Attorneys representing a group of Los Angeles County Sheriffs deputies who claimed to have been harassed and brutalized by the Banditos deputy gang at the East Los Angeles Station have filed a fifth amended complaint naming 17 additional associates of the group. Lopez was also subjected to intimidation: Deputy Benjamin Zaredini once followed Lopez into the garage area at the East LA station. Every weekday, you'll get fresh, community-driven stories that catch you up with our independent local news. 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. 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. On that shift Lopez saw Wargo purchase reports, meaning that Wargo would write arrest reports for other deputies as part of initiation into the gang. The timing of this letter suggests Mr. Huntsman is using his public office and resources to campaign against the sheriff leading up to the June primaries.. However, he and Deputy Louis Granados reported harassment that they had observed at the hands of Banditos to Captain (then Lieutenant) Richard Mejia. The group embraces the tradition of violence passed down by the gangs that came before them and turns on anyone who questions them. The next evening, LASD held a department-sponsored party at Kennedy Hall. Every weekday, you'll get fresh, community-driven stories that catch you up with our independent local news. LAist is part of Southern California Public Radio, a member-supported public media network. 4:30 p.m.: This article was updated to include Sheriff Villanueva's June comments about the Banditos. When Sheriff Villanueva took over the department in December of 2018, he made it a priority to reinstate former employees with ties to deputy gangs, including Undersheriff Murakami and Caren Carl Mandoyan, a Grim Reaper. the F.B.I. The Bandidos emblem is a skeleton with a sombrero and a handlebar mustache holding a smoking revolver. She was not in a good way. Many of the people who violently harassed Lopez are still with the department. 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. . 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. Decisions such as station fundraisers and events must be roundtabled at the home of Noel Crook Lopez or Marc Elizondo. The next day, eggs were thrown at her car and someone wrote fuck you on the rear window. The Sheriffs wife, a retired LASD employee, allegedly put out messages telling deputy gang members to keep their heads up. She quickly learned there was a power struggle going on between FTOs Hernandez and Valdez, along with the latters Banditos associates. She was contacted by Lascono again, who told Lopez to report to work on August 11. But the eight deputies this week filed an updated lawsuit with new allegations, including that the Banditos recently had an inking party where 10 deputies were tattooed, raising the total number of members to 100. But after Captain William Jaeger was named in the lawsuit, the write-up was resurrected and escalated to an Internal Affairs investigation. Gregory Rodriguez would also allegedly advise the younger deputies to carry a bag with them to plant evidence on suspects. Members have a common tattoo on their legs of a skeleton with a bushy mustache wearing a sombrero and bandolier holding a pistol, all of which are sequentially numbered. After taking office in December 2018, Sheriff Alex Villanueva removed the captain and transferred numerous deputies out of the East L.A. station. The trainees were reportedly told that if they stole anything from a suspect, they should dispose of it outside of the station. Rodriguez also bragged that If [civilians] run from me, I make sure they come back with broken bones. Hector Little Listo Soto Saavedra allegedly drove around solely to attack civilians. To make sure you get our coverage: and Will Orange County's Fledgling Clean Power Agency Survive? Youve got people who rigged internal affairs bureau investigations, Miller told LAist. Bandito FTOs would demand taxes, handing their trainees empty envelopes and telling them to fill them with money, sometimes up to $2,000, by the end of the day. Casas also says he received several intimidating messages from the Banditos, including demands to stop working at the station and threats of assault. Several neighbors came out of their houses and filmed the incident. Its just smoke and mirrors, its just a pretend at reform.. Zaredini did not report the incident for fear of retaliation by the gang. Before this amendment, alleged members and associates of the gang included; Commander April Tardy; Captains Ernie Chavez (an alleged Vikings gang member), Richard Mejia, and Chris Perez; Lieutenants Eric Smitson, Anthony Easter, Edmundo Torres; Sergeant Angelica Estrada (AKA the Pink Hand); Rafael Rene Munoz (AKA Big Listo); Gregory Rodriguez (AKA G-Rod); David Silverio (AKA Silver); Michael Hernandez (AKA Bam Bam); Vincent Moran; Hector Soto Saavedra, who killed Paul Rea in 2019; Jeff Hamil; Jeff Chow; William Jaeger; Scott Chapman; Raymond Mendoza; Luis Carbajal; Braulio Robledo; Jonathan Rojas, who killed Anthony Vargas in 2018; Eldemira Para; Andrea Villa; Marc Elizondo; Nikolis Perez, who killed Anthony Vargas and Jorge Serrano in 2018; Kelly Porowsky; Woodrow Kim; Juan Sanchez; Aaron Abellano; Silvano Garcia; Joanna Macs Moran; Joanana Palombi; Jose Aceituno; Anthony Pacheco; Soraya Sanchez; Karla Sepulveda; Marcelo Ortega; Diana Woodward; Eduardo Muniz; Rebecca Cortez; Joe Mendoza; Erin Rosario; Jessica Santos; John Soria; Miguel