Gratton was shirtless, a large Nuestra Familia tattoo visible in bold letters across his back. I am just as dangerous as they are.. only to sell records. They sat by and watched these guys pick each other off one by one. According to motions filed by Zilversmit, at least two other alleged Nuestra Familia members were attacked while the feds were listening in. The former leaders include James "Tibbs" Morado, Joseph "Pinky" Hernandez, Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba, Cornelio Tristan, and Tex Marin Hernandez. s success filtered back up to Pelican Bay, and Gratton began receiving frequent letters from his boss, Gerald Cuete Rubalcaba. Since his first arrest, hes produced a new CD nearly every month. January 22,2001 Rocha did not seem to understand the reason for the arrest or the charge. Brown Bob brought it on himself., It was just like the Nuestra Familia constitution said: Blood In, Blood Out., By the time Lizard exited Pelican Bay, prison guards had nicknamed Nuestra Familia The Blooming Flower for its astonishing growth. They were operating a sophisticated shop, gang expert Lewis said. Lizard said that during that time, he heard two Norteos disrespecting Smileys name and took the initiative to stab them both. The guys I played with didnt care Norteo, Sureo, or what side you were on. The immediate and constant communication strengthened the gang. He has since repudiated his former gang life, and spends his time writing and speaking to law enforcement gatherings about prison gangs. For penance, Cuete was allegedly ordered to write an essay on the consequences of being a gossip. Cuete was among the final holdouts. And the transfer led to internal power struggles played out in the streets, police say. Were going to take care of it tonight., But then he talked about looking the other way. He told his carnal, We got more on the table than just a fight for powder. Eager to shore up his status in Nuestra Familia, Lizard said, he soon stabbed Sureo Rudolpho Castillo in the throat, nearly killing him. But one day on the yard, he was approached by Juan Nato Gurule, a long-lost cousin from the East Bay. Helton checked out Grattons business licenses, and learned of Sir Dynos involvement through the music distributor. It wasnt quite the impression he wanted to make. It remains to be seen ultimately whether this prosecution was warranted, he said in accepting the guilty pleas. In his FBI interrogation, Gratton never makes it clear whether Sir Dyno knew he was rapping for the mob, or that North Star Records had been set up to launder money. For the next three months, he made his bones among Norteos by slashing Sureo inmates, brothers hed once shouldered with. And all are charged with substantive crimes: drug sales and possession, murder, and so on. Cuete and Lizard proved just how far their reach extended in early 1999. Once that dried, the correspondent would write another letter in ink on the page, but the recipient knew to hold it up to the light to read the real message. Lizard said Cuete asked him to establish a line of communication that couldnt be detected by guards. His bike frame was made by Dyno, so the kids at school called him Dyno Dave. By the time he turned twenty, though, youthful angst had sunk in, and Too $hort cassettes found a home in Dyno Daves music box. It was a hell of an audience to keep waiting. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Lizard had made other deals, too. Its estimated for every NF member, there are seven La Eme. On January 24, 2001, at the FBIs prodding, Lizard hosted a junta for local underbosses at a Motel 6 in Tracy. When you turn your back on all of that. Lizard and the government deny this accusation. I can get a gun and go down and do it, he boasted. When Lizard asked Goose about protection for the rings, the underling said, Ill produce the manpower [and] the weapons to facilitate our needs and firepower to lay the motherfuckers down.. He is also a consultant to a number of law enforcement agencies and prosecutors in this ever-changing war against gang violence. CD, Sir Dyno says. Then, several weeks later, a Pelican Bay investigator intercepted a letter penned by Lizard to one of his superiors. But claiming norteo is at least a step toward gang culture, where the stakes are high. He wanted gang members to start cooking the drug themselves. I didnt know the guy was selling drugs, too. Not only was there one less Sureo, but Lizard also showed a knack for attacking without detection. Lizard and Nato were both soon paroled. finds relevant news, identifies important training information, I know theres some things you dont ask., Dyno claims thats the moment he realized hed been duped and would never see his cash. 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. Even though hed participated in many stabbings and beatings in prison, hed avoided detection for most of his crimes. OUR PUBLICATIONSCannabis ChronicleEast BayGilroy DispatchGood Times Santa CruzHollister Free LanceKing City RustlerMarin Pacific SunMetro Silicon ValleyMorgan Hill TimesNorth Bay BohemianPress BannerSalinas Valley TribuneSouth ValleyWatsonville Pajaronian, ADVERTISINGAdvertiseLegal NoticesObituariesSponsored ContentWriting An ObituarySubmit an Obituary, COMPANY INFOJob OpportunitiesPrivacy Policy. 