3 Pomona gang members accused of murdering L.A. inmate

A national expansive assemblage connected Thursday, Oct. 14, returned an indictment that charged 3 Pomona-area pack members who are besides Mexican Mafia associates with murdering a chap inmate astatine Metropolitan Detention Center successful Los Angeles.

The papers besides elaborate however prosecutors accidental the Mexican Mafia enactment operates its immense endeavor of cause trafficking and unit wrong and extracurricular of prisons.

The indictment alleges that Jose Valencia “Swifty” Gonzalez, 39, Carlos “Popeye” Gonzalez, 38, and Juan “Squeaks” Sanchez, 28, acting astatine the absorption of Mexican Mafia subordinate Michael “Big Mike” Lerma, 65, killed the unfortunate successful his compartment connected June 28, 2020, for failing to wage disconnected a cause debt. Lerma, besides of Pomona, was besides charged with murder.

The unfortunate was identified successful the indictment lone by the initials S.B. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office website says that connected June 29, 2020, 39-year-old Steve Bencom died successful an unspecified jailhouse from strangulation with a enactment oregon cord and stab wounds.

This week’s indictment supersedes the 1 filed successful 2018 that alleged those 4 inmates conspired to interruption the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act related to the Mexican Mafia’s power of Pomona and surrounding areas, wherever Lerma controlled cause trafficking and extorted cause proceeds from Latino thoroughfare gangs. He besides seized power of cause trafficking astatine Metropolitan Detention Center, the indictment alleges.

Members of Lerma’s cognition besides committed convulsive crimes and cause trafficking, the indictment alleges.

If convicted of murder, the defendants would each look a statutory maximum condemnation of beingness successful national situation oregon death, if that condemnation is sought, the U.S. Department of Justice said successful a quality release. The men were successful national custody awaiting a proceedings connected the erstwhile indictment that is scheduled for April 12, 2022.

Lerma is 1 of astir 140 afloat members of the Mexican Mafia, besides known arsenic La Eme, which the indictment described arsenic a “gang of gangs.”

The Mexican Mafia mostly comprises elder members of Southern California gangs who banded unneurotic to nett disconnected of crime.

“By exercising power implicit inmates successful the situation and jailhouse systems, chiefly done unit and threats of violence, theMexican Mafia is capable to power the activities of Southern California Hispanic transgression thoroughfare gangs, some wrong and outsidecustody facilities,” the indictment states.

“Mexican Mafia members and associates wield specified powerfulness implicit the situation and jailhouse populations that they are capable to bid that acts of unit beryllium carried retired not lone against different situation oregon jailhouse inmates, but besides against thoroughfare pack members and others extracurricular of situation oregon jail,” the indictment continues.

Members of the Mexican Mafia disagreement power of transgression activities successful lockups and successful communities. A subordinate volition power the smuggling of drugs into a peculiar jailhouse and the postulation of taxes — fundamentally extortion that allows the gangs to proceed to traffick drugs, the indictment says. Orders are shuttled successful and retired of prisons by phone, situation strategy emails, smuggled notes and visitors.

The Mexican Mafia subordinate successful power of a lockup oregon vicinity volition assemble a squad of associates to transportation retired orders.

“Being loyal to the Mexican Mafia is an integral portion of being a Southern California Hispanic thoroughfare pack member, and it is openly understood that erstwhile individuals articulation specified gangs that they are joining an entity loyal to the Mexican Mafia,” the indictment says.