Decisions such as station fundraisers and events must be roundtabled at the home of Noel Crook Lopez or Marc Elizondo. Many of those men were also members of the Banditos. Im not bothering anybody. "They see who is eager to belong, who they can manipulate, who they can control easily," he said. 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. Villanueva has said he transferred 36 people out and brought a new captain, Ernie Chavez, to the helm of the station to quell the Banditos problem. Two weeks after the ceremony, the Banditos gang removed ammunition from Deputy Zaredinis shotgun. Lopez went to Area Command to request a copy of the paperwork and discovered it had never been filed. Gregory Rodriguez was charged with perjury by the office of then District Attorney Jackie Lacey for lying in his report. Denham was later promoted to assistant sheriff by Sheriff Villanueva, and retired in 2019. Gray is visible on the tape observing the arrest from a distance. 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. Commander Ernie Chavez has admitted Villanueva did not transfer any Banditos, nor ask Chavez to investigate. Community members speak out at a town hall in East Los Angeles on July 10, protesting the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Departments handling of the Banditos, an 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. Privacy Policy. The Banditos are a group of nearly 100 deputies who wear matching tattoos of a skeleton with a thick mustache, sombrero, pistol and bandolier, according to the suit. 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. Deputies who are members have In December 2018, Banditos "secretly removed the bullets from Deputy Zaredini's shotgun," the lawsuit claims. On August 10, 2012, Deputy Troy Krautkramer, who had also been loaned out as a result of Lopezs POE, drove up to her in the rear parking lot of the East LA Station and used his vehicle to spray dirt on Lopez. Once she was out, Wargo began screaming at her. But I dont think she had a choice on this one because the video and the report were all over the news and the internet [she] wasnt interested in winning the case in my opinion. A new policy is meaningless if you dont actually enforce it, said Miller, the attorney representing the deputies. LAist reported in July that Gray was charged and prosecuted for intentionally obstructing a law enforcement officer from performing their duties. The Countys deputy gangs also subjected him to an experience that left him traumatized. She immediately began to experience chest pains and shortness of breath, and was diagnosed with a stress-induced pre-heart attack condition. 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. 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. The deputy kept hitting him in his testicles and calling him a monkey. assertions made in legal claims filed in March and May When one says that a person is in the car, it means that person is one of them. He slammed his hands on the side of the vehicle and said, What the fuck is wrong with you? Deputy Christopher Wargo drove to the location and blocked Lopezs patrol car so she could not move and ordered her out of the vehicle. Her daughter was born by emergency C-section. The department did not respond to LAist's inquiry as to whether the policy has been formally adopted. Deputies Garcia, Rodriguez, Munoz, and Silverio fled the scene in Garcias car and drove to the East LA Station. Over the past 30 years, litigation related to deputy gangs at the East LA Station has cost taxpayers more than $36 million. Valdez appears to currently work as a sergeant at a different station. Those allegations accused the Banditos and their associates of harassing fellow deputies who dont support them, creating a hostile workplace, and planting evidence. 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. Villanueva told ABC7 on Tuesday, May 24, that the hearing was a political stunt that allowed witnesses to testify without cross-examination. 2023 Southern California Public Radio - All Rights Reserved, lawsuit that was first filed two years ago, 18 deputy gangs that have operated within the department, Gangs? The plaintiffs originally filed claims in 2019, stating they had been attacked, beaten, and denied backup as a result of refusing to cooperate with the gang. Twenty-four are currently stationed in East L.A. In August, Villanueva announced a zero tolerance policy on deputy cliques/subgroups engaging in misconduct, according to the statement. Donate Now Huntsman did not name the deputies and said his office has identified additional possible members from other sources. Current leaders include Rafael Rene Munoz AKA Big Listo, Gregory G-Rod Rodriguez, David Silver Silverio, Michael Bam Bam Hernandez, Silvano Cholo Garcia, Vincent Moran, and Raymond Mendoza, who call themselves shot callers. Two of the men are veterans with more than a decade on the job. A Tradition of Violence is hosted and executive produced by Cerise Castle. the F.B.I. Former Undersheriff Paul Tanaka was a tattooed member of the Vikings, which a federal judge called a "neo-nazi white supremacist" group. The Sheriffs Department has long faced allegations that the groups run roughshod over several stations, controlling commanders and glorifying aggressive policing tactics. The Banditos logo (Courtesy of Vincent Miller). Internal Affairs investigator Eric Barron, allegedly a member of the Regulators, argued with plaintiff Deputy Mario Contreras counsel that the Banditos conduct did not constitute racial discrimination, because Latinos were targeting other Latinos. Villanueva has said hes the first sheriff to have implemented a policy that prohibits membership in illicit groups. One deputy alleges in a complaint against the County that activities like fundraisers, training parties, and staff barbecues at the East LA station must be roundtabled by the Banditos. The inspector generals new figures add to a growing body of information about the secretive groups, which have existed in the Sheriffs Department for decades. 