received a stark warning when he attended the funeral of retired Angel Bill (Mr. Bill) Lavoie in September 2006. He said he was standing at the grave site, taking shelter from the rain under an umbrella when a fellow biker approached him."A gentleman came up to me and gave me a hug and said to watch my back, I'd be next," Mr. Akleh testified in response to questions by defence counsel Glen Orr.In other testimony, Mr. Akleh flatly denied advising Mr. Gault to murder Mr. Lenti. He said that when the question of Mr. Lenti being offered a Hells Angels patch was put to a vote, he voted in favour of it."I knew Mr. Lenti," he testified. "I never had a problem with him."
The trial, before Justice Bruce Glass, continues.

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Gerald (Skinny) Ward, 60, a founding member of the Niagara chapter, had pleaded guilty to trafficking cocaine and possession of proceeds of a crime.

Gerald (Skinny) Ward, 60, a founding member of the Niagara chapter, had pleaded guilty to trafficking cocaine and possession of proceeds of a crime. Terry Pink, 41, president of the Simcoe chapter, had pleaded guilty to similar charges but both denied that these illicit activities had anything to do with their motorcycle club.
Mr. Justice John McMahon of Ontario Superior Court ruled yesterday that the club is "a criminal organization which is dedicated to the facilitation and commission of serious criminal offences that materially benefit the members of the HAMC," and that Mr. Ward and Mr. Pink carried out their activities "not only for the benefit of the individuals involved but for the benefit of the HAMC, particularly the Oshawa and Niagara chapters."The two men were arrested along with 22 others after raids in September of 2006 on homes and clubhouses in Toronto, Oshawa, Windsor and Niagara Region. The arrests were the culmination of an 18-month undercover operation called Project Tandem.Prosecutor Tom Andreopoulos said he was pleased to see the charges culminate in convictions only a little more than two years after the arrests.Project Tandem was executed with the help of a police agent named Steven Gault, a member of the Oshawa chapter who was paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for his work and who is now in the witness-protection program.Mr. Gault testified that when he purchased a kilogram of cocaine from Mr. Ward he paid a premium of about $2,000 to pay down a debt owed by the Oshawa chapter to the Niagara chapter.The Hells Angels "have complete control of the coke dealing in the whole Niagara Region," Mr. Gault testified during the proceedings, according to the judge's decision.In his decision, Judge McMahon cited evidence that as of July, 2008, 75 per cent of Canada's HAMC members have been convicted of criminal offences, that a defence fund is maintained by members' monthly dues, and that members in prison are referred to as the Big House Crew.Sentencing arguments for Mr. Pink will be heard on Jan. 29, and for Mr. Ward on Jan. 27.

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Melvin and Marriott families are feuding.

Melvin and Marriott families are feuding,some of these players made money and a name for themselves — together.Since 1968, Terrance Cyril Marriott (a.k.a. Terry Sr.) has racked up a total of 32 years, nine months and 26 days of federal time for drugs and other offences. But he’s also beaten the rap a number of times.The patriarch of the Melvin family, James Edwin Melvin (a.k.a. Jimmy Sr.), 48, has been sentenced to a total of 22 and three months of federal time and is still on parole. He narrowly escaped injury Nov. 17 when shots were fired at him outside a Spryfield pizza joint.
Here’s a brief history of these two notorious families:•April 25, 1988: Arnold (Smiley) Joseph Bailey is fatally shot on a Halifax street in what police believe was a drug-related shooting. Police later charged Spryfield drug dealer Terry Marriott Sr. with murder, but he was acquitted in June 1991.•October 1991: Police seized about 3.5 tonnes of hash from a truck on Highway 103 near Chester. It’s believed the drugs had been offloaded from a Panamanian vessel. Jimmy Melvin Sr., then of Spryfield, was among the 10 charged. He was sentenced to eight years in prison in 1994 for his part in the operation. •November 1992: A Spanish vessel led a U.S. Coast Guard vessel on a 19-hour chase through rough seas before sinking early the next day off the coast of Newfoundland, taking with it an estimated three tonnes of cocaine. Unaware of what had happened, Jimmy Melvin Sr. and a Crown witness spent two days trying to get out to the mother ship to offload the drugs for the Hells Angels. Mr. Melvin, described at sentencing as "the second in command, was among five Nova Scotians charged in the crime. He was sentenced in 1997 to 5 1/2 years for conspiracy to traffic cocaine.•Nov. 20, 1998: Richard Joseph (Ricky) Marriott, 32, was shot in his house, along with his girlfriend, Gail Stone. Ricky, who used a wheelchair and was Terry Marriott Sr.’s brother, was facing three drug charges of his own. He died at the scene, and Ms. Stone died in hospital four days later. In August 2000, Ricky’s brother William Ralph (Billy) Marriott, 38, hanged himself in a Halifax jail cell. Billy faced trial for first-degree murder in the killing of former Hells Angels associate William St. Clair Wendelborg, and Billy’s girlfriend, Wanda Lynn Campbell, was later found guilty of being an accessory after the fact. Ms. Campbell’s trial was told that Terry Marriott Sr. thought Billy murdered Ricky, although the rest of the family might not agree.•1999: Operation Crack Pot, a joint-forces investigation that targeted street-level drug dealers, a Halifax corner store and eight crack houses. Undercover police bought drugs 60 times during the operation. Terry Marriott Sr. and Terry Marriott Jr. were among the 40 people charged. Terry Marriott Sr. served four years for trafficking and his son got 4 1/2 years for possession. (Since December 1992, Terry Jr. has been sentenced to over 7 1/2 years of federal time. At one point, the National Parole Board had ordered Terry Jr. to stay away from his father because of his lengthy criminal history)•December 2001: Police raided the now-defunct Halifax chapter of the Hells Angels. Members and associates, including Jimmy Melvin Sr., are among those arrested and charged with drug offences. The name of Terry Marriott Sr. is found in exhibits seized by cops, but no explanation is given at the time. Jimmy Melvin Sr. is sentenced to another six years and three months for selling hash.•May to June 2002: An undercover police investigation dubbed Operation Midway swept up 81 people including many Marriott and Melvin family associates. The raids also hit homes and businesses owned by some family members and associates. Bruce Alan Jackson, a drug dealer turned informant, detailed in court how the second generation of Melvins and Marriotts ran a drug ring in Halifax. Mr. Jackson was the manager of a Herring Cove Road crack shop in a ring operated by one of Terry Marriott Sr.’s sons, Brian James Bremner (a.k.a. B.J. Marriott); the young man’s cousin, Gary (Boo) Boudreau and longtime friend James Bernard Melvin (a.k.a. Jimmy Melvin Jr.).
Jimmy Jr., who was already in jail when the arrests were made, was later sentenced to three years for attempting to have someone smuggle drugs to him in prison as part of Operation Midway. That was to be served on top of a two-year term he received in December 2002 for possessing cocaine for the purpose of trafficking in May 2001. His sentence ended on May 17, 2006, but he had been in custody in relation to other charges until he was ordered released a month ago, on Nov. 14.
Mr. Boudreau received six years and six months for drug and weapons offences. While it may have been his first federal sentence, he told a National Parole Board panel last year that he’d been selling drugs since he was 13 and became a high-level dealer in 2000. Now 32, Mr. Boudreau, who co-owned a Herring Cove Road tanning salon that was firebombed in 2006, has kept himself out of jail since his release last year.B.J. Marriott, who was also in jail when the investigation was underway, was eventually convicted and sentenced to a total of six years for conspiracy to smuggle cocaine into the Central Nova Correctional Facility in Dartmouth between June 17 and June 20, 2002 and possessing cocaine for the purpose of trafficking at Springhill Institution between May 27 to May 31, 2002. The drugs headed for the Springhill prison were supposed to go to Wayne James, a Halifax man serving time for a Hells Angels-related murder. Although B.J. Marriott didn’t actually handle the drugs, the judge ruled that he had control of the prison packages through the people that did his bidding. His mother, Dawn Bremner, and his uncle, Teddy Bremner, each received 18-month conditional sentences for their part in the operation. Jimmy Jr.’s then-girlfriend, Jennifer Purcell and Jimmy Jr.’s mother, Debbie Melvin, received two years and 12 months, respectively, while charges against Mr. Boudreau’s wife and his grandmother were dismissed. In the end, 66 people were convicted for varying roles in the drug ring, and some on multiple charges. Neither Jimmy Sr. nor Terry Sr. was among those arrested.
Now 26, B.J. Marriott is in prison in the Prairie region where he is serving 16 years and four months for manslaughter; two counts of assault with a weapon; assault causing bodily harm; two counts of possessing a dangerous weapon; and possessing property obtained by criminal activity; and the drug charges. He was eligible for day parole on Nov. 28, but did not apply. He also decided to postpone an upcoming parole board hearing scheduled for next May. Instead, the board is expected to hear his case in May 2011.•Oct. 25, 2002: At about 6 a.m., at least one Molotov cocktail and five bullets hit 28 Sylvia Ave., which is owned by Jimmy Melvin Sr. An hour earlier, two bullets went through a kitchen window of a nearby home on Emerald Crescent. Wayne Douglas Robinson, a cousin of Terry Marriott Jr. is later arrested in the firebombing. In the following years, houses, apartment buildings or businesses were either shot at or firebombed on Arvida Avenue, Herring Cove Road, Hartlen Avenue and Old Sambro Road. •July 7 and Sept. 3, 2004: On these two evenings, shots were fired outside 490 Herring Cove Rd. and Terry Marriott Jr. was hit both times. He was hit in the armpit and hip the first time, with witnesses saying four shots came from a green van. In September, police arrived at the house after the victim left for hospital. He tells investigators the shooting was an accident. His uncle, James Cameron, is the listed owner of the property.•June 20, 2006: Wayne Nicholas (Chop) Marriott, 21, was shot dead at about 10:50 p.m., moments after driving up to the Beechville home he was renting. The man he was with, Jeremy Alvin Leblanc, then aged 24, was also injured. No one has been charged in the killing.•August 2007: Jimmy Melvin Jr., his younger brother Cory Patrick Melvin and Andrew Hudder were charged in several firebombings in Dartmouth, Fairview and Bayers Lake Business Park. The three will go on trial next June.