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. Nuestra Familia's new leadership General: David "DC" Cervantes Top Commanders: Daniel "Stork" Perez, of Salinas; Anthony "Chuco" Guillen, of San Jose; George "Puppet" Franco, of San Jose Demoted: Jose "Huerito" Gonzalez; James "Conejo" Perez Copyright 2008 Monterey County Herald. I fear no man, he said. Till Eternity which most people simply call the G.U.N. Henry Happy Cervantes spoke to Lizard alone. They didnt care about agendas like that.. Using racketeering statutes to bust the organized crime ring, the indictment carried six charges of murder or attempted murder, as well as charges of assault, conspiracy, drug trafficking, and arms dealing. slated for Sept. 13 in San Francisco, is Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba The idea was that rap music could unite and galvanize young Norteo soldiers across the state, and it did. If he stayed in Corcoran, hed have to watch his back for young Norteos. F. FuckScrapz209. As he awaits his new sentence, Lizard also awaits his new identity. In the aftermath of Operation Black Widow, the five highest-ranking leaders of Nuestra Familia, James "Tibbs" Morado, Joseph "Pinky" Hernandez, Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba, Cornelio Tristan, and Tex Marin Hernandez, were transferred to the United States Penitentiary, Florence ADX, the federal supermax prison in Colorado. Holguin and his team came up empty that night. Lizard was then ordered to make a move on Jeremiah Ruiz, a Nuestra Familia dropout. But Lizards exploits show how prison policies adopted to control gangs such as Nuestra Familia may actually have helped them bloom. According to grand jury testimony from family members, Bobs wife was just about to call him in for dinner when a Ford Explorer pulled up to the curb. On the back cover, he stands next to Gratton, flashing XIV signs. He said that was where he picked up the nickname Lizard, from friends who admired his clandestine nature.. He was arrested by investigator Tim Helton for selling and transporting meth. According to grand jury testimony, Lizard sent a coded letter that eventually reached Antonio Chuco Guillen just before he was paroled from San Quentin. Regardless, the compilation had limited success, and never took off like the G.U.N. His alleged crime is conspiracy in other words, simply having associated with the men sitting beside him. I also learned the informant was skimming money from the Nuestra Familia street leaders and not reporting this to me.. During his time with Nuestra Raza, Gratton learned the boot camp basics: how to make shanks, decode letters, and memorize the NF Constitution. He told his commander that hed received an order from Cuete to kill two deputy district attorneys, a husband and wife team in San Jose named Kitty and Charles Constantinides. A few weeks later, the rapper signed a new contract with Dog Day Records and quickly released an album called Gang Stories. They knew I had them., He still hasnt been reunited with his family. Together, Nato and Lizard robbed drug dealers, committed petty crimes, and raised funds for their carnals back inside. I didnt realize lyrics could be taken so seriously, he now says, claiming that he rapped for shock value on G.U.N. He rapped about how much money hed make, how famous hed get, how many women he could tag, how many people hed shoot. But paid parking could return, in some form, this year, as the city works to pu. I was showing them everything., Today, Lizard said he flipped because he was tired of people pushing their own agendas. Three leaders soon emerged at Pelican Bay, filling the ranks of the gang's mesa, or board of directors: David "DC" Cervantes of Chino, Jose "Huerito" Gonzalez and James "Conejo" Perez. Ramirez confided to Lizard that his own boss, Heredia, who would later be Zilversmits client, wanted to go to war. What to do? To the FBIs delight, he also boasted about his existing Ecstasy ring, which was clearing a few thousand dollars a week. Its the life story of a petty hood who reached his full criminal potential only afterentering the California prison system. If they come for him, he said, he worries only for them, his enemies. Zilversmit represents Armando Suave Heredia, a gang member arrested for ordering a successful hit on Salinas heroin dealer Ray Sanchez. In the eyes of the law, that would make Sir Dyno a real-life gangster. We aint gonna whack no prosecuting attorney, Lizard said. Sir Dyno had only been to jail once, following his drug arrest. They were, according to the government, members of Nuestra Familia, Northern Californias most notorious and ruthless prison gang. He was born in Pittsburg, which made him a Norteo by birth. That was their fuck-up. This time, Goose brought bar charts to show drug production and expected net profits. When the cheerleading coach broke the news to Katrina Kohel that she was the only one left on the cheer squad, Kohel was determined to compete anyway. He folded up the missive, stuck it to a piece of gum, and dangled it into Smileys cell using a thread of elastic hed plucked from his waistband. Gratton, meanwhile, had Sir Dyno write out a business plan, which offers a glimpse of the rappers instinct to use shock value to boost sales: By releasing G.U.N. All rights reserved. Lizard returned to the Bay Area and worked closely with FBI Agent Sean Ragan. Up to that point, Lizard had identified himself as a Sureo, but only when pressed. On seven of the CDs fourteen tracks, Sir Dyno raps as hired: Hes a heartless gangsta with a nihilistic agenda. The more shock you had in your raps, at the time, the more you sold. But a year into the case, the governments complaint against Sir Dyno shifted course. 