Mexican Mafia gang leader sentenced to life

UNION-TRIBUNE
6:04 p.m. May 29, 2009

A leader of the Mexican Mafia prison gang was sentenced in federal court Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole, authorities said.

Salvador Perez, 31, pleaded guilty in October 2007 to racketeering conspiracy charges involving the Mexican Mafia. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dana M. Sabraw, said U.S. Attorney Karen P. Hewitt.

In the plea, he admitted to participating in the June 2002 murder of prison inmate Jabila Barragan in Susanville. He also acknowledged that the Mexican Mafia is engaged in numerous criminal acts including murder, attempted murder, drug sales, robbery and money laundering, Hewitt said in a prepared statement.

The racketeering charges stemmed from a lengthy investigation by federal, state and local law-enforcement agencies in San Diego. The probe targeted Latino street gangs that have ties to the Mexican Mafia.

Of the 35 people arrested, Perez was the last to be sentenced, Hewitt said.

Breaking News Team: (619) 293-1010; breaking@uniontrib.com

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