Nineteen-year-old Armando Frias was shooting pool when he recognized the wanted man. Since then, district attorneys from five NorCal counties had teamed up to share unsolved homicide files on dead Norteos. On seven of the CDs fourteen tracks, Sir Dyno raps as hired: Hes a heartless gangsta with a nihilistic agenda. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Nebraska cheerleader competes by herself at state competition, but crowd doesn't let her feel alone, Update: Highway 29, Howell Mountain Road may stay closed through weekend after Napa Valley snows, Former NFL star Chad Johnson says he saved money by living inside Cincinnati Bengals stadium for 2 years, American Canyon delays warehouse amid Vallejo concerns, Homeless people to get permanent housing at former Napa motel, A plan for paid parking set to emerge in Napa three decades after meters were removed, Two arrested in Napa after crash of stolen SUV, police say, Police: Man arrested after Napa apartment break-in, Man dies in apparent Napa County drowning, Browns Valley Road homes approved by Napa City Council, Police: Man arrested after reported knife threat in Napa, American Canyon considers Chicken Guy restaurant amid drive-thru concerns, Premiere Napa Valley fundraiser brings in $3.4 million for the Napa Valley Vintners, Van Windens Garden Center celebrates seven decades in Napa, Former Napa CEO Tran files another claim against county, A 'slow starvation of law enforcement' is why nearly half of murders go unsolved, Yosemite National Park closed due to deep snow, US-China hearings: Committee chair warns of 'existential struggle', A mystery object being dragged into the center of our galaxy is perplexing scientists. Gratton, meanwhile, had Sir Dyno write out a business plan, which offers a glimpse of the rappers instinct to use shock value to boost sales: By releasing G.U.N. The only way to sell was to shock, he says. I told him, I know exactly who you are,' Holguin recalled. The CD includes Nuestra Familia artwork and a statement that the success of this project has resulted from true Norteo unity we applaud the Carnalismo we would also like to give a special thanks to our family [emphasis theirs] and all the warriors. Trial witness R.G. December 12, 1976. Sir Dyno accepts this rivalry, and its where many of his raps come from. Big Smiley immediately ordered his soldier to enforce gang law back in C-Facility. Three days before Christmas, Lizard called Holguin. As a kid growing up in this small town, David Rocha was a freestyle BMXer who bounced along on one wheel during Fourth of July parades. After a few meetings, he told Sir Dyno he wanted to finance a project, but instead of using the rappers already-established label, Gratton opted to launch North Star Records. Otherwise, he was free to go about his business. The founder of the failed company is Sam Bankman-Fried. The theory went, if we separated the two gangs, wed have less problems, Vasquez said. Symbols and culture Its not like her life used to be.. Californias most fearsome prison is located near the Oregon border, a windswept fortress surrounded by three walls and two barbed-wire fences. It is here that the stories begin to diverge: Rocha claims that in the eleven or so months he knew Gratton, the parolee never discussed his ties to the highly secretive prison gang. The former leaders include James "Tibbs" Morado, Joseph "Pinky" Hernandez, Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba, Cornelio Tristan, and Tex Marin Hernandez. During his time with Nuestra Raza, Gratton learned the boot camp basics: how to make shanks, decode letters, and memorize the NF Constitution. No one who got whacked was an innocent man. In all, 21 people were indicted in the FBIs three-year investigation into Nuestra Familia, code-named Operation Black Widow. Within minutes, the gang member confessed his role in Nuestra Familia and offered to trade information for leniency. posters and CDs in his car, again cementing a link between the prison gang and local norteos. Lexipol. Of the 21 original defendants, nineteen are already certified as Nuestra Familia through the state Department of Corrections. And one critic of his tenure as an informant even charges that the FBIs leash on Lizard was so loose that the government turned a blind eye to the killing of a Salinas drug dealer. When the state-of-the-art super-max penitentiary opened in 1989, built exclusively for the states 2,800 most violent inmates, Governor George Deukmejian hailed it a model for the rest of the nation. Instead, it has become a model gang incubator. Snow-locked Highway 29 between Calistoga and the Lake County border will likely stay closed through the weekend, CHP announced Friday afternoon. That report, based on information from another snitch, revealed that Cuete was demoted by the generals to the lowest rank for skimming funds and gossiping. Had they not almost burned my identity, I wouldnt have had to be doing any of that, he said. SANTA ROSA Several members of the notorious Nuestra Familia But one day on the yard, he was approached by Juan Nato Gurule, a long-lost cousin from the East Bay. Lizard sent word to Big Smiley to corroborate this story. Weeks later, the general was attacked by Sureos and landed in solitary confinement. I didnt have a choice, he recalled. Youre a lot smarter than those guys doing life in prison. Rap is an exaggeration of life, he says, just like in a movie. He was a long way from his former East Bay stomping grounds, and hadnt dared visit his wife and children, who still lived locally. If he wrote Dear Love, every sixth word mattered. It wasnt quite the impression he wanted to make. "DC Cervantes is calling the shots," said J.R. Auten, a former gang investigator for state prisons and now a consultant for federal and state law enforcement. He leaves behind a 3-year-old son of his own, but vows that the cycle of violence ends with him. interacts online and researches product purchases I told him, Listen. He always offered to learn more and do more to serve the organization. In hindsight, the move only solidified the stature of race-based gangs, said Daniel Vasquez, a former San Quentin prison warden and gang investigator. Police surmise that the order was responsible for many of the shootings in Salinas in 2007, which increased by 50 percent over 2006 levels. Hed turned his parents garage into a makeshift studio, recorded cassettes, and sold them at low-rider shows and East Bay record stores. Lizards initial work was flawless. Orders from the generals were arriving on the streets within weeks, if not days. His teen angst surfaced one day when he threatened to kill his vice principal. Or better yet, two prosecuting attorneys., Cervantes persisted. With most prison gangs who try and use the