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. You wouldnt isolate an inmate and make him a target for the other side., But some criminologists now acknowledge that this practice strengthened the gangs. He tested positive, violating a federal policy that informants remain drug-free while working for the government. Hes had plenty of time to contemplate. His father sold vacuum cleaners; his mother was a housewife. Rapper David Rocha thought a norteo gangsta CD was his ticket to glory -- not life in prison. On Daddys Home, instead of the stone-cold thug who whacks his way through the streets, Sir Dyno raps about what he truly is: a 31-year-old father facing a life sentence for the choices he made years earlier. In early 1998, fellow La Mesa heavyweight Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba ordered Viramontes dead. [21] They spent the next two days debriefing their new informant. Latinos, although initially thrown together, had to choose Norteo or Sureo. He kept a stable of flashy cars, but favored a cherried-out 1969 Impala with a vanity license plate that read NORTENO.. I was ready to go, he recalled. Hes turned his attention to rapping about what he knows, rather than what he fantasizes. The job seemed like a good fit. So far as you can trust anyone in a gang, hed trusted Cuete. Outside prison walls, the reach and violence of Nuestra Familia had only grown. Theres nothing to prepare. They made their beds, and so did Bob. Ramiro Goose Garcia from Stockton complained that the gang wasnt sufficiently exploiting the Central Valley drug market. Nuestra Familia members in the Secured Housing Unit kept to a punishing daily regimen of crunches and push-ups, followed by makeshift weightlifting with a barbell fashioned from pillow cases filled with books and magazines. The cases were spread across Northern California. None of these other [Nuestra Familia members] have a thing to say about [Sir Dyno], Manson says. Its just the way it is, Sir Dyno says. who joined the FBI and other agencies in an investigation of street Police surmise that the order was responsible for many of the shootings in Salinas in 2007, which increased by 50 percent over 2006 levels. Lizard is unapologetic about his behavior, even today. And there was ghosting a letter: using a Q-Tip to swab milk or urine to write out orders on a piece of paper. But at the time, it seemed like the right thing to do. And when that rhyme ran out, as it usually does, he went where other rappers go to make up for the sudden loss of material: He started making shit up. Lizard claimed Norteo. Of course, once the hit list is reactivated, Lizard knows that his name will sit at the very top. He was as bright and loyal as they came, so Cuete could trust him.. In the aftermath of Operation Black Widow, the five highest-ranking leaders of Nuestra Familia, James "Tibbs" Morado, Joseph "Pinky" Hernandez, Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba, Cornelio Tristan, and Tex Marin Hernandez, were transferred to the United States Penitentiary, Florence ADX, the federal supermax prison in Colorado. The case grew out of information developed by Santa Rosa Police, Maybe hed give me one hundred bucks to shut me up, or fifty bucks to shut me up, he says, or gas money or something.. Request a quote for the most accurate & reliable non-lethal training, Get Curious Before Getting Furious: How Cynicism Impacts Behavior On Scene, Authorities say Nuestra Familia's revisions mean more violence in streets By Julia ReynoldsThe Monterey County HeraldMONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. Monterey County's deadliest gang has new leadership and a new constitution, forcing changes that law enforcement officers say is translating to increased violence in the streets. He seems likely to face civil and/or criminal penalties for what appears to be at best mismanagement and at worst blatant corruption that. Violence was averted in those cases, Gruel said. Jan 27, 2005. "He's trying to regroup these guys. Under the federal RICO laws used to indict criminal organizations like Nuestra Familia, anyone who knowingly associates with one member of a gang becomes part of it and if the gang goes down, so does he. The unit requires pin-drop silence from its inmates. 