California Gang Member Sentenced to Life in Federal Prison for Racketeering Offenses Related to Fatal Shooting of Three-Week-Old Infant

LOS ANGELES—A member of the 18th Street criminal street gang was sentenced to life in federal prison for his conviction on racketeering offenses arising out of the September 2007 shooting of a street vendor near MacArthur Park, California, that resulted in the murder of a 23-day-old infant.
Javier Perez, 35, received a life sentence from U.S. District Judge Dean D. Pregerson. There is no parole in the federal system.
Perez was one of four defendants—all of whom were members or associates of the Columbia Lil’ Cycos clique of the 18th Street gang (the CLCS organization)—who were found guilty of federal racketeering offenses last May.
The three other defendants found guilty after last May’s trial are: Eduardo Hernandez, 35; Vladimir Iraheta, 31; and Leonidas Iraheta, 31. Judge Pregerson is scheduled to sentence those defendants on January 24 and 25.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, the CLCS organization used violence and intimidation to control narcotics distribution in an area adjoining MacArthur Park in the Westlake District of Los Angeles. Under the orders of the CLCS organization’s leadership, narcotics suppliers and street dealers paid “rent”—typically a percentage of proceeds from the sale of narcotics—in exchange for permission from the CLCS organization to sell narcotics in the organization’s territory. Those who paid rent received the exclusive authorization to sell narcotics in CLCS organization territory, as well as protection from rivals. Street vendors operating in CLCS organization territory also were required to pay “rent” to the organization in order to be allowed to sell their wares near MacArthur Park. Evidence presented at trial showed that the CLCS organization made tens of thousands of dollars a week through its collection of rent. The failure or refusal to pay rent and otherwise follow the organization’s rules would result in retribution, including acts of violence.
A street vendor who refused to make a $50 rent payment to the CLCS organization was targeted to be killed by members of the organization in a shooting on September 15, 2007. Although the man survived despite being shot four times, a 23-day-old infant sitting in a stroller next to the vendor was struck and killed.
Shortly after the failed attempt to murder the vendor and the resulting death of the child, CLCS organization leaders ordered the kidnapping and murder of the shooter in order to make amends with the Mexican Mafia. The shooter was thereafter taken to Mexico by Javier Perez—who only 10 days before had been released from prison on other charges—and other CLCS organization members, under the false premise that the shooter would hide out from the police there. Once in Mexico, the shooter was driven to a remote area, where he was strangled and his lifeless body was thrown over a cliff. Unbeknownst to the would-be killers, the shooter survived the attempt on his life. The CLCS organization associate who assisted Perez in strangling the shooter previously was convicted and sentenced to a life term of imprisonment.
The four convicted at trial were among 43 members and associates of the CLCS organization who were charged in a 2009 federal racketeering indictment that alleged acts of violence, narcotics distribution, money laundering, and various violent crimes in aid of racketeering. The charged defendants included local federal criminal defense attorney Isaac Guillen who laundered over $1.3 million in drug and extortion proceeds on behalf of the CLCS organization and Mexican Mafia member Francisco “Puppet” Martinez. Guillen is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Pregerson tomorrow.
Thirty-seven of the defendants named in the indictment have been convicted in federal court. The remaining six defendants are fugitives.
The CLCS racketeering case was investigated by the FBI and the Los Angeles Police Department.

Infant Abductions A Violent Trend Emerges

It is relatively rare for infants to be abducted by strangers. But it does happen. And recent analysis of abduction cases by the FBI suggests there are new and troubling trends for expectant parents to be aware of, including women kidnappers using violence to commit their crimes and social media to target their victims.
In April, for example, a 30-year-old Texas woman shot and killed a 28-year-old mother while kidnapping her three-day-old son from a pediatric center. The infant was recovered six hours later.

	Exercising Good Sense Online and at Home Mothers and fathers are understandably absorbed with their new babies, but they should still exercise caution and common sense when using social networking sites online: - Make sure your online privacy settings do not allow strangers—and possible offenders—to gain access to personal information such as where you plan to be with your baby at a certain time or on a certain day. Inadequate privacy settings also allow others to track your movements using embedded information in pictures posted online. - Our Crimes Against Children Unit suggests that new parents may not want to display the traditional pink or blue balloons outside their homes announcing a baby shower or a new arrival. “Doing so will advise random strangers that you have a new baby in the house or will soon,” said Intelligence Analyst Ashli-Jade Douglas. - People in general and especially new and expectant mothers should be aware of their surroundings whenever they are out in public. “Is someone too interested in your pregnancy or your newborn, asking too many questions or sounding odd?” Douglas asked. “Those may be red flags.” - Lastly, any type of incident or odd behavior should be reported to local authorities. “You may not think it’s important,” Douglas explained, “but that type of information allows us to track incidents and it could help prevent future abductions.”

“For the most part, women are no longer going into hospitals and dressing in nurse’s uniforms and walking out with children,” said Ashli-Jade Douglas, an FBI intelligence analyst who works in our Crimes Against Children Unit and specializes in child abduction matters. That’s because hospital security has greatly improved over the years.
A recent case illustrates the point: Last month, a woman entered a California hospital dressed in medical scrubs and abducted a newborn girl, hiding the baby in a bag. But when she attempted to walk out of the hospital, the baby’s security bracelet triggered an alarm and the woman was caught.
Because of heightened hospital security, Douglas said, “now women who desperately want a child—and are willing to go to extreme lengths to get one—have to gain direct contact with their victims, and that’s when things can turn violent.”
The women who commit these crimes are usually between the ages of 17 and 33,” said Douglas, who provides analytical support to our Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team. “Usually they are unable to get pregnant. Often, they will fake a pregnancy in the hopes of keeping a boyfriend or husband.” In most cases, she added, the women intend no harm to the infants—and maybe not even the mother. “They just want a child to raise as their own and will do anything to get one.”

	Podcast: FBI intelligence analyst discusses issue.

Another emerging trend, Douglas said, is that women desperate for a child are turning to social networking websites to locate victims. “We have seen several recent cases involving social networking sites,” she explained, “and we see how easy it is to use these websites to gain access to targets.”
In January, for example, a 32-year-old Florida woman developed a friendship with a younger new mother through a social networking site. The woman lied about having her own newborn and claimed the child was sick and in the hospital. The victim invited the woman to spend the night at her house, and the next morning, when the victim was in the shower, the woman abducted her two-week-old infant. She then deleted her contact information from the victim’s social networking site, thinking she would not be found. The baby was recovered and the woman was arrested.
“Parents should check their privacy settings on social networking sites,” Douglas said, and they should always use caution on the Internet (see sidebar). Without the proper settings, pictures posted online can contain embedded information that allows others to track your movements.
“This information is important to share with parents,” Douglas said. “They should be aware of their physical surroundings and how they use the Internet. This can help protect mothers and their babies.”