. Los Angeles Countys top watchdog says in a report released Monday that substantial evidence exists that a secretive group of tattooed deputies at the East L.A. Orange says that Gray told himhe was beaten by several deputies. Sgt. As described by Huntsman, the Executioners David Infante was a lieutenant as recently as 2019. A look at years past when snows creeped into our citified neighborhoods, away from the mountains and foothills. LAist is part of Southern California Public Radio, a member-supported public media network. According to Lopezs complaint, the employees who had been moved as a result of her complaint were returned to the East LA station on December 27, 2012, without her receiving prior notification. the F.B.I. Based on the information that I have, that is incorrect. She had no investigators. Instead of assisting Contreras, Perez and Rojas drove by and mocked him, according to the complaint. A number of the allegations in At least four secret cliques or gangs of sheriffs deputies with names like the Banditos and the Executioners continue to operate and recruit within the L.A. Internal Affairs investigator Eric Barron, allegedly a member of the Regulators, argued with plaintiff Deputy Mario Contreras counsel that the Banditos conduct did not constitute racial discrimination, because Latinos were targeting other Latinos. Current deputies out of the East Los Angeles station say the existence of gangs within law enforcement has been a problem in the area. Orange says he doesnt think Lacey was interested in prosecuting police officers. Those allegations accused the Banditos and their associates of harassing fellow deputies who dont support them, creating a hostile workplace, and planting evidence. She signed up to take the sergeants exam to seek a promotion in July 2013, but was unable to take it because of continued harassment, despite her not coming into the station regularly. Art Hernandezs lawsuit charges that there is a video which shows members of the Banditos gathered at the station following the fight, preparing a cover story together. Alene Tchekmedyian is an investigative reporter at the Los Angeles Times. We believe when reliable local reporting is widely available, the entire community benefits. Several videos taken at the scene show him standing several feet away from the car until he is arrested and taken into custody. And that was on purpose because they had failed in their job to lead the station.. People familiar with the schism described it to Knock LA as similar to the movie American Me (1992), which depicts the creation of the Mexican Mafia: Valdez was pushed out of the gang by younger, more aggressive deputies. However, he and Deputy Louis Granados reported harassment that they had observed at the hands of Banditos to Captain (then Lieutenant) Richard Mejia. The claim states that Captain Mejia wrote a memo in June of 2018 to the County recommending an investigation into the Banditos. Gray was detained again on October 15, 2012. In March and April 2018, two of the plaintiffs, deputies Louis Granados and Benjamin Zaredini, were "alarmed by the increasingly hostile and violent nature" of the Banditos' activities, the lawsuit states. Soon afterwards, Zaredini was removed as an FTO and lost his bonus pay. assertions made in legal claims filed in March and May She immediately began to experience chest pains and shortness of breath, and was diagnosed with a stress-induced pre-heart attack condition. Traditionally, once deputy gang membership reaches 100, a new group is introduced. No one had any knowledge of that name, Villanueva said. Those who do not are pushed out. The lawsuit describes in detail how members of the "Banditos" clique allegedly control station operations. However, the claim states the memo only focused on Munozs harassment and intentionally downplayed the role of the gang in the stations operation. Villanueva has said hes the first sheriff to have implemented a policy that prohibits membership in illicit groups. Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. Villanueva has generally downplayed the problem, saying cliques are nothing more than "hazing run amok" and "intergenerational rivalry. LASD has never thoroughly investigated allegations of gang corruption, and this case is no exception, Huntsman told The Times. 