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Trigga Mobb's self-described "five star general" and a soldier in his north side street gang were sentenced to life terms in prison

Lerome "L'il Rome" Franklin, 25, was sentenced to 75-years-to life and Floyd "YG" Martin, 22, received a 50-to-life term for the March 15, 2007, shooting that took place outside a motel on El Camino Avenue.Trigga Mobb's self-described "five star general" and a soldier in his north side street gang were sentenced to life terms in prison today for the retaliation shooting of a man they thought to be an informant.
Sacramento Superior Court Judge Gary S. Mullen denied new trial motions filed by the defendants, who were convicted on Aug. 5.According to testimony at trial, Franklin, who had just been arrested on robbery charges prior to the shooting, thought a Del Paso Heights gang associate was responsible for his incarceration.Franklin then engaged in telephone conversations with Martin from the downtown jail that were recorded in which he ordered the shootings, according to police and prosecutors.
The victim in the case recovered from his injuries, testified against Franklin and Martin at trial and was later relocated by the Sacramento District Attorney's office.

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Three men are wanted in connection with making a gang-related statement and then hitting a stabbing another man

Three men are wanted in connection with making a gang-related statement and then hitting a stabbing another man in the shoulder, Santa Cruz police said.The 22-year-old victim told police that he was walking on the corner of Bay and California streets at about 11:15 p.m. when the three men came up to him, said something gang-related, and started hitting him and removing items from his backpack, including a wallet and MP3 player, police said.The victim also suffered a stab wound to the shoulder during the attack. The three men were last seen running into Neary Lagoon.
A K-9 followed the track of the three men through Neary Lagoon onto Chestnut Street before losing the scent, police said.

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Four suspected Palm Springs gang members accused of fatally beating a 66-year-old security guard

Jamar Thomas and Darius Lee, both 19, Jarrett Lewis, 18, and Akil Williams, 17, are charged with murder, robbery and participation in a criminal street gang in connection with the 2007 death of Bower Security Co. guard Wallace Brown. All have pleaded not guilty and remain at the Indio Jail without bail.Four suspected Palm Springs gang members accused of fatally beating a 66-year-old security guard will appear in court today for a pre-trial hearing.
The 19-year-olds would be eligible for the death penalty if convicted, while the other two could face a maximum sentence of life in prison because they were minors when the crime occurred, prosecutors have said.The defendants are accused of beating Brown with blunt objects, including their fists, and taking his wallet after dragging him from his car while he was checking a construction site near Rosa Parks Street and Eldorado Boulevard in June 2007.The former Marine was unconscious when he was found and died days later at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs without regaining consciousness.

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Shirishah Robinson,Member of the Bloods street gang got seven years in prison

Member of the Bloods street gang got seven years in prison today for dealing heroin and crack and breaking firearms laws in Bensalem, federal prosecutors announced.The sentence in federal court in Philadelphia follows a guilty plea by 27-year-old Shirishah Robinson, Acting U.S. Attorney Laurie Magid said in a release. In November 2007, Robinson was caught in Bensalem with nearly 10 grams of a heroin and 588 packets containing about 14 grams of crack cocaine. She also had some bullets. And because she was previously convicted of a felony in Pennsylvania, and thus prohibited from carrying a firearm or aummunition, she was criminally charged with carrying 43 rounds of .380 caliber ammunition and 39 rounds of .357 caliber ammunition. The case was investigated by the FBI’s Bucks County Violent Gang Task Force and the Bensalem Township Police Department.