Ortiz; Claudia Perez; Brian Goodwin; Manuel Palacios; Jodi Hutak; Pablo Partida; Noel Lopez; and Christopher Moore. "We haven't confirmed or denied any investigation," FBI Spokeswoman Laura Eimiller told LAist. Huntsman did not name the deputies and said his office has identified additional possible members from other sources. In all, eight deputies are demanding $60 million in a new lawsuit against Los Angeles County and four fellow deputies they say are members of the "Banditos" deputy gang. Before joining The Times in 2016, she reported on crime and policing for the Glendale News-Press and Burbank Leader. Thank you for investing in your neighborhood. in a lawsuit Theyve been called "gangs" because they wear matching tattoos, operate in secrecy, and have initiation rituals. . Bandito godfather Sergeant Eric Valdez told Hernandez to tell the truth, as he was horrified with the gangs behavior. His return, along with the elevation of other Banditos associates, solidified the gangs grip on the station. The Banditos of the East Los Angeles Sheriffs Station seemed not only to embrace the tradition of terrorizing surrounding communities, but celebrate the Munoz, Rodriguez, Silverio and Michael Hernandez were all placed on paid leave. They have been broken up in accordance to the law, and constitutionally permissibly, he said. Jefferson Chow, who has been in the department for 26 years, was tasked with investigating a September 2018 fight between deputies at a department party at Kennedy Hall in East Los Angeles. A Tradition of Violence is hosted and executive produced by Cerise Castle. If you're enjoying this article, you'll love my daily morning newsletter, How To LA. Banditos "intentionally fail to provide back-up during emergency situations and other dangerous calls to purposely place deputies in dangerous circumstances," the suit says. She even contends that Hish manipulated her score in order to keep her from moving up in rank. Mismanagement, Sloppy Hiring Practices, Lack Of Transparency. Deputies Alfred Gonzalez, Oscar Escobedo, Ariela Lemus, Art Hernandez, Mario Contreras, David Casas, Louis Granados, and Benjamin Zaredini filed an internal complaint with Los Angeles County in March of 2019. It was filed on behalf of eight deputies who accused a group of colleagues of being members of a gang that violated the civil rights of deputies who did not support them with a campaign of harassment and physical attacks. Many who are not recruited go along with the gangs requirements for fear of retaliation. "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. Lopez attempted to come back to work just over a month later, but was met with the same harassment as before. On October 25, 2012, her car was vandalized while parked at the East LA Station. Gonzalez passed the exam, and Smith says she is currently a Patrol Sergeant. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Even Near The Hollywood Sign, Authorities ID Man Arrested In Killing Of LA Auxiliary Bishop David O'Connell As Husband Of Housekeeper, Another Missing Hiker Has Been Found Dead In San Gabriels As Search For Actor Julian Sands Continues, LA Explained: How To Live Safely With Our Coyote Neighbors. The incident was the focus of two internal Sheriffs Department investigations one of which Villanueva has said led to the discipline of 26 employees as well as a report by the Office of Inspector General. Traditionally, once deputy gang membership reaches 100, a new group is introduced. Munoz, Moran, and Rodriguez cornered Gonzalez and pressured him to leave the station. After Lopezs POE was filed, the harassment escalated. County lawyers instructed the deputy not to answer questions about whether he has the Executioners tattoo, which is a skull with a rifle and a military-style helmet, surrounded by flames. Rosa Gonzalez, a deputy who later sued the station, said under oath that she heard Lopez referred to as The Glob.. Members typically get matching tattoos and go by names such as the Grim Reapers and Jump Out Boys. . Lopez was informed by other women in the department that Valdez expected female trainees to submit to male training officers, meaning she had to drink, party, and provide sexual favors upon request. Anthony Lowe was shot and killed by Huntington Park police on Jan. 26. Banditos prospects Rojas, Perez, and Saavedra were allegedly given membership tattoos following the shooting deaths of Vargas and Rea. In June, Villanueva acknowledged that the Banditos had amassed too much power and influence at the station. Sergeant Angelica Pink Hand Estrada and John Soria were able to carry out the Banditos wishes with the blessings of station leadership such as Lieutenant Eric Smitson and Captain Ernie Chavez. Denham was later promoted to assistant sheriff by Sheriff Villanueva, and retired in 2019. The Cavemen preceded the Banditos at the East L.A. Station. On April 10, 2013, Lopez found a dead rat underneath the drivers side door of her vehicle. He ended up fiercely resisting oversight and clashing with watchdogs and the rest of the countys political establishment. On August 23, 2012, LASD personnel descended upon the 1300 block of South Marianna Avenue in East Los Angeles. It also alleges that the Banditos once secretly removed ammunition from another deputys shotgun. But he has also taken credit for addressing the problem by instituting a policy that prohibits deputies from joining groups that promote behavior that violates the rights of others. The Banditos are at least the third gang to emerge from the East LA Station. Those who do not are pushed out. Content Warning: This series explicitly details acts of violence (including murder) carried out by law enforcement officials. The DAs office didnt put adequate resources into prosecuting the case. The suit also claims Banditos encourage deputies to increase their arrest numbers by planting evidence on suspects. She was also regularly sent on calls with just a few minutes left on her shift. 