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"Pretty much they were calling the shots, they were dictating the decisions of the station and that has a very bad outcome obviously," he said. 2023 Southern California Public Radio - All Rights Reserved, assertions made in legal claims filed in March and May, A Los Angeles Family Seeks Answers And Accountability After Black Mom Dies In Childbirth, A Brief History Of Why It Does Occasionally Snow In LA. Instead, it issued this statement: Sheriff Alex Villanueva was the first sheriff in the history of LASD to implement a strict policy prohibiting cliques and sub-cultures, and he has repeatedly demonstrated his commitment to transparency and accountability.. Gonzalez was transferred to the Norwalk Station, but no action was taken against the sergeants. Deputy Zaredini was allegedly left without backup for most of the summer of 2018 under the direction of Munoz, Eldemira Parra, Andrea Villa, and Claudia Perez. While under oath in a deposition, Rauno confirmed that he sent the message to the group. Lieutenant Eric Simpson allegedly buried the memo under the orders of Chief Bobby Denham. But after Captain William Jaeger was named in the lawsuit, the write-up was resurrected and escalated to an Internal Affairs investigation. Lopez was later contacted by ALADS union representative Julie Patrelli, who told her that East LA Captain James Wolak was willing to send Lopez to Cerritos Station. Gonzalez filed a lawsuit against the County in April 2016. On patrol, they operated in the gray areas of law enforcement. Following her complaint to Chavez, Internal Affairs opened an investigation into the matter, resulting in a two-day suspension. At at Civilian Oversight Commission meeting in May, Villanueva said the Banditos clique no longer exists at East L.A. station. 17 New Defendants Identified in Ongoing Suit Against the Banditos and LASD, deputy gang at the East Los Angeles Station. Will It Solve The Problem? Lopez told Patrelli that she would go anywhere except for East LA. Took his hands and bent them up so far behind his back that you could see his fingers behind his ears and he tore his shoulder. The report falsely described Gray as trying to open the door of the patrol vehicle. She previously covered the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, focusing on accountability stories and writing about failures by officials to comply with transparency laws. The Banditos are at least the third gang to emerge from the East LA Station. Youve got people who rigged internal affairs bureau investigations, Miller told LAist. Around August 4, 2014, Gonzalez filed a formal grievance against Sergeant Peter Hish, an alleged Banditos member, and Sergeant Joel Flores, an admitted tattooed member of the gang, alleging that she was subjected to gender discrimination. Deputy gangs have existed within the LASD for at least 50 years. Later he was asked: To your knowledge, you were not brought in to quell the Banditos situation, correct?. The other plaintiff deputies continued to face harassment from Banditos associates. The new defendants include two commanders, three captains, two lieutenants and 41 deputies, according to plaintiffs attorney Vincent Miller. The lawsuit says Banditos are given preferred parking spots at the station and collect taxes from young deputies, including through a recent fundraiser to help four of them pay for legal expenses related to these claims. In response to questions from The Times earlier this month, Villanueva said the Sheriffs Departments investigation into the Compton Executioners led to two terminations and 13 transfers out of the station. We are dedicated to providing independent journalism and telling the real story of LA. She contacted the Back to Work Unit but was told they could not help her, and advised her to contact the station Director. This method of punishment is known as freeway therapy. Zaredinis transfer was allegedly denied in order to initiate another investigation into him for being stern with the trainee of Regulators associate Deputy Karla Sepulveda, resulting in a two-day suspension. Banditos "intentionally fail to provide back-up during emergency situations and other dangerous calls to purposely place deputies in dangerous circumstances," the suit says. More LA Sheriffs Officials Accused of Misconduct in Banditos Instead, the defendants face the allegations previously laid out in the lawsuit. The memo included an anonymous letter detailing the Banditos wrongdoings. The charges were dismissed at a pre-trial hearing by the prosecutor after reviewing the cell phone video of Grays arrest. The same crew also allegedly hatched a plan to overload deputies who did not obey the Banditos with emergency calls. There are 30 alleged members of the Executioners operating from the Compton station. It also alleges that the Banditos once secretly removed ammunition from another deputys shotgun. Please exercise self-care and check in with yourself before choosing to read. If you're enjoying this article, you'll love my daily morning newsletter, How To LA. Excerpts of Chavezs testimony were made public as part of a lawsuit brought by eight deputies who say they were routinely harassed by a gang of predominantly Latino deputies who have matching tattoos of a skeleton outfitted with a sombrero, bandolier and pistol. She'd gone into the pregnancy with a plan, knowing Black mothers like herself were at higher risk. Current leaders include Rafael Rene Munoz AKA Big Listo, Gregory G-Rod Rodriguez, David Silver Silverio, Michael Bam Bam Hernandez, Silvano Cholo Garcia, Vincent