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. Granados and Zaredini both suffered retaliation for blowing the whistle, according to the complaint. The sheriff said previously that he cracked down on the Banditos presence in East Los Angeles as one of his first acts upon being sworn in. His return, along with the elevation of other Banditos associates, solidified the gangs grip on the station. Instead, the defendants face the allegations previously laid out in the lawsuit. In December 2013, Lopez was informed that if she didnt immediately request a transfer to Century Station, she would have to return to East LA. 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. Munoz, Eldemira Parra, Andrea Villa, and Claudia Perez controlled the calls through dispatch, and would send Granados and other plaintiffs out at the end of their shifts, forcing them to stay past their work time. 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. Thank you for investing in your neighborhood. The suit also claims Banditos encourage deputies to increase their arrest numbers by planting evidence on suspects. A deputy grabbed him and cuffed him. lawsuit that was first filed two years ago Prospects like Deputy Hector Little Listo Saavedra sent texts laughing about the 245 (assault and battery) and advised others to burn and destroy evidence. The disciplinary letters stemmed from an internal investigation into an East L.A. Sheriff's Station clique called "The Banditos," accused of operating like a gang. The Banditos of the East Los Angeles Sheriffs Station seemed not only to embrace the tradition of terrorizing surrounding communities, but celebrate the In late December 2011, an on-duty Lopez reported to a priority call. A deputy came to his home as Gray was moving a car into his driveway. It forbids department personnel from joining "any group which promotes conduct that violates the rights of employees or members of the public or otherwise encourages conduct that is contrary to department policy.". Lieutenant Eric Smitson allegedly confronted Hernandez and pressured him to lie and say the attack at Kennedy Hall had been an isolated, drunken two-way altercation. Sheriff Alex Villanueva also repeated that claim to Captain William Jaeger, Chief Kelly Porowski, and investigators Jeff Chow, Vincent Choi, Jeff Hamil, and Scott Chapman. On Sept. 19, 2018, just nine days before the attack at the party, two East L.A. deputies were shot, "coming close to being murdered, because of the intentional failure of the Banditos to provide back up," the suit claims. did not have an immediate response. . To support our non-profit public service journalism: At the time, then-interim Sheriff John Scott announced he would share the results of an investigation into claims of bullying by the Banditos, yet the probe has Thirty-one of these allegedly are themselves Banditos, associates, or prospects for the gang, he said. LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Los Angeles County Inspector General Max Huntsman has accused Sheriff Alex Villanueva of promoting a code of silence'' around secret societies within his department, but Villanueva calls the IG's actions purely politically driven and an attempt to undermine the department.''. Contreras and the other plaintiffs requested transfers out of the station, which were denied without explanation for weeks. It says this has happened "dozens" of times over the last three years. Chavez said he left East L.A. station in November 2019 after his promotion to commander. Los Angeles Countys top watchdog says in a report released Monday that substantial evidence exists that a secretive group of tattooed deputies at the East L.A. 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. The lawsuit describes in detail how members of the "Banditos" clique allegedly control station operations. On August 8, 2013, Lopez was taken off of disability leave and cleared to return to work. Vincent Miller, an attorney for the whistleblower deputies, says that the gang was looking for Gonzalez, but didnt hesitate to beat up other deputies as well, including: Deputies Jose Fuentes, Art Hernandez, Oscar Escobedo, and David Casas. Every weekday, you'll get fresh, community-driven stories that catch you up with our independent local news. Sign up for our daily newsletters Casas also says he received several intimidating messages from the Banditos, including demands to stop working at the station and threats of assault. Here's Why It's Especially Dangerous To Hike SoCal Mountains Right Now, How 4 Words Upended A University's Journalism Program, And Stirred A Reckoning Over Race, What A Popular Yoga Teacher's Descent Into Conspiracy Theories Says About The 'Wellness To QAnon Pipeline', Ancient Lung Disease Strikes Countertop Cutters In LA, The Groundbreaking Suicide Squad That Tested Early Rockets And Flirted With The Occult. Lopez told Patrelli that she would go anywhere except for East LA. The expanded lawsuit comes amid increasing scrutiny of how Villanueva, who began his career at the East L.A. Station, has addressed the longstanding problem of deputy subgroups. SEE MORE OF OUR COVERAGE ON LA'S DEPUTY GANGS: Our news is free on LAist. WebThe East Los Angeles Sheriffs station has the most documented history of deputy gangs. Will It Solve The Problem? He wrote that the list is based on information gleaned from investigations conducted by the Sheriffs Department. All eight requested transfers out of East L.A. and moved to other stations earlier this year, according to their attorney, Vincent Miller. 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. Just a few months later, Deputy Gregory Rodriguez made one final attempt to recruit Deputy Mario Contreras to the gang. Chavez said he was not told why he was being moved to the station and that he never made an effort to identify who belonged to the Banditos. Alene Tchekmedyian is an investigative reporter at the Los Angeles Times. The Banditos extract "taxes" from young Latino deputies for clique members' parties and travel, one of the deputies who filed the lawsuit told LAist. The Banditos consist primarily of Latinx LASD personnel, and allegedly do not allow women to become full-fledged members. Sgt. Mejia also claimed to have forgotten texts and phone calls he received from Deputy Oscar Escobedo reporting the hostile work environment. In September 2018, two deputies were knocked unconscious at a department party at an event space called Kennedy Hall, the lawsuit says. According to a lawsuit filed by eight East L.A. deputies and the A.C.L.U., the Banditos gang "controls the East Los Angeles station like inmates running a prison yard." He met his wife and the mother of his children in LA. She left the department. Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva was elected on the promise of reforming the scandal-plagued sheriffs department. They have been broken up in accordance to the law, and constitutionally permissibly, he said. 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. Call Them What You Will There've Been 18 (Yes, 18) In The LA Sheriff's Department, A Controversial East LA Sheriff's Station Logo Was Banned. Members typically get matching tattoos and go by names such as the Grim Reapers and Jump Out Boys. Lopezs lawsuit states that the harassment continued after she complained. The Sheriffs Department cited pending litigation and declined to comment other than to say Villanueva has done more to address organizational culture issues than all of his predecessors combined.. According to court documents, Villanueva also reinstated Danny Batman Batanero, one of the original 10 Banditos, and made him head of his security detail. Rodriguez told Contreras that he was going to be assigned to ride along with Munoz. GET THE BEST OF LAIST IN YOUR INBOXSign up for our daily newsletter to receive the latest on local politics, food, culture and the absurdities of L.A. life. 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. 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.. They met with station Lt. Richard Mejia, who initiated an investigation into the Banditos gang and interviewed about 20 deputies who acknowledged the Banditos problem, according to the suit. Gonzalez developed high blood pressure and a heart condition which led to her removal from the field. There are 30 alleged members of the Executioners operating from the Compton station. Your tax-deductible financial support keeps our stories free to read, instead of hidden behind paywalls. Moore allegedly reported the attack directly to Banditos shot caller Raymond Mendoza. Pushed him up against the police car. Granados reported this to Woodwards supervisor, Sergeant Albert Maldonado, who initially discarded the write-up. 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. She was very damaged by what happened, he tells Knock LA. The Banditos are a group of nearly 100 deputies who wear matching tattoos of a skeleton with a thick mustache, sombrero, pistol and bandolier, according to the suit. Once she rejected them, they retaliated against her. In November 2011, Deputy Andrew Hernandez, a Banditos associate, leered at Lopezs breasts in the hallway as she was leaving the womens locker room. Christopher Gray, who is Black, is originally from Idaho. The Banditos now ran East LA. According to the complaint, Mendoza also conducted personal business while on duty and ordered her to do his work. However Deputy Brian Goodwin, Commander Chris Blasnek, and Commander James Wolak rigged the investigation to support a seven-day suspension of Zaredini, according to the lawsuit. In a conversation with LAist, the new sheriff acknowledges that, as an outsider, "I have my work cut out for me" in winning the support of the department's rank-and-file. The Bandidos emblem is a skeleton with a sombrero and a handlebar mustache holding a smoking revolver. Deputy Woodrow Kim, who was listed as a witness, stated Saavedra was lying about the claim in the IA investigation. Based on the information that I have, that is incorrect. The Top 5 newsletter catches you up with LAs top 5 stories in just 3 minutes. 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. According to the lawsuit, the deputy detained, battered, and searched Gray without reasonable suspicion or probable cause. You meet up with us when we tell you to! Her answers didnt satisfy him and he told her, Fuck you! and, You are on your own! Around January 16, 2012, Deputy Benjamin Zaredini attempted to knock Lopez to the floor while she was carrying a loaded shotgun. Banditos "intentionally fail to provide back-up during emergency situations and other dangerous calls to purposely place deputies in dangerous circumstances," the suit says. He was elected in 2018 after running as a progressive Democrat who would reform the department. Escobedo and Hernandez were treated at a local hospital, Escobedo for "severe neck pain and strain, dizziness, and nausea due to lack of oxygen from being choked out," and Hernandez for a concussion and cuts that required sutures, the complaint alleges. He was a nuclear physics major in college and relocated to Los Angeles to work on some construction projects. Escobedo was unable to work for a week afterwards, according to the suit. She's "We haven't confirmed or denied any investigation," FBI Spokeswoman Laura Eimiller told LAist. Hernandez told investigators the truth. L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis, who represents East L.A., said in an emailed statement: "It is shameful to learn that the number of deputy gang members, specifically from the Banditos, have increased and now include those who have enabled and hid their misconduct. The federal probe follows allegations of beatings and harassment by members of the Banditos, a group of deputies assigned to the Sheriffs Departments East L.A. station who brand themselves with matching tattoos of a skeleton outfitted with a sombrero, bandolier and pistol. Subgroups? 4 min read. The complaint alleges that the Banditos have controlled scheduling, assignments, and promotions at the East Los Angeles Station until relatively recently. Chavez also said the 36 people moved from the station reflected general transfers, retirements or promotions, not a response to allegations centered around the Banditos. Lopez also believed that she would be subjected to further harassment if she went to another area. The Banditos are at least the third gang to emerge from the East LA Station. I dont know who the Banditos are, Chavez, who is now a commander, said under oath in March. 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