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.. Prosecutors say the The CD includes Nuestra Familia artwork and a statement that the success of this project has resulted from true Norteo unity we applaud the Carnalismo we would also like to give a special thanks to our family [emphasis theirs] and all the warriors. Trial witness R.G. That report, based on information from another snitch, revealed that Cuete was demoted by the generals to the lowest rank for skimming funds and gossiping. Look for a box or option labeled Home Page (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari) or On Startup (Chrome). After the informant completed his undercover work, I discovered that the informant had engaged in unauthorized drug deals, Agent Ragan wrote. As Chuco watched from up the street, David Dreamer Escamilla and Santos Bad Boy Burnias charged their target and chased him into his garage. Days later, Big Smiley sent Lizard his own wilas, as well as books on Chicano history. Not just in rap, but everywhere. Later, when Heltons team arrested an alleged Nuestra Familia member named Vidal Spider Fabela during a traffic stop, they found G.U.N. 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. For that reason, he explains, he turned to dealing methamphetamine. I didnt care, he said later. had pulled down between $50,000 and $80,000. He told them about the codes, the phony law firm, the bank accounts. He makes drug deals here, he caps sureos there, he disses cops everywhere, all of it in the name of norteo supremacy. He was still using meth and heroin, on-again off-again pleasures hed picked up back in Pittsburg. Symbols and culture uncovered a hierarchy at Pelican Bay State Prison responsible for Nuestra Familia (Spanish for "our family") is a criminal organization of Mexican American (Chicano) prison gangs with origins in Northern California. And I was part of that policy. By 1965, Sureos outnumbered Norteos by roughly seven to one inside the prison system. Over the next four years, Lizard and Cuete masterminded and penned more than three thousand letters, according to an FBI report. I fear no organization. It gives you a sense of purpose. Again, he uses a kernel of truth to anchor his rhyme, and a metaphor to exaggerate his reality. Theyre dwarfed by La Eme, but decided to become highly organized.. Thats who I am. Inside his Tracy home, he sits comfortably against the oversize cushions on his fluffy couch, with his baby daughter rocking to sleep a few feet away. According to prison officials, gang leaders could arrange such deals by offering to keep the peace. Or better yet, two prosecuting attorneys., Cervantes persisted. Along with Crooked and other Bay Area rhymers, the Darkroom Familia took off as a twelve-member supergroup, touring across the West on their own dime, all of them touting the street thug lifestyle. 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. He reiterated that he told Martinez clearly: no bloodshed., How could I order the hit? he asked. Sir Dyno wanted to make a name for himself, Lewis says, so he sold his soul to the devil. 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. His teen angst surfaced one day when he threatened to kill his vice principal. Even though theyd heard about the hit in advance, FBI agents never told Sanchez he was marked for violence. One morning this past August, Sir Dyno sat in his Dodge Caravan, stuck in I-580 traffic, knowing hed be late for his court hearing in San Francisco. On one Gang Stories track about issuing payback on the cops, a voice in the background calls out Detective Ribotas name, a suggestion to watch his back. He was betraying these people hed come up with, people hed been close to. Grattons wife was the cousin of a rapper named E-Clips, who at the time was a member of Darkroom Familia. But the feds believe his relationship with Gratton ran deeper than words on wax. But since prison officials scanned all mail that wasnt legal mail, Lizards challenge was to create an even more surefire way to communicate. Inside the state prison system, norteos side with Nuestra Familias syndicates, and sureos with La Eme, aka the Mexican Mafia. Lizard says the drug was merely Vicodin, a pain reliever he took after strenuous workouts at the gym. The FBI believes the exchange earned Lizard a quick $3,600. Salinas underboss Alberto Larez estimated that over the last ten years hed sent Cuete and the generals 40, 45 thousand dollars.. 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How could he go back in with Cuete wanting him dead? As gang-on-gang violence grew in the late 1970s, prison administrators also began housing Norteos and Sureos in separate cells. The idea was to create a music CD that would appeal to young Latinos and help recruit them into the ranks of the Nortenos, the breeding ground for hate toward the soldados of the Mexican Mafia. Besides directing the tone of the project, Gratton asked to narrate the intro. But one year later, his family moved to Long Beach, the heart of Sureo country. Since the government began using the antiracketeering statutes to take down crime families in 1970, the definition of coconspirator has been legally challenged and modified several times. Fourteen of those charged in federal court in Los Angeles and Santa Ana . Hed began