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"Houstone" street gang, Carlos Garcia-Hernandez, 19, a citizen of Mexico, was also wanted on local arrest warrants for aggravated assault.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and Houston Police officers late Thursday arrested a member of the "Houstone" street gang wanted by Mexican authorities for murdering two women in March 2008.Carlos Garcia-Hernandez, 19, a citizen of Mexico, was also wanted on local arrest warrants for aggravated assault. A search conducted for Garcia-Hernandez by Houston Police Department and ICE in Houston resulted in his apprehension without incident.According to Mexican authorities, Garcia-Hernandez is wanted for murdering two women, one from San Diego County, Calif., and another from Mexico where the homicides were committed. It is alleged that both women were robbery victims at the time of their deaths. Three individuals have already confessed to the crimes to date and are serving time in Mexican prison.Garcia-Hernandez has previous convictions in Houston for possessing marijuana, escaping law enforcement custody while in detention, and driving with a counterfeit driver's license.Garcia-Hernandez is in the United States illegally and has already received final orders of deportation from a federal immigration judge. ICE will ultimately deport him into the custody of Mexican authorities. No date has been set for his return. ICE previously deported Garcia-Hernandez in November 2007. It is a felony to re-enter the United States after previously being deported punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

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Two gang members have each been sentenced to more than 100 years in prison

Thirty-three-year-old Sinque Beiama Morrison was sentenced to 109 years to life, and 22-year-old Michael Barnett Jr. got 101 years to life Wednesday for the 2005 killing of Mynisha Crenshaw in San Bernardino.Two gang members have each been sentenced to more than 100 years in prison for their part in the fatal shooting of an 11-year-old girl.Each man was convicted in October on five counts including murder.Crenshaw was eating dinner with her family when she was shot to death and her 14-year-old sister was wounded.Morrison and Barnett were part of a street gang avenging an earlier killing that mistakenly fired on the girl's home.Twelve members of the gang have been convicted or reached plea agreements in the girl's killing. The last three are scheduled for sentencing Monday.

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Attempted Murder, Pasadena, assault with a Deadly Weapon and gang allegations

Horacio Guttierrez (male, 25 years), Jose Barrera (male, 26 years), Jose Rivera (male, 28) and Hector Ornelas (male, 28), all from Pasadena, were arrested without incident. Charges were filed today with the Office of the District Attorney for Attempted Murder, Assault with a Deadly Weapon and gang allegations. The incident is considered to be gang-related.Pasadena Police Detectives arrested four members of a local street gang and charged them with attempted murder.
On November 27, 2008 Francisca Zendejas (female, 26) was shot numerous times in the 700 block of Manzanita Ave. Detectives canvassed the area and received clues as to the suspects’ identification.The suspects are being held in county jail.The victim is recovering from her wounds.

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Oliver McLean alleged member of a notorious Northside street gang is under arrest

alleged member of a notorious Northside street gang is under arrest after police found him living in Northern Kentucky.Police arrested 21-year-old Oliver McLean Wednesday night in Covington.McLean was then extradited back to Hamilton County to face charges in connection to his alleged involvement with the "Northside Taliband" gang.He is facing one count of participating in a criminal gang, as well as cocaine and marijuana charges.A total of 26 people were taken into custody on the first day of a multi-agency roundup in mid-November. Eight of those arrested were charged with gang activity.

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Three gang members have been found guilty of the murder of two-year-old Jhia te Tua

Three gang members have been found guilty of the murder of two-year-old Jhia te Tua, who was killed in a drive-by shooting at her parents' home in May last year.MP Chester Borrows says other provincial centres have a worse gang problem than Wanganui.He says there is always a concern about tensions between gangs, but everyone in Wanganui will have to, and usually does, live within the law.Borrows says the shooting has negatively impacted on people's perception of the town.
Jhia was shot dead in her parents' lounge as she slept. Tragically, her mother had moved her from her bedroom because of fears she should not be left alone after a recent escalation in gang violence.Police have been on standby for any gang confrontations arising from the verdicts and has urged supporters of the convicted men to think again before pursuing any retaliation.The gang tensions in the town meant 22 witnesses key to the verdict had to give evidence anonymously.

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Alleged gang member arrested in Fresno shooting inquiry

Alleged gang member was arrested during an investigation of a shooting late Thursday in southeast Fresno.Police said they while investigating reports of a shooting about 10:40 p.m. on the 4700 block of East Woodward Avenue, they searched a home and found a loaded, large-caliber handgun.Terrence Reed, 21, of Fresno, was held on suspicion of being an ex-felon with a firearm, illegal possession of ammunition and violating probation. The shooting victim, a male, was not found. Police checked area hospitals but did not locate the man

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Diego Montoya,head of the drug gang Montoya, aka Don Diego,extradited

Crime boss suspect Diego Montoya was sent to the United States yesterday to face charges of smuggling hundreds of tonnes of cocaine, marking what police called the end of the Norte del Valle cartel.Authorities say that as head of the drug gang Montoya, known as Don Diego, helped it supplant the once-mighty Medellin and Cali cartels. He was captured last year after a long manhunt that ended when police raided his farmhouse hide-out and found him cowering in a ditch dressed only in his underwear. It was an ignominious end to the career of the portly billionaire who is accused of governing a crime empire from his base near the city of Cali. He appeared next to Osama bin Laden on the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted" list. Montoya, in sunglasses, handcuffed and wearing a blue dress shirt under a bulletproof vest, was shown on television boarding a plane headed for Miami, where he is wanted by a federal court on charges including money laundering. Montoya has not been tried in Colombia, where he is accused of hundreds of murders. "This extradition means the end of the Norte del Valle cartel," national police chief Oscar Naranjo told reporters. "All of its major leaders have been caught or killed." But the gang still exports cocaine from Colombia's Pacific coast, said Bogota-based security consultant Pablo Casas. "This is the end of one boss but it is not the end of the Norte del Valle organization. Drug bosses multiply in Colombia like bacteria in a petri dish," Casas said. The cartel's violent exploits inspired this year's No. 1-rated local TV soap opera called "Cartel de los Sapos" ("Cartel of the Snitches"), which traced the story of how Norte del Valle became the biggest drug gang in Colombia. Another key Norte del Valle leader, Wilber Varela, was found shot dead in Venezuela early this year after a gunfight among rival smuggling organizations. Montoya's brother Eugenio was extradited to the United States earlier this year on charges of cocaine trafficking.
Colombia has extradited hundreds of drug suspects to the United States but cocaine exports from the Andean country remain steady at about 600 tonnes a year, according to the United Nations.

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Nghia Trong Nguyen-Tran, also known as Jackie Tran, rejected warnings he was a murder target and said he had no intentions of leaving gang life.

