Mexican Mafia gang leader gets 168 months in prison

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/ho ... 386741.php

Monday, December 18, 2006
Mexican Mafia gang leader gets 168 months in prison
Federal authorities say Peter Ojeda ran drug trafficking in Orange County jails and extorted Hispanic street gangs
BY RACHANEE SRISAVASDI and KIMBERLY EDDS
The Orange County Register
SANTA ANA The Orange County "shot caller" of the Mexican Mafia was sentenced today to 168 months after pleading guilty to charges of running an elaborate gang enterprise accused of engaging in extortion, assault and drug trafficking.

Peter Ojeda, 64, of La Habra pleaded guilty in September to conspiring to violate federal racketeering laws and conspiring to distribute narcotics, according to federal prosecutors.

Ojeda is a member of the Mexican Mafia and a longtime Santa Ana street gang member. He is accused of running "the Ojeda Organization,'' which included high-ranking members of Hispanic street gangs, prosecutors said.

The organization demanded taxes from 15 to 20 gangs selling drugs, ordered assaults on those who failed to pay, and controlled drug trafficking in Orange County jails.

Ojeda's organization has been shuttered, with its 28 members having been arrested and charged, said federal prosecutor Doug McCormick.

Also today, the number three leader of the Ojeda's organization, Jose "Big Joe" Beccera, of Placentia, got 37 months in prison after pleading guilty to one charge of racketeering for helping Ojeda take a cut of the profits from street drug sales of Hispanic gangs.

Another defendant, Marco Diaz, 33, of Santa Ana, pleaded guilty to federal charges stemming from helping Ojeda's organization get money from Orange County street gangs, prosecutors said.

I Have always believed that this kind of crime calls for the Death Penalty not taxpayers paying for their keep!

http://www.huntingtonnews.net/national/ ... ngpin.html

Dec. 25, 2006

Mexican Mafia Kingpin, Underlings Headed for Prison

By Jim Kouri
Special to Huntington News Network

A top Mexican Mafia member, who controlled Hispanic street gangs that operated across Orange County, CA, was sentenced on Dec. 18, 2006, to 14 years in federal prison after pleading guilty earlier this year to violating federal racketeering and narcotics laws.

Peter Ojeda, 64, was sentenced by United States District Judge David Carter in a packed Santa Ana courtroom.

Ojeda pleaded guilty on September 12 to conspiring to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and conspiring to distribute narcotics. A total of 28 people linked to the Ojeda Organization have now been convicted, either by guilty plea or following a trial.

One of Ojeda's top lieutenants was also sentenced on Dec. 18, 2006 by Judge Carter to 37 months in prison. Jose Becerra, 39, pleaded guilty on August 14 to the RICO conspiracy count.

The members and associates of the Ojeda Organization were indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2005. The Ojeda Organization engaged in extortion and assault, as well as assisting in the distribution of narcotics throughout Orange County.

The Ojeda Organization included high-ranking members of several Hispanic street gangs, which helped the organization exert its influence across Orange County and into the Orange County jail system and California prisons.

The indictment alleged dozens of overt acts committed by members of the organization to expand the power and control of the enterprise. Detailing conduct in 2004 and early 2005, the RICO count outlined how Ojeda and his assistants demanded taxes from numerous street gangs and others who wanted to distribute drugs in Orange County.

The Ojeda Organization coordinated the collection of taxes from jail inmates who were selling drugs, and it ordered assaults on those who failed to pay taxes or showed disrespect to the organization.

The Ojeda Organization required Hispanic criminal street gangs in Orange County to pay money as a "tax" or "tribute" on a regular basis. They permitted the tax-paying gangs and gang members to exert influence over their neighborhoods and territories. The group often disciplined Orange County criminal street gangs and their members who engaged in unsanctioned violence, such as a drive-by shooting, which could cause increased law enforcement attention and thereby threaten the income of the Ojeda gang.

Ojeda's other top lieutenant, Marco Diaz, 33, of Santa Ana, pleaded guilty to a RICO charge in September. Diaz, who admitted that he helped Ojeda's organization extort "taxes" from street gangs and ordered punishment to those who did not pay, is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Carter on January 8, 2007.

Of the 23 defendants already sentenced, Judge Carter has imposed penalties ranging from 24 to 292 months in federal prison.