The Latin Counts are a criminal enterprise responsible for murders, robberies, and the distribution of illegal drugs. The Detroit One partners will continue to be relentless in our efforts to rid our neighborhoods of gang violence, U.S. Attorney Schneider said. A leader of the Latin Counts gang was sentenced yesterday to 20 years in federal prison for assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, announced United States Attorney Matthew Schneider. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Taylor also pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 14. "R.R.," the fellow gang member, was struck by a bullet, fell to the ground and died outside the house. DETROIT (WWJ/AP) --Two gang members in Detroit will spend decades in federal prison. Their efforts led to the arrest of two people Thursday, there are already four suspected Latin Counts members in custody. While this map may highlight Detroit gangs areas, though not specific gangs, the map truly breaks down all of the city's 'hoods from Exit 9 (Joy Road) to Chedda Ave. (Chalmers Avenue). This enabled the Counts to enter a truce with the allied Latin Kings, but street-level conflict continued between the two gangs until the 1980s. Civil rights complaints may also be made online at this linkusamie.civilrights@usdoj.gov. ~
}]7|k|;_]ovG??RNLKii/J4ncZ^4]N0uijP0Dfr0fDnw)UWf "The Latin Counts, whatever they call themselves, that's their own doing," Viramontez, 20, said Monday night in an interview at the Wayne County Jail. Two victims inside a nearby parked car were shot multiple times but survived the attack. Jackson and other gang members, including one identified by the initials "R.R.,"rode in several vehicles, includinga red pickup truck, toa home in the 2400 block of SouthLiddesdale Street, near the intersection of Fort Street and Schaefer Highway. <> He said the posse has more than 50 members. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. AUDREY SHEHYN/'l'he Detroit New~; Dawn Mendoza, leader of the Lady Counts, hangs out in "Count Park" in southwest Detroit with members of the Latin Counts gang and her sister, Cindy. Also according to court records, the Latin Counts gang operates primarily in southwest Detroit and the downriver communities of Lincoln Park and Ecorse. It was the . 5 Detroit Gang Members Plead Guilty To Racketeering Conspiracy. The Latin Counts is a Latino street gang based in Chicago, Illinois with a significant branch in Detroit, Michigan. The original gang members were all related to one another. the Latin Counts gang operates in southwest Detroit and the downriver communities of . If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. According to the government, several Latin Counts assaulted the man at the behest of Vasquez while another Latin Count came up from behind and shot and killed him. U.S. District Judge Robert Cleland sentenced Alberto Jackson, 20,four months after the accused gang member pleadedguilty to two racketeering crimes, includingconspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering. It's an ongoing effort to crack down on gang activity and the ongoing violence it brings to neighborhoods. *Led by the Waucaush Brothers (Jerry and Bobby), Efraim Garcia, Greg Ballestro, Marty Rodriguez and Kenny Roland. 16, brother of the Latin Counts leader. The shooting took place Oct. 7 on Liddesdale Street, in the area of Fort Street and Schaefer Highway. Do you want to stay up to date of all the news about Detroit? Their alliance, known as the Bishop Count Nation, would falter in the 1990s. [5] In June 2017, gang leader Victor Vasquez was sentenced to 30 years in prison for violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. (alleged leader of the Latin Counts Case 2:06-cr-20465-NGE-MKM ECF No. A Latin Counts gang member was sentenced today to 30 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, announced United States Attorney Matthew Schneider, Special Agent in Charge James Deir of the ATF's Detroit Division, and Chief James Craig of the Detroit Police Department. 2023 www.freep.com. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. 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Contact our office at 313-226-9634 or email us at USAMIE.EJ@usdoj.gov or visit our web page HERE for more information. So far, with the FBI, ATF and Detroit Homicide Task Force, there have been seven gang members charged and identified in connection to the drive-by, all of whom have pleaded guilty. She said the unsolved Dec. 23 drive-by slaying at a gas station on Vernor would go unavenged because the Latin Counts "are not into revenge. Among the targets is the Latin Counts, whichoperates in southwest Detroit, Lincoln Park and Ecorse. Under the Detroit One initiative, and through the lead efforts of the ATF and the Detroit Homicide Task Force, law enforcement identified six violent members of the