Nghia Trong Nguyen-Tran, also known as Jackie Tran, rejected warnings he was a murder target and said he had no intentions of leaving gang life.Walker told a deportation appeal hearing that Tran told him: `This isn't going to be over until they are all dead or we are all dead.' Tran's lawyer Steve Virk told the hearing Walker, who is with the Calgary police organized crime unit, did not qualify as a gang expert.Virk suggested police have tunnel vision in their thirst to get gangs off the street.He questioned the credibility of Walker's sources, including readings on gangs which Virk said do not speak to the two Calgary gangs, Fresh off the Boat and Fresh off the Boat Killers

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major gangs operating in Aurora—the Latin Kings, the Vice Lords, and the Insane Deuces

There are still major gangs operating in the city—the Latin Kings, the Vice Lords, and the Insane Deuces—along with many smaller gang factions. They don't control territory like inner-city gangs. Instead, they usually run drugs out of ordinary-looking homes and businesses. Unlike inner-city gangs who frequently dabble in protection rackets, the gangs here generally leave local businesses alone. Part of the reason for that, law enforcement officers say, is that Aurora's retail scene consists mostly of big-box stores and national franchises rather than mom and pop establishments, which are more susceptible to extortion.
Nationwide, gauging the true scope of the gang problem is difficult, chiefly because law enforcement lacks a common definition of a gangster or what makes a particular crime gang-related. The FBI estimates that there are about 785,000 gang members in the country belonging to some 26,500 different gangs in 3,400 communities. That estimate excludes outlaw motorcycle and prison gangs. Even more troubling, a third of all communities say they have no gang problem when they actually do. It's a denial bred from either fear or stigma, according to the FBI.The thousands of active gangs around the country each have their own signs, lingo, and culture. Drug dealing and gun violence are common denominators, but each behaves differently depending on its location. In the Northeast, for instance, there's been a rise in the number of neighborhood and hybrid gangs composed of members of several different organizations. Around Washington, D.C., and its Maryland and Virginia suburbs, meanwhile, the Latin American gang MS-13, best known for attacking its rivals with machetes, has become a particularly tough problem. There, cocaine and marijuana are the main drugs moved through gang networks.In the Midwest, the amount of gang activity around college campuses and schools is on the rise. Hispanic gangs are using Native American surrogates to move drugs onto Indian reservations, where gang activity is also on the rise. And out West, street gangs are diversifying their criminal portfolios to include identity theft while continuing to supply narcotics, mostly methamphetamines and marijuana. Gangs in the West are also most likely to partner with organized crime, particularly the Mexican drug cartels and the Asian mafia.Wherever they operate, gangs are increasingly turning to computers and the Internet. Often behind password-protected sites, they post photo-graphs of their own gang signs, colors, and tattoos. Police even report that some gangs are using their websites to take positions on local political issues. In fact, sites like MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube have become quite useful to police gathering intelligence or investigating specific crimes. "Some gang members in Maryland are not too bright, and they will often post pictures of themselves and their gangs online or shoot videos of themselves defacing property or committing other crimes," says Charles Rapp, director of the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center, which helps scour open-source information for law enforcement agencies. For their part, the gangs sometimes post misleading information to fool police or rival gangs about potential meetings or activities.Yet despite all their bravado, at their essence the gangs remain fraternities of lawlessness, replenished with scores of young men from troubled neighborhoods in the name of belonging, enterprise, or necessity. "The pervasiveness of gangs throughout society is undeniable," the Justice Department concluded in its latest National Gang Threat Assessment in 2005. "As they migrate across the country, they bring with them drugs, weapons, and criminal activity."
Gangs are, however, also vulnerable because of their insatiable demand for guns, a weakness that federal officers are learning to exploit. Put simply, they are always looking for more guns to protect themselves and their illicit merchandise. Ammunition is also often in low supply for street gangs. Most gangsters use guns only once. They know that after a crime, the ATF enters the bullets or shell casings into databases to trace them. "Gangsters watch shows like CSI as homework and watch History Channel documentaries about gangs as research," says one veteran gang investigator. Guns are also lost, seized by the police, or broken during normal use. "Gangs will try to have enough guns for each full member to have access to one, though they also share between themselves," says Jared Lewis, a retired cop from the Modesto, Calif., antigang task force who now researches street gangs. Fortunately, that makes them easier targets for undercover operations. Add to that stricter laws under which those caught with guns and drugs face harsh sentences, and the effects are starting to be felt.

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Alberta Court of Appeal panel rejected a call by the prosecution to increase Hui (Philip) Xu's punishment to five years.

Alberta Court of Appeal panel rejected a call by the prosecution to increase Hui (Philip) Xu's punishment to five years. Crown lawyer Bob Sigurdson argued provincial court Judge John Bascom erred in not taking into account the cache of weapons police found in Xu's home when they busted him with the drugs. But the appeal court, in a unanimous decision handed down by Justice Rosemary Nation, said Bascom noted the weapons in his ruling. "The sentencing judge was alive to the presence of the weapons and there was no evidence the weapons formed any part in the commission of the offence," Nation said. Defence lawyer Hersh Wolch said the Ruger semi-automatic rifle, ammunition, Panther stun gun, Taser and Kevlar vest found in Xu's home were remnants of his former gang lifestyle -- he also said his client feared some of his former associates might not appreciate him going straight. "It is a fact that a close friend of the accused was murdered not long before this event," the lawyer said. "That friend was speaking to the police and counselling people not to get involved in the drug trade when he was killed." Xu said he was out of the drug life when he agreed to help a former associate complete a drug transaction. Police surveillance captured him picking up three boxes in southwest Calgary and taking them to his Coverton Heights N.E. home on June 15, 2005. Xu had arranged for the transportation of the drugs, worth up to $4.2 million on the street, and stored them in his garage before his arrest.

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Gangster John Gizzi,activated the 2,712 extra days which Gizzi must serve on top of his original sentence for failing to abide by the confiscation

John Damon Gizzi failed to sell his luxury pad, meaning he could not meet a £2.6m confiscation order and automatically triggering an extension to his jail term.Gizzi, who lived a millionaire lifestyle, was jailed for five-and-a-half years in January 2007.He was also ordered to pay back £2.6m under the Proceeds of Crime Act. But yesterday – 11 days before he was due to be released – a court heard the house had not sold and he would remain behind bars. He still owed £2.2m including £132,000 interest, Llandudno Magistrates’ Court heard.He is currently in prison for grievous bodily harm.Originally Gizzi’s mansion, Bronwylfa Hall in St Asaph, Denbighshire, had been valued at £1.8m but the asking price had then been reduced to £1.3m and an offer of less than £900,000 made by a potential buyer.The country house lies in 4.7 acres in the Vale of Clwyd, near St Asap, Denbighshire. It boasts four reception rooms and a leisure complex with swimming pool, gymnasium and tennis courts.At the time the original confiscation order was made, police said it meant Gizzi would be penniless and homeless when released.The 37-year-old was a millionaire who portrayed himself as a legitimate builder and property tycoon.But at the time of his jailing last year, police said he was a bully preying on the weak who beat up homeless people and believed himself to be untouchable. John Gizzi was yesterday told he would stay behind bars for another seven years for failing to pay back £2.2m profit from his crimes.Gizzi was just 11 days away from being released from a five-and-a-half-year jail sentence imposed in January 2006 for mortgage fraud, conspiracy to supply counterfeit cigarettes, and wounding.But Gizzi, 37, still owes £2.2m, including £132,000 interest, acquired from his criminal activities and which he has been ordered to repay.A court at Llandudno heard yesterday that his £1.8m mansion, Bronwylfa Hall at Asaph, had still not sold and he could therefore not repay the money.Yesterday District Judge Andrew Shaw activated the 2,712 extra days which Gizzi must serve on top of his original sentence for failing to abide by the £2.6m confiscation order.He had been due to be released from prison on December 19.Gizzi’s solicitor Huw Edwards told Llandudno Magistrates Court: “He’s made every effort to ensure the assets subject to confiscation have been sold at the best possible price.”The price for Bronwylfa Hall had been reduced to £1.3m and an offer of less than £900,000 had been made.Estate agents had invited offers over £900,000 for the five-bedroom house which has a pool and gym. Mr Edwards said a sale was now imminent.Earlier hearings had been told Gizzi’s other assets included a Bentley Continental, Range Rover and Mercedes cars and four valuable personalised number plates – JDG 1 to 4.Kathleen Greenwood, prosecuting, told the court two occupied semi-detached houses and land in Gors Road, Towyn, which a Crown Court judge last month ruled had been a “tainted gift” to Gizzi’s parents, were worth at least £430,000.They had been ordered to hand over the development to receivers and their company, J and T Gizzi Builders, must also pay £154,000, the prisoner’s share in another building in Rhyl.At a previous hearing it was stressed there was no suggestion Gizzi’s parents were involved in criminality.
Miss Greenwood said the £154,000 had not been received by the receiver.J and T Gizzi Builders had made an offer for the Gors Road property.“I would be extremely surprised if the receiver accepted the lower offer that has been made,” said Miss Greenwood.Removing the current occupants of the semis would delay the realisation of the asset “considerably”.She added: “There have been over 20 months of default here. There are assets which may well be difficult to sell. You are asked to impose the default. Any reduction in the amount of the order will be reflected in a reduction of any term of imprisonment.”An application will be made in the Crown Court by Gizzi on December 17 to reduce the confiscation amount.A court in January 2006 was told Gizzi had built up a portfolio of 21 investment properties worth £2.8m in the Rhyl area but had lied about his income in each mortgage application.

