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42-ranked singles player in NCAA Division I Women's Tennis with an overall season record of 22-13. In time it absorbed smaller gangs, many of which became cliques, or subsets, of Florencia-13. The Mexican Mafia has a powerful grasp on these [Latino] gangs, said Peter Hernandez, the assistant U.S. attorney who prosecuted the case. Sanchez also served as armed security and carried a firearm to protect the casitas drug operations. The officer collapsed in an alley, mortally wounded. The letter outlines rules, or reglas, drawn up by Mexican Mafia members for associates operating on the streets. Several members of the gang have risen through its ranks to become leaders of the Mexican Mafia. When Leon was arrested for those drug charges, he was unlawfully in possession of a loaded firearm. The rules, written in a cramped hand, state that every Florencia-13 clique should elect by majority vote a president and vice president, who were to hold weekly meetings. The documents unsealed this week call Arturo Castellanos a Mexican Mafia member and the undisputed leader of the Florencia 13 criminal street gang in south Los Angeles County. Market data provided by Factset. Central District of California | Three Gang Members and One Gang MLS # 1679310 The indictment unsealed today follows a 2007 crackdown on the gang that led to more than 100 members and associates being charged, and five of them receiving sentences of life without parole in federal prison (see: http://www.justice.gov/usao/cac/Pressroom/pr2010/025.html). This indictment charges 31 defendants and alleges violations of the federal racketeering (RICO) statute, as well as a host of narcotics, firearms, and fraud offenses. Florencia did the opposite, law enforcement officials say, absorbing smaller gangs and expanding their extortion and drug dealing rackets on the orders of its leaders, who are incarcerated many hundreds of miles away. Laredo, who is serving a sentence for prior racketeering and drug convictions related to his F13 activities, is one of four members of the Mexican Mafia prison gang who allegedly had leadership roles in the gang. "We're going to miss him a lot. The sentencing of six Florencia 13 gang members to life in prison appears to bring to a close a prolonged and terrifying spate of violence in the Florence-Firestone district allegedly brought on by orders from a prison gang member in solitary confinement 700 miles away. He has pleaded not guilty, and the case has yet to go to trial. The marijuana count carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison (10 years if the defendant has a prior narcotics conviction) and a statutory maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. Had it been an incorporated city, that rate would have ranked it among the nations worst. LOS ANGELES Two key operatives of the Florencia 13 street gang were sentenced this week to life without parole in federal prison. Juries have found in a number of recent trials that Florencia-13 amounts to a racketeering enterprise, but in those cases, prosecutors had evidence recorded calls, intercepted letters and jailhouse notes that its leaders had directed the drug deals, shakedowns and murders that formed a pattern of racketeering activity. Over the years, demographic and social shifts have weakened many street gangs and caused some to die out altogether. "He was a really humble hard worker, always walked around with a smile, and he was just really, really nice to be around," an officer told FOX 11. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images). ATF remains steadfast in its stance to disrupt organized gang activity and seek prosecution of anyone who chooses to offend at will, denying law abiding citizens a community or workplace free from violence.. Florencia-13 members also collect protection money from local merchants who seek help in keeping gang members from hurting their business, the former member of the gang said. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. I believe one of his objectives is to get [transferred] to federal prison to further his business plan, Enriquez said. In this case, the crime seems more opportunistic. Those rules and letters from Castellanos attempted to adhere those prison rules to the street, he said. Florencia 13 is one of the largest, most powerful and oldest street gangs in Southern California. To his supporters, Castellanos is a relentless campaigner for prisoner rights who has eschewed a history of violence to help coordinate peaceful protests behind bars. Todays enforcement efforts will help to reduce the damaging impact of this brutal organization by arresting key members and associates of the La Familia cartel and disrupting their distribution networks in the Los Angeles area.. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. In recent years, however, Florencia-13 members have been directed to eschew violent inter-gang rivalries in favor of pursuing new rackets, said a former member of the gang, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Four years ago, authorities arrested dozens of members of South Los Angeles' Florencia 13 gang in connection with the killing of blacks because of the color of their skin. The historic core of Florencias territory is bounded by Slauson Avenue to the north, 101st Street to the south, Central Avenue to the west and State Street to the east, Lt. Hector Velasquez of the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department testified in 2016. The trial further found that the gang was controlled by the Mexican Mafia prison gang. A locked padlock While in custody, Leon, a confirmed Florencia 13 gang member, became involved in a conspiracy to smuggle illegal contraband into the Benton County Jail with the assistance of a correctional officer.