Moran, and Raymond Mendoza, who call themselves shot callers. Just a few days later she was summoned into the Watch Commanders Office by Sergeants Hish and Florence, who were not her supervisors. The lawsuit alleges Sgt. ", Villanueva did Romero offered Lopez a transfer in response, which she didnt think she deserved as she had done no wrong. Lieutenant David Infante, who previously worked at the East LA station and knew about the complaint, made it known to Lopezs supervising Sergeant, Veronica De La Rosa, that he didnt want Lopez at Century Station. But I dont think she had a choice on this one because the video and the report were all over the news and the internet [she] wasnt interested in winning the case in my opinion. The expanded lawsuit comes amid increasing scrutiny of how Villanueva, who began his career at the East L.A. Station, has addressed the longstanding problem of deputy subgroups. Gang culture is reinforced by older employees who reward newer recruits who subscribe to it. Gray was charged and prosecuted for intentionally obstructing a law enforcement officer from performing their duties. Smith says that current Sheriff Alex Villanueva reached out to Gonzalez after taking office and assisted her with study for the Sergeants exam. But Villanueva limited the investigation into the attack at the party, saying only the actions of individual deputies would be examined -- not the Banditos as a whole. He ended up fiercely resisting oversight and clashing with watchdogs and the rest of the countys political establishment. Her case settled for $1 million in 2019. It was never used on the department at all. . The current undersheriff, Tim Murakami, has a "Cavemen" tattoo, according to the lawsuit. It asserts that the special unit members "showed up just in time to kill the perpetrator before he could murder their fellow deputy.". Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva was elected on the promise of reforming the scandal-plagued sheriffs department. She even contends that Hish manipulated her score in order to keep her from moving up in rank. In a retaliation lawsuit filed by a sheriffs lieutenant, a deputy associated with the Executioners testified last month that he had participated in deciding who could get a tattoo and had attended seven so-called inking parties. Angelica Estrada, one of the few female associates of the Banditos and a woman who wielded tremendous influence at the station, "went over Mejia's head" to the captain at the time and then-Chief Bob Denham to block any discipline of the Banditos. Every weekday, you'll get fresh, community-driven stories that catch you up with our independent local news. According to the complaint, Mendoza also conducted personal business while on duty and ordered her to do his work. "Other taxes take the form of sexual favors from female deputies," according to the complaint. To support our non-profit public service journalism: In late December 2011, an on-duty Lopez reported to a priority call. Gonzalez developed high blood pressure and a heart condition which led to her removal from the field. It says Banditos denied them backup, Granados was denied a promotion he had earned and Zaredini was stripped for a time of his position as a training officer. Heres everything you need to know about coyotes in Los Angeles County. Chief Bobby Denham moved to initiate a fake investigation into the attack. The disciplinary letters stemmed from an internal investigation into an East L.A. Sheriff's Station clique called "The Banditos," accused of operating like a gang. This should be emblematic that policies that allegedly ban deputies from joining gangs will not fix this problem., Solis added that these deputies "cause havoc and harm" and only traumatize the community instead of helping and serving it. Just a few months later, Deputy Gregory Rodriguez made one final attempt to recruit Deputy Mario Contreras to the gang. Several members of the Banditos showed up, which was uncommon, according to court documents. Leaders, known as "shot-callers," determined deputies' hours, promotions, even days off. The lawsuit claims the department is "permeated by criminal gang culture" beyond the Banditos. To make sure you get our coverage: Lieutenant Eric Smitson allegedly confronted Hernandez and pressured him to lie and say the attack at Kennedy Hall had been an isolated, drunken two-way altercation. Sheriff Alex Villanueva also repeated that claim to Captain William Jaeger, Chief Kelly Porowski, and investigators Jeff Chow, Vincent Choi, Jeff Hamil, and Scott Chapman. alleging the existence of a criminal gang of deputies called the Banditos at the departments East L.A. Station. Huntsman told The Times that about a third of the 41 deputies on his list admitted that they had tattoos or belonged to the groups; the rest were identified by other sworn personnel in statements to sheriffs investigators. 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