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Barossa's Most Wanted - based around street bashing, hoon driving and drugs - is striking often in towns in the region.

Barossa's Most Wanted - based around street bashing, hoon driving and drugs - is striking often in towns in the region. Commissioner for Victims' Rights Michael O'Connell, a former police officer, said it was "frightening that much of the violence appears to be committed for pleasure". "These videos cater for the public fascination with violence, they promote hostility, and the victims are not always humans - animals are sickeningly mistreated, even mutilated," he said.
Aged from 15 to 20, the Barossa group's website features video of an unprovoked public bashing of a youth in Hindley St.The group claims to initiate the violence so the images can be distributed "just for fun and jokes". The site advertises prices for methamphetamines, refers to hoon driving and displays numerous sadistic images.
"Barossa's Most Wanted . . . We are proud of who we are . . . We would like to meet anyone who is like us!, Don't Giva F . . . ! Into booze brawls and all the hardcore s . . . ," the website boasts. A second group, Salisbury Most Wanted, also has its own web page based on violence and Australian nationalist propaganda, including threats of violence against the Barossa group. The site features a photograph of an Australian flag with a large machete lying across it and other violent images. Another unidentified group or individual in the South-East has this week circulated a mobile phone image of a teenager who had been stabbed. It was taken on Saturday night in the town of Nangwarry and shows the teenager lying in a pool of blood in a street. The youth is in a stable condition in Royal Adelaide Hospital. Experts say the growing trend is aimed at attaining celebrity status. Mr O'Connell said: "These videos too often show that people - frequently young people - are capable of terrible brutality. "It is disgusting to see these people . . . verbally and physically terrorising their victims and innocent bystanders. "For the victims there is no humour or entertainment. "These videos and the cyber-chatter they generate are an invasion of the victim's privacy." Barossa Valley Senior Sergeant Martin Kennedy said that since last year, police intelligence had been tracking the individuals who have since formed the Barossa group. Sen-Sgt Kennedy said several gang members had been arrested in recent months for assault, graffiti and property damage. The Barossa group's website boasts of court appearances and home detention. "Intelligence officers have been monitoring what they put up on the internet and we have access to all their sites," Sen-Sgt Kennedy said.
He said the style of crime had been identified not only in the Barossa. "We have had it here but there have also been examples throughout other parts of South Australia - it is pretty well a new thing everywhere." Psychologist Daryl Cross said the trend was disturbing because of the nature of the crimes. "These people (who take the pictures) are highly disturbed, they lack empathy, they lack a complete understanding of others and they lack compassion," he said. "And because they're highly disturbed they get their significance or their feeling of notoriety from taking photographs and publishing them to others." The Australian Hotels Association's Barossa Valley representative, Andrew Plush, who owns hotels in Angaston, Kapunda and Nuriootpa, said the Barossa group emerged 12 months ago. "They are under pub-aged kids, 13, 14 or 15, so they don't tend to make it into the pubs," Mr Plush said. Victims of the 40-member Barossa's Most Wanted, who feared being named, have told The Advertiser of the havoc resulting from the violence and appealed for action. Earlier this year, fights involving schoolgirls at a Gawler railway station were posted on the YouTube website. "Counselling and talking will not stop this . . . so the only thing that impacts on these individuals is penalties," Dr Cross said. "It (filming) is almost as bad as committing the crime, there's a fine line here." Attorney-General Michael Atkinson said laws already existed to govern the distribution of offensive material through carriage services. "The Commonwealth charge of using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence carries a maximum penalty of three years' jail," he said.

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leader of the Bounty Hunter Bloods Mikal Mustafa Mix threatened to have the gang's co-leader, Marlon Reed, killed for testifying

In court Monday, a federal judge and a prosecutor said Mikal Mustafa Mix threatened to have the gang's co-leader, Marlon Reed, killed for testifying against Mix.U.S. District Judge Jerome B. Friedman made the comment just before sentencing Mix to life in prison, plus five years, for being the gang leader and committing a long list of violent crimes, including helping a group of teenagers evade capture after a 2007 mob killing in Ocean View.Friedman, citing a confidential pre-sentence report, said Mix tried to recruit someone to kill Reed at the Chesapeake Correctional Center and then later tried to make arrangements to have Reed killed after he was transferred to federal prison."Is there anything you'd like to say?" Friedman asked Mix."No, sir," Mix replied.Friedman sentenced Mix, 31, to multiple life terms, but ran them all concurrently. He tacked on an additional five years to run consecutively for having a gun while trafficking drugs.Mix was convicted at trial this summer of 16 felonies, including being an accessory to murder, and faced an almost certain life sentence. Co-defendant Gary Lynn Toliver Jr., described in court as a second-tier gang leader, was sentenced last week to life plus 207 years. Toliver was convicted of a number of gun-related charges that carried mandatory consecutive prison terms beyond what Mix faced. Mix had one gun-related count.Mix's attorney tried to argue for a minimum sentence of 35 years in prison, saying that Reed's testimony was unreliable. Reed, a co-leader of the gang, was sentenced to 19 years in prison, a substantial reduction from what he could have gotten.
Friedman dismissed the attorney's argument."There was more than sufficient evidence," Friedman said.Reed's testimony was key to the prosecution's case. He described in detail the workings of the gang, from initiations and drug deals to their signature home invasion robberies. He said Mix and a relative moved here around 2000 from New York to start the gang, recruiting him as one of the earliest members."Obviously, nobody likes gangs," said Mix's attorney, Lawrence H. Woodward Jr. "But I don't believe Mr. Mix was involved to the extent what other people said."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Muhr described how Mix helped protect a group of teenagers implicated in the July 2007 mob beating death of 19-year-old James Robertson in Ocean View.Mix forced several of the teenage girls to stay in a hotel room out of sight and helped another teen get out of town.Muhr asked the judge to send a message to juveniles "who think they want to live the gangster life.""The Bounty Hunter Bloods has only brought destruction and violence to Norfolk," he said.