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. Sheriff Alex Villanueva has downplayed the issue, saying problems associated with the groups are often the result of drunken deputies getting into fights and taking issue with those who refer to them as deputy gangs. Last month, Villanueva sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Board of Supervisors, demanding that they and others stop using the phrase. Gonzalez said under oath that in the summer of 2013, shortly after being given the day off and mentioning plans to travel to Hawaii, she received a text message sent to a group she was in with Deputy Jose Rauno. Is that an incorrect statement by Sheriff Villanueva that he transferred 36 people? Miller asked. Escobedo and Hernandez were brutally beaten and went to the emergency room for treatment. Hish told her that Gonzalez had allegedly hazed a deputy, which she denies. In 2014, L.A. County paid $1.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by a female deputy who said she was bullied and harassed by Banditos. Twenty-four are currently stationed in East L.A. The deputies who filed the lawsuit include seven men and one woman. Banditos meetings are held at the home of Deputy Noel Crook Lopez. Later he was asked: To your knowledge, you were not brought in to quell the Banditos situation, correct?. For the latest national news from NPR and our live radio broadcast, visit Dear reader, we're asking you to help us keep local news available for all. Today, the station is dominated Banditos. Deputy Christopher Wargo drove to the location and blocked Lopezs patrol car so she could not move and ordered her out of the vehicle. Several videos taken at the scene show him standing several feet away from the car until he is arrested and taken into custody. 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. She contacted the Back to Work Unit but was told they could not help her, and advised her to contact the station Director. Deputies Gregory Rodriguez, Monica Farias, Steven Miller, Alejandro Lomeli, and Marc Elizondo pounced. When Contreras reported this to Captain Mejia, he instead suggested that Contreras ride with Deputy Juan Sanchez instead, who is allegedly affiliated with a street gang, as well as being an inked Banditos member. The Banditos are said to operate out of the sheriffs East L.A. station, and sport tattoos of gun-wielding skeletons wearing sombreros. He said he did not know how many deputies were identified as having tattoos and said the name Executioners was coined by an attorney. If she didnt comply, she wouldnt pass her probationary period and it could be extended indefinitely. Christopher Gray, who is Black, is originally from Idaho. In one incident, "a deputy was shot twice, including in the face," and the suspect "would have murdered the fallen deputy if not for two special units coincidentally being [in] the area trying to talk down a mentally ill person," the complaint says. When Lemus went to Captain Chavez with a complaint, Chavez told her he liked how Mendoza controlled the line. Afterwards, he and Lieutenant Anthony Easter reopened a citizen complaint against Lemus where a victim charged she had taken too long to take him to the hospital. 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. Villanueva has said hes the first sheriff to have implemented a policy that prohibits membership in illicit groups. More LA Sheriffs Officials Accused of Misconduct in Banditos Part of A Tradition of Violence, an extensive investigation into more than five decades of abuse, terror, and murder carried out by gangs within the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department. 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. 18 deputy gangs that have operated within the department The Banditos And Other LA Sheriff's Deputy Groups Are Now Being Investigated By The FBI, East LA Sheriff's Deputies File Suit Claiming Harassment, Violence By 'Banditos' Clique, Authorities ID Man Arrested In Killing Of LA Auxiliary Bishop David O'Connell As Husband Of Housekeeper, Huntington Park Police Shot, Killed Man Who Had Both Legs Amputated: What We Know So Far, LAPD Chief Bans Thin Blue Line Flag From Police Station Lobbies, Patrol Vehicles, And Uniforms, Mayor And City Council Members Express Concerns After LAPD Releases Footage Of Fatal Shootings, New LA Sheriff Says He Thinks Deputies Are Ready For A Stabilizer. , including the charge that the Banditos named as defendants in the lawsuit attacked fellow deputies at a September 2018 off-duty party, leaving two unconscious and sending them to the hospital. Mejia also appears to have lied in the civil suit concerning the killing of Anthony Vargas by stating he only knew about the Banditos gang through media reporting, and that he was unfamiliar with the criminal associations with the word shot caller. Those statements contradicted prior testimony in internal investigations. assertions made in legal claims filed in March and May The deputies, who do not want to be identified for fear of reprisal, claim the most prevalent are called the Banditos comprised of mostly Latino deputies who Those who are not Banditos allegedly fail to stop them, according to Miller, or engage in covering up their wrongdoing. 