his criminal career as a teenage norteo gang member, pulling off smash-and-grab robberies of jewelry stores. A small minority within the gang has not transferred loyalty to Cervantes, Santa Cruz County's Morales said. He took the gangs oath, Blood in, blood out, and rose to the rank of captain within a few years. Membership. promotional posters around town and learning from a confidential informant that Robert Gratton, one of the faces on the posters, was financing North Star from meth sales. The rapper says his final meeting with Gratton occurred while the label owner was outside washing his car. And then I told him, You know who I am. Rudy Del Real and Rudolfo Quilon complete the order. Frias returned to the bar, gun tucked in his waistband, walked behind Sanchez, and fired a bullet into the base of his skull, killing him. Danny was telling me, But Im not a gang member,' Holguin said. 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. Not only had he given up his post on the street, but now theyd be suspicious that he was a narc. They werent following what NF was about, he said. In the weeks leading up to Lizards arrest, Kayln Santiagos apartment had been stormed by FBI agents. They were drooling, Lizard later wrote. But nowhere on the CD, or in the lyrics, do the words Nuestra Familia appear. On one slow-burn track, Sir Dyno raps in a stoned vibrato: Today when I got up I knew it was a good day/Got on my red shirt, Dickies, and Im on my way., After the initial press run, Gratton restocked stores with an additional 1,000 CDs. Lizard recalled feeling nothing in the aftermath of the hit. and manufacturers. In the aftermath of Operation Black Widow, the five highest-ranking leaders of Nuestra Familia, James "Tibbs" Morado, Joseph "Pinky" Hernandez, Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba, Cornelio Tristan, and Tex Marin Hernandez, were transferred to the United States Penitentiary, Florence ADX, the federal supermax prison in Colorado. Lizards initial work was flawless. I had to.. Even outside prison, members were expected to remain loyal to the gang. Robert Brown Bob Viramontes was 44 and had shared cells with Nuestra Familias founding fathers in Soledad. It probably aggravated the situation, and forced people to align, pick a side. Somewhere in between, the blend of fact and fiction amount to the truth for Sir Dyno. The largest and most feared Latino prison gang was the Sureo-based Mexican Mafia, or La Eme. One such order last year told Norte-os across Northern California to clean the streets of Sure-os. with prosecutors for reduced sentences, The Press Democrat reported But while prosecutors were assembling their final case against the gang, Lizard was drug-tested as part of the terms of his release. "There's family members still loyal to the guys in the fed," he said, referring to the exiled former generals and captains in Colorado. Sir Dyno, however, isnt charged with any individual crime, just one count of RICO conspiracy, and his connection to that crime seems to be largely related to his performance on Generations of United Norteos. If you continue to listen to them, then youll be in there for life, too.'. The Apprehension Teams scrutiny proved to be Sir Dynos downfall. They were caught up in power grabs and backstabbing. Lizard first went to prison when he was nineteen. But within a few months, Nato got pinched for robbery, and with his long rap sheet, he got 39 years. At any one time, an estimated two to three hundred members are incarcerated there, including the gangs top three generals. To the broke and ambitious rapper, the deal sounded too good to refuse. Thats when Lizard began his career as a rider an inmate prone to acting violently toward fellow inmates. But compared to allegations lobbed by San Francisco attorney Marc Zilversmit, the drug and money violations turned out to be the least of the governments worries. He returned to San Quentin in June of 1994 to begin his sentence. If he was going to hold the case together, hed need to account for his own alleged crimes as a snitch. The quickest way to get money back fast would be to release a norteo album. But recently, Lizard spoke on the phone with her, discussing their new lives. Not far from Tristan sat Rico Smiley Garcia, facing the death penalty for carrying out his bosses orders and putting two bullets in the back of Castillos head. He was more than just a studio rapper, he says. of Tulare County. From the prisons to the jails, all over California, you have to claim a side, Vasquez said. The rapper says hed press Gratton for cash, but the label owner always had an excuse. Lizard sent word to Big Smiley to corroborate this story. Lexipol. Its not easy.. Now, at 22, Frias has been sentenced to a prison term of 29 years to life for the gang-ordered execution of Raymond Sanchez at Cap's Saloon in downtown Salinas. If Lizard wanted to buy it, Silent would ask only $15,000 cash. 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. Though vastly outnumbered, Nuestra Familia distinguished itself by organizing its troops along strict paramilitary lines. 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