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Fransisco Rangel, who they say has a Sur 13 emblem tattooed on his cheek., wanted for what officers say was a gang-related slaying

Fransisco Rangel, who they say has a Sur 13 emblem tattooed on his cheek., wanted for what officers say was a gang-related slaying, jumped out of his car in the middle of the town and began firing at pursuing deputies with an assault rife.His spray of bullets killed a passenger in a nearby car - Candelario Lagunes, a 58-year-old grandfather.
In the fast and furious fusillade, one deputy was forced to fire through his windshield as the assailant approached.The toll could have been even higher. The gunman's shooting was so indiscriminate that deputies later found holes in a traffic light.The rampage paralyzed the normally peaceful East Hillsborough town. Schools were locked down. City officials canceled the annual Christmas parade scheduled that evening.Fortunately, Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies soon caught the suspect, Fransisco Rangel, who they say has a Sur 13 emblem tattooed on his cheek.The terrifying event underscores the danger gangs pose to our community.Make no mistake. The threat to Hillsborough is real. Street gangs are not just found in urban wastelands of New York, Chicago or Los Angeles.Gangs can be found throughout Hillsborough, indeed throughout the region.Sheriff David Gee says his office has identified more than 150 gangs. Some may be small and fairly innocuous, but 50 are well-organized and linked to national criminal networks. And even some of the local gangs are violent.Officials say there are at least 3,200 gang members in the region. Their crimes may range from scribbling graffiti to trying to assassinate rival drug dealers. In the last year, Hillsborough's gang unit has handled more than 200 cases.And in the last few years, there have been gang-related shootings in virtually every part of the county, including a double-homicide in Town 'N Country.One might have gotten a different impression last spring when a judge threw out most of the charges in a major case against reputed members of the Latin Kings.The defense attorney mocked the prosecutors' warnings about gangs. And even the judge seemed to dismiss the threat of the targeted gang.The judge's ruling was correct, since Tampa Police had relied on a paid informant with a lengthy criminal record who threatened individuals into attending the meeting where they were arrested.
But any conclusion that the Latin Kings, Sur 13 or other gangs are not a grave threat to the community's safety is wishful thinking.Deputies say gangs have a major role in gun trading, dope dealing and other criminal transactions.Local law enforcement officials, to their credit, take the threat seriously.Gee created a gang-monitoring unit shortly after his election four years ago and has worked with the Tampa Police Department and other law enforcement agencies to try to keep the gangs in check.When these vicious hoodlums are allowed to run wild, they can utterly destroy a neighborhood, robbing residents of their property values and personal security.
As Hillsborough Sheriff Maj. Harold Winsett, who oversees criminal investigations, says, "People don't realize how fast a community can deteriorate if they don't pay attention to the threat."Hillsborough must take every reasonable step to keep a close eye on this criminal cancer and keep it under control

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lawsuit targets nine imprisoned leaders of the 18th Street gang, including two leaders of the Mexican Mafia

The nine leaders of the 18th Street gang named in the suit are: Sergio "Tricky" Pantoja, Frank "Puppet" Martinez, Araceli "Traviesa" Bravo, Michael "Mousie" Pineda, Jose Juan "Wicked" Alvarez, Noe "Lil Duster" Chavez, Efrain "Dandy Boy" Ruiz Torres, Jose "Toro" Morales Perez and Ruben "Nite Owl" Castro.
lawsuit targets nine imprisoned leaders of the 18th Street gang, including two leaders of the Mexican Mafia, and demands civil damages on behalf of residents of two city neighborhoods. If successful, the suit would distribute proceeds from seized homes, businesses and other assets to neighborhood residents who cannot file suit themselves because they fear retaliation, prosecutors say. Los Angeles City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo"Today, we're sending a message to gang leaders across this city: If you break the law, we will not only find you, arrest you and put you behind bars, we will also take away your money, your property, your homes and your cars," City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo said. "Every penny we strip away will be returned to the neighborhoods."Delgadillo said the action is necessary because the gang leaders, even though they are in prison, collect profits from illegal "street taxes" imposed on residents of the Pico-Union and Westlake areas, where drug dealers, store owners and even ice cream vendors must pay protection.The suit seeks compensation for all property damage, property devaluation, emotional distress, personal injury, medical expenses and time in which residents could not use public parks because of gang activity.
Castro, 46, is a leader, or carnal, of the Mexican Mafia, also known as the "La Eme" prison gang. Authorities say Castro controls two cliques of the 18th Street gang -- the Shatto Park Locos and the Hoover Locos.Castro is alleged to have run those gang cliques from a federal maximum-security prison in Colorado, where he is serving multiple life terms and was recently sentenced to an additional 27 years and three months for racketeering. Prosecutors say that from behind bars, Martinez, another La Eme carnal, allegedly made as much as $40,000 a month from criminal activity. Delgadillo said that if a judgment is won against the gang leaders in civil court, legitimately acquired assets can also be garnered. He said many of the assets are concealed by relatives and will be aggressively pursued.At the home of one Martinez relative, investigators found $444,605 stashed in storage boxes and in a vacuum cleaner bag, according to Bruce Riordan, the city attorney's gang prosecutor and a former federal prosecutor of the 18th Street gang and Mexican Mafia.
"Included on the bank notes were 18th Street marks with streets and collectors' names," he said."We have come across investment in juice bars, even," Riordan said.
Another of the nine, Pantoja, owned a local tattoo parlor, Unico’s, which was shut down by prosecutors because, authorities said, it was the center of a cocaine sales operation.State officials have frozen prison accounts of some Pelican Bay State Prison inmates with large sums on the books.The gang extorts as much as 30% of the take from some businesses in and around MacArthur Park, Riordan said. A baby was killed last year in that area when, prosecutors said, gang members were threatening a business owner.City prosecutors can bring the suit thanks to a newly enacted state law, which allows them to act on behalf of members of the neighborhoods affected by gang activity and collect monetary damages awarded in specific civil actions. The law allows such actions in areas with gang injunctions. The 18th Street gang is already the subject of five gang injunctions by city prosecutors.The lawsuit involves neighborhoods covered by two of the five injunctions against the 18th Street gang. The Pico-Union neighborhood is bounded by James M. Wood Boulevard to the north, the 110 Freeway to the east, the 10 Freeway to the south and Hoover Street to the west. The Westlake neighborhood is bounded by Beverly Boulevard to the north, the 110 Freeway to the east, James M. Wood Boulevard to the south and Normandie Avenue to the west."This prosecution will make this community whole again," LAPD Deputy Chief Charlie Beck said.