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.. She'd gone into the pregnancy with a plan, knowing Black mothers like herself were at higher risk. , and previously named only four former deputies and Los Angeles County. "The Pink Hand's dominance of the management at the East Los Angeles Station was so strong, she was also nicknamed 'the Red Queen,'" the suit contends. Current deputies out of the East Los Angeles station say the existence of gangs within law enforcement has been a problem in the area. 17 New Defendants Identified in Ongoing Suit Against the Banditos and LASD, deputy gang at the East Los Angeles Station. When she tried to get away by getting back into the patrol car, Wargo blocked her path and said You are a product of Valdez, and he is God at East LA Station, and if you dont submit to the program, you will have problems here! In January 2012, Lopez ran into Deputy Andrew Hernandez again on another call. Donate Now The anonymous employee told the panel a gang known as the Banditos still essentially runs the East Los Angeles station, despite Sheriff Alex Villanuevas previous insistence that he cleaned house at the station. Halfway through her training, Lopez was reassigned to Field Training Officer Edwin Hernandez. He kicked over a garbage can in front of incarcerated people working there and yelled to Lopez, Hey trainee, why dont you come over here and clean up the fucking mess you made?. The Banditos gang has controlled the East Los Angeles station like inmates running a prison yard, the lawsuit says. But her attorney, Gregory Smith, says the damage was done. Lieutenant Eric Simpson allegedly buried the memo under the orders of Chief Bobby Denham. The department did not respond to LAist's inquiry as to whether the policy has been formally adopted. 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. In a letter dated Monday, Inspector General Max Huntsman said his office has compiled a partial list that includes 11 deputies who allegedly belong to the Prospects like Deputy Hector Little Listo Saavedra sent texts laughing about the 245 (assault and battery) and advised others to burn and destroy evidence. David Infante was a lieutenant as recently as 2019. On August 8, 2013, Lopez was taken off of disability leave and cleared to return to work. . The money has been used for legal fees for some defendants in the claim and vacations for Banditos members to Thailand. Her doctor placed her on medical leave again. Sign up for our daily newsletters In their claim, the deputies allege that Raymond Mendoza, Jonathan Rojas, Woodrow Kim, Juan Sanchez, and Luis Valle have recently served and continue to serve as field training officers (FTO). Members of the gang are given special privileges, like preferred parking spaces. Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has repeatedly touted what he says was his first act in office in December 2018: removing the captain of East L.A. station, where a group of tattooed deputies known as the Banditos ran roughshod and dictated where deputies would be assigned. The Sheriffs Department may not refuse to produce the records requested below by unilaterally declaring that no deputy sheriff is a member of a law enforcement gang, Huntsman wrote, adding that the Banditos and Executioners may fall within the states definition of such a gang. She said it's time the department take the elimination of deputy gang membership seriously.. A Los Angeles County sheriffs deputy associated with a gang-like group of deputies with matching tattoos testified that he has attended about seven inking parties.. The FBI is investigating a secret society of tattooed deputies in East Los Angeles as well as similar gang-like groups elsewhere within the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, multiple people familiar with the inquiry said. Commander Ernie Chavez has admitted Villanueva did not transfer any Banditos, nor ask Chavez to investigate. Deputy Christopher Moore, who was on-duty and assigned to the party, stood by and watched the assault. The refusal to provide backup created "close calls" that almost got deputies killed, according to the suit. The lawsuit claims the department is "permeated by criminal gang culture.". Hernandezs former FTO Marcelo Reaper Ortega and Contreras former FTO Elizondo also told him not to speak about what had happened. Just a few months later, Deputy Gregory Rodriguez made one final attempt to recruit Deputy Mario Contreras to the gang. And any time youre a Black man, somebody calling you a monkey, in my book, thats racism, Orange tells Knock LA. Before joining The Times in 2016, she reported on crime and policing for the Glendale News-Press and Burbank Leader. Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva says he is working to rebuild the leadership team at the East L.A. Sheriffs station and address denounced rogue activity by a deputy clique called Los Banditos. According to KABC 7, a new captain at the East LA station aims to hold supervisors accountable for behavior that is out of policy. Thank you for investing in your neighborhood. Just a few days later she was summoned into the Watch Commanders Office by Sergeants Hish and Florence, who were not her supervisors. The legal action also accuses L.A. 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