Latin Counts gang responsible for the shooting. One forced a minor girl into prostitution, authorities say. Vasquez, 26, pleaded guilty in January for his participation in a racketeer influenced and corrupt organizations (RICO) conspiracy, and his plea included taking responsibility for the killing of Mustafa Al-Yasiry on April 18, 2014 at the Big Apple Market. Both terrorized Detroit neighborhoods for years, prosecutors say. Follow her on Twitter @Tbaldas. [2][3], The Latin Counts' main criminal activity involves drug activity and racketeering. Jackson was a member of the Latin Counts andaffiliated with the gangs Toledo Mafia Counts subset, prosecutors said. Defendant Aref Nagi (D-01) is charged in multiple counts of a Fifty-Count Second Superseding Indictment. According to court records, Rishell orchestrated and helped carry out with fellow Latin Counts gang members a drive-by shooting in a residential neighborhood of southwest Detroit that occurred on October 7, 2017, killing one victim and injuring two others. In a court filing, Cromer recalls his client explaining whyhe joined the gang. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. He was sentenced in federal court to an additional ten years in prison. They "were not the planned victims of the shooting but were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time," the prosecutor wrote. The cases were investigatedbythe Detroit Oneinitiative, a collaboration between various area law enforcement agenciesfocused on reduce homicides and violent crimes in the city and the region. He is among more than 92people convicted of federal racketeering crimes in the last five years during a crackdown on violent Detroit street gangs, a crackdown outlined in "Death by Instagram," a serial narrative published last year by The Detroit News. Girls are drawn to an s' life on tb By Rosahra Hernandez "During the shooting, Jackson fired several bullets from a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun," Crisostomo wrote in a court filing. June 3, 2017 / 1:08 PM / CBS Detroit. 6 Street Gang and associate of the Highwaymen . [1], The Latin Counts' symbol consists of a depiction of Count Dracula, a knight's helmet, and a sword with five slashes above it. The two defendants arrested today will be making their initial appearances in federal court in Detroit this afternoon. [1] Its territory has expanded to include Southwest Detroit, Michigan, and the suburbs of Lincoln Park and Ecorse. ( Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Court records show Rishell orchestrated and helped carry out a drive-by shooting on Oct. 7, 2017, killing one person and injuring two others. The investigation into the Latin Counts gang started following a shooting at a house in Southwest Detroit on the 2400 block of Liddesdale last fall. / CBS Detroit. The original gang members were all related to one another. Its members, authorities say, use violence to stake out their. The name was changed two years later to Sons of Mexico City to better reflect their ethnic heritage. The conviction stems from a drive-by shooting in a southwest Detroit neighborhood on Oct. 7, 2017, that left a fellow gang member dead, two others injured and the intended target unscathed. Latin Counts gang leader Victor Vasquez of Detroit was sentenced to 30 years in prison, and Vice Lords gang member Michael Gardner of Detroit was sentenced to 20 years in prison this. " one of the Latin Counts members who rode to the scene with Jackson, R.R., exited the red pickup truck, stood out on the street, and fired bullets during the shooting, too.". A Latin Counts gang member was sentenced today to 30 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, announced United States Attorney Matthew Schneider, Special Agent in Charge James Deir of the ATF's Detroit Division, and Chief James Craig of the Detroit Police Department. In October 2017, police investigated a triple shooting where a suspected gang member was killed in a shootout. Dawn, 20, says as a Lady Count, she gets the respect of the guys. All rights reserved (About Us). The number is 313-226-9151. Defense lawyer Ronnie Cromer requested a prison sentence capped at 20 years, saying Jackson was extremely remorseful. Contact our office at 313-226-9634 or email us at USAMIE.EJ@usdoj.gov or visit our web page HERE for more information. Latin Counts Gang on Audacy: Listen to Free Radio Online | Music, Sports, News, Podcasts Latin Counts gang leader Victor Vasquez of Detroit was sentenced to 30 . The member is not identified by name in court records. Detroit One collaboration of local, state and federal law enforcement has led to the guilty pleas of five Latin Counts street gang members for racketeering conspiracy involving murder and drug trafficking, U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade announced today. In 1991, a full-scale shooting war erupted