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Baseball bats, pipes and knives were used in a fight late Saturday between rival gang members near the Veterans Hall

Baseball bats, pipes and knives were used in a fight late Saturday between rival gang members near the Veterans Hall, the Tehama County Sheriff's Office reported.
When officers and deputies arrived on scene the fight was over and many subjects had left the area, said a spokesperson for the Tehama County Sheriff's Office.The fight was between two major state rival gangs. The Record Searchlight doesn't name gangs.
During the fight, some members of the rival gangs used baseball bats and sticks, said the sheriff's office.One person was knifed in the throat, causing one of the other victims to intervene, leaving her cut on the arm and neck.A third victim tried to help the first two and was cut on the ear, said the sheriff's office.Elmer Figueroa, 36, suffered an abrasion and swelling to the head. Three juvenile males and one juvenile female suffered cuts and abrasions in the fight, the sheriff's office said. All the victims were treated and released from St. Elizabeth Hospital in Red Bluff.

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Brittany Vanderpool, 21, was sentenced Monday to 9 years for her role in the gang-related Spartanburg murder of John Costanza.

Brittany Vanderpool, 21, was sentenced Monday to 9 years for her role in the gang-related Spartanburg murder of John Costanza. Vanderpool is charged with accessory after the fact of a felony and obstructing justice. In court Monday, she told the judge she did not know Costanza had died, and said she wished she could change what happened. Costanza’s father told the judge he believes Vanderpool could have saved his son’s life.Spartanburg County investigators say John Costanza was found beaten to death on November, 2007 near the Canaan Point Apartment complex after he decided not to join a gang.Costanza died of hypothermia and internal injuries from the attack.Gregory Scott received a life sentence - without possibility of parole - for murder and lynching in July.Among the earlier sentences in October were DeMario Mack who got 23 years in Prison, Rico Washington was sentenced to 27 years and James McDowell’s sentence was 20 years.Christopher Foster also received 25 years in prison for the crime.

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Fransisco Rangel, 25, is suspected in the fatal shooting of Plant City resident Michael Longoria Thursday, and the wounding of a second man.

Fransisco Rangel, 25, is suspected in the fatal shooting of Plant City resident Michael Longoria Thursday, and the wounding of a second man.On Friday, deputies sent to arrest Rangel encountered him as he was driving, and a chase began. About 9:15 a.m., Rangel stopped near Strawberry Plaza and opened fire, killing Lagunes and getting away, according to the Sheriff's Office.
None of the deputies were injured, and after about a seven-hour hunt through residential Plant City, Rangel was caught. He is being held in the Orient Road Jail without bail.Carter confirmed that Rangel is a member of the Sur 13 gang, a Latino gang prominent in Plant City, Dover and West Tampa.Sheriff David Gee said tattoos led deputies to believe he was a gang member, and Carter said, "Everything that we've done in the investigation leads us to believe he was a Sur 13 member."
Sur is Spanish for "south." Sur 13 originated in the street gangs of Southern California. The number 13 indicates the 13th letter of the alphabet: M, short for Mexican Mafia prison organization, with which Sur 13 is affiliated.Gee announced in 2006 that the gang had a growing local influence. Its graffiti pops up on the outskirts of Plant City.The gang played a part in an attempted murder last month in Tampa. Three people identified as Sur 13 gang members attacked two men with glass bottles and a machete, shouting "Sur 13!" and "We're going to take you out!" a witness said.Investigators still aren't sure of the motive behind Thursday's shooting, which left Michael Longoria, 36, of Plant City, dead. Rangel also is suspected in the shooting of another man, who is in a hospital and will likely survive, Carter said. Deputies haven't released his name.Longoria's mother said she doesn't believe her son was a member of any gangs. Lupe Williams, 63, met Rangel recently, but she doesn't think he was a close friend of her son's. She has no idea why he would have shot Longoria, who left behind five children, ages 14, 11, 9, 7 and 3.Longoria grew up in a migrant family that worked in the fields from North Carolina to Florida until settling in Plant City in the early 1990s, Williams said. Longoria got his high school diploma, even though it was tough going to school while working, she said. "He was a hard worker," she said.Longoria has a long list of arrests, mostly drug-related, and a one-year prison stay in 2004. His mother conceded he sometimes got into trouble because "he'd hang out with some of the wrong people," but she insisted he was good at heart.
Now, her son won't pop over for dinner anymore, and she won't be able to do his laundry, which she did even though he didn't live with her. "He's my baby, so I never cared," she said.

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largest gang in Framingham is the Kendall Street Thugs, with approximately 56 members

largest gang in Framingham is the Kendall Street Thugs, with approximately 56 members, Ferguson said.That group has been particularly active in the drug trade since their inception in 1998, and have recently merged with the Southsides, another downtown street gang. They are known to assault those who resist joining the gang.During the presentation, Ferguson showed several photos, both taken by police and others found on Myspace, of KST members hanging out during the Boston Marathon.
"They often come out when we're dealing with the marathon because they know we're busy," Ferguson said.Other local gangs include the recently-discovered Deuces, who have 20 known members.The leader of the gang, who was not identified at the meeting, is a former member of the Asian Boyz, a Lowell gang, who came to Framingham and started his own gang, Ferguson said.National gangs include the Latin Kings (28 members), the Bloods (nine members), the Crips (one member), SUR-13 (13 members), MS-13 (four members) and a Brazilian gang made up of several smaller gangs (40 members).Several photos of local members wearing gang colors, or flashing gang hand-signs and displaying gang tattoos were displayed, as well as photos of gang graffiti.
The membership numbers are only estimates, the deputy chief said. It is possible there are other members.Gangs are not anything new in town. Motorcycle gangs have always gone through Framingham, and street gangs such as the Sax Gang and the 5-0s were popular during the 70s."Since I have been a child, there have been gangs," said Ferguson. "Here in Framingham, we've been very proactive, and even one gang member is one too many."The key, Ferguson said, is finding potential gang members before they join the gangs."We identify wannabes," he said. "If you don't address the problem, they will become going-to-bes."Ferguson said the police work with schools to try to identify at-risk youths, such as those with older siblings in gangs, and try to steer them away from the lifestyle.The police department also uses the street crimes unit, as well as crime analysis, to determine gang hot spots and try to keep gangs in check, Ferguson said."What you have to keep in mind is it's not against the law to be in a gang," he said.During questioning, one resident asked about the police hiring Brazilian officers. Police Chief Steven Carl said the department has offered jobs to two Brazilians, dependent on them completing the police academy.
Another audience member asked about how to prevent a child from joining a gang.
"Children join gangs because it's a social activity, because something is missing at home," said Carl. "The best thing to do is to talk to them."Marcos Contreras, co-chairman of MICAH, said gangs are a big concern for the Brazilian community and meetings last night with police are good for learning about gangs, as well as building trust with police."We're not just a little group," said Contreras. "It's important to look at immigrants as an organized group. Everyone here wants to live in a good Framingham."