with the Latin Kings over turf in Cicero that pitted all Counts and Kings against each other nationwide. *The Flenory Bros. left SW Detroit in the mid-1990s, however, kept several lieutenants in the area to look after their affairs. The superseding indictment alleges that Anthony Viramontez, the long time leader of the Latin Counts street gang, and seventeen others conspired to distribute cocaine and running a criminal enterprise. According to the government, the Latin Counts have been involved in assaults, murder, drug deals, home invasions and robberies. Our Civil Rights hotline is available for anyone who may have suffered a violation of their civil rights. Christopher Nicholas Rishell, known as "C-5", 30, of Lincoln Park, was sentenced on charges of assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering. According to the superseding indictment, the Latin Counts gang operates primarily in southwest Detroit and the downriver communities of Lincoln Park and Ecorse. A federal jury convicted Gardner following his October trial on charges of sex trafficking a minor and production of child pornography. The number is 313-226-9151. The U.S. Attorney's Office said they are a "criminal enterprise responsible for murders, robberies, and the distribution of illegal drugs," and use violence to retaliate against rivals, intimidate the community and advance people in the gang. DETROIT - Two Detroit gang members will spenddecades in federal prison after an investigation by a coalition of Detroit-area law enforcement agencies. Bolo ruled atop the local narcotics trade from 1990-1992, when his organization estimated to have been brining 100 kilos per month into the Metro Detroit Area was brought down by federal indictment. According to the government, the Latin Counts have been involved inassaults, murder, drug deals,home invasions and robberies. History [ edit] The gang was founded in 1955 by Mexican youth who lived in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago. Its total membership is estimated to be between 30,000 and 35,000. Investigators have been working the case for months and, on Thursday, they served four search warrants across southeast Michigan. But their gangster days are over. Latin Counts gang leader Victor Vasquez of Detroit was sentenced to 30 years in prison, and Vice Lords gang memberMichael Gardner of Detroit was sentenced to 20 years in prison this week, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced Friday, June 2. Gardner, 21, was convicted in federal court of sex trafficking a minor using force, fraud and coercion and production of child pornography. The new charges allege that members of the Latin Counts shot two men, killing one of them in August 2013. Michael Gardner, 21, of Detroit is going to prison for 20 years after a jury convicted him last fall offorcinga minor into prostitution and publishing sexually explicit photos of her in escort advertisements. Investigators . Among those charged Friday are Jonathan Estrada, 25; Jesus Rodriguez, 21; Angel Rodriguez . Civil rights complaints may also be made online at this linkusamie.civilrights@usdoj.gov. "The Detroit One initiative strives to create a higher quality of life for all residents in the City of Detroit by eliminating the threat of gang violence, said Timothy R. Slater, Special Agent in Charge, Detroit FBI. The helmet was inspired by the image on the Knight brand matchbox. Two Detroit gang members will spend decades in federal prison after an investigation by a coalition of Detroit-area law enforcement agencies. Vasquez, 26, pleaded guilty for his participation in a racketeer influenced and corrupt organizations (RICO) conspiracy, and the murder of Mustafa Al-Yasiry in April 2014 at the Big Apple Market. It is a member of the People Nation alliance. He's got plenty -- and his situa- tion isn't improving with police saying he's the leader of the Latin Counts, a suddenly notorious south- west Detroit gang. *Tried to kill federal witness slated to testify against them. Also this week, Victor Vasquez, a leader of the Latin Counts street gang, was sentenced to30 years in prison after pleading guilty to Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) conspiracy. The other ordered a hit on a man. Cindy Mendoza, 16, is not a gang member. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Louis Crisostomo, Robert VanWert, and Eric Straus. The Latin Counts is a Latino street gang based in Chicago, Illinois with a significant branch in Detroit, Michigan. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Do you have an environmental justice concern? Court records show that the Latin Counts gang operates primarily in southwest Detroit, Lincoln Park and Ecorse. Since its launch in 2013, homicides are down 30% and non-fatal shootings are down 45%, when comparing the homicide and shooting totals from 2012 to the totals in 2017.