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Bloody rivalry in Halifax played out between drug gangs

Bloody rivalry in Halifax between drug gangs that has seen shots ring out in front of a children's hospital and another hospital's emergency department forced into lockdown twice in two weeks.The police department says it has devoted unprecedented resources into investigating the series of incidents, which also involves shots fired at a pizza parlour in nearby Spryfield."We have seen violence in the drug trade before," said Const. Jeff Carr. "The difference this time is that they've brought their dispute into very public places, which is alarming."Police haven't said how many officers they've dedicated to a team trying to clamp down on two groups that have been waging a turf war in the suburban community of Spryfield for more than three years.It has been reported by local media outlets that the feud involves two families and associates implicated in a number of firebombings and shootings that have plagued the community of about 11,000 people since 2006.
Halifax Regional Police Chief Frank Beazley held a news conference on Nov. 19 to discuss the trouble and his department's response to it. Without naming the groups or individuals involved, he said the release of one man - Jimmy Melvin Jr., 26, - triggered the recent spate of violence that started with multiple shots fired outside the pizza shop in Spryfield and then outside the IWK Health Centre.
"That gentleman certainly has an influence on a group of people that are actively involved in criminal activity in our city," he said in reference to Melvin after his release from prison.Melvin Jr. was released Nov. 14 after spending time in prison while awaiting charges on robbery, assault and weapons offences.He was freed after witnesses changed their stories about a home invasion in 2007. Outside court, the Crown said it had to withdraw the charges because there was no chance of a conviction.Days later, his father, who served more than 10 years in prison on drug trafficking and assault convictions, was the target of multiple gunshots that tore through the pizza outlet on a busy street in the area.No one was hurt, but police say the incident signalled a renewal of hostilities between the groups vying for territory in the drug trade.The following day, another man was injured when multiple shots were fired in front of the IWK Health Centre, stunning people who had never seen the violence seep into such public places."It gives it a visibility that is quite singular," said Donald Clairmont, director of the Atlantic Institute of Criminology at Dalhousie University in Halifax."And some of these people can't shoot straight, so when they try to shoot the other guy they often imperil peaceful citizens. That makes it a very serious problem."Melvin was shot Thursday outside an apartment building in the area, but was taken to hospital with what were said to be non life-threatening injuries.Police were reportedly doing surveillance on Melvin at the time, but didn't witness the shooting. They later arrested four people at two locations after setting up a roadblock.On Friday night, police said three of the four men they had taken into custody as persons of interest in their investigation had been released without charges being laid. The fourth man has had his parole revoked.Hospital officials confirmed that Melvin was being treated there and that they had restricted access to the emergency department to ensure patient and physician safety.Coun. Stephen Adams, who represents the area, said people in the community are feeling a greater sense of unease as they watch the violence play out on their streets.He remembers the string of firebombings in 2006 that were reportedly sparked by the shooting death of a 21-year-old who was an alleged member of one of the rival gangs."It is spilling into areas that were generally taboo," Adams said Friday, adding that there has been a heavy, noticeable police presence in the community since the shooting outside the children's hospital."People see it as an internal issue, but of course it's got to be in the back of their minds that this is happening."Carr said police are monitoring people thought to be affiliated with the groups and are investigating the most recent incident to try to bring them before the courts. But he concedes they've had trouble in the past coaxing people to come forward and talk.#At the news conference last month, Beazley assured residents that the department is concentrating efforts on the case involving "two groups of individuals involved in the local drug trade.""The fact that they have brought their conflict into very public places is of great concern to us," he said.Still, Clairmont described the groups as middle to low-level drug gangs that don't maintain the same discreet profile of larger, well-organized criminal outfits."None of these guys are terribly successful.

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Peter Limone, 74, of Medford, was charged with 12 counts of attempted extortion, loan-sharking and illegal gaming.

Peter Limone, 74, of Medford, was charged with 12 counts of attempted extortion, loan-sharking and illegal gaming. He’s accused of running a ring of bookmakers who took bets on sporting events and charging other bookmakers to work on his turf in the Boston area and Middlesex County.Limone spent more than three decades in prison for a 1965 gangland murder that he didn’t commit. He won part of a $101.7 million civil judgment last year after a federal judge found that Boston FBI agents withheld evidence they knew could prove that he and three other men weren’t involved in the killing.Attorney Juliane Balliro argued Limone should be released on bail, citing his wrongful conviction and decades behind bars.“No defendant in the Commonwealth is as deserving of the presumption of innocence as Mr. Limone,” Balliro said.
After spending the night in jail, Limone smiled and waved at his wife as he was arraigned on the new charges Friday. He stayed in a small room off the courtroom while the charges against him were read.“I’m feeling good,” he said as he left Middlesex Superior Court after posting $5,000 bail. He declined to comment on the charges, which carry sentences from two to 15 years and $35,000 in fines.
Three other men who also arrested in the gaming scheme pleaded innocent: Joseph DiPrizio, who allegedly ran the organization’s central booking office; Thomas Palladino, who allegedly handled payments and collections; and Anthony Squillante, who authorities said served as an intermediary between Palladino and Limone.
Limone charged tens of thousands of dollars in rent to four bookmakers who wanted to operate within Limone’s territory, and took in hundreds of thousands of dollars in gambling funds, prosecutors said.

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Eugene “South Side Gene” Flores said he had to help shoot Jesse “Pelon” Guevara in August 2004 or he would have been killed himself.

member of the Mexican Mafia pleaded guilty to racketeering-conspiracy charges Friday and admitted killing a fellow gang member he said he didn’t even know. In a plea deal, he got 25 years in prison. Under questioning by U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia, Eugene “South Side Gene” Flores said he had to help shoot Jesse “Pelon” Guevara in August 2004 or he would have been killed himself. Guevara’s body was dumped on Senior Road in rural southwestern Bexar County. “It was the position I was put in at the time,” Flores said, referring to orders from gang leaders.
Flores’ plea agreement says the leadership ordered Jesse “Low” Ozuna, Michael “VL” Badillo and Flores to carry out the killing because Guevara had disrespected the gang. Badillo has pleaded guilty for his role and is awaiting sentencing. Ozuna is awaiting trial in an FBI racketeering case that targeted 34 members of the prison-based gang.

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Reputed Gambino crime family soldier Joseph Chirico won't serve a single day in prison: He was sentenced to six months' house arrest

Brooklyn restaurateur got a slap on the wrist for laundering Mafia money Friday - with a little help from friends like Borough President Marty Markowitz.Reputed Gambino crime family soldier Joseph Chirico won't serve a single day in prison: He was sentenced to six months' house arrest - and can spend 10 hours a day at his Marco Polo restaurant in Carroll Gardens - without even wearing an ankle bracelet.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Brownell said Chirico passed $1,500 in tribute money from a mob associate to another Gambino soldier. "Organized crime has been a curse, especially in counties like Brooklyn and Queens," Brownell argued. Federal Judge Jack Weinstein gave Chirico a tongue-lashing for swearing an oath to the Mafia - but let him off after Chirico's lawyer read glowing letters from Markowitz and former Brooklyn beep Howard Golden. Weinstein, who has sentenced scores of Gambinos in the past year, said he always slammed inducted members with more severe sentences.
He said he was swayed because of Chirico's character and defense lawyer Joseph Benfante's argument that jailing him would mean closing the restaurant and putting 25 people out of work. "Being connected with this gang has been useful in his business, he's looked up to, unfortunately, with respect," Weinstein said. A spokesman for Markowitz declined to comment on Chirico's mob ties. Chirico, who declined to speak at his sentencing, had faced six to 12 months in prison under federal guidelines. Meanwhile, Weinstein also sentenced the late Gambino boss John Gotti's brother Vincent and nephew Richard to 97 months in prison for conspiring to murder a Howard Beach bagel store owner suspected of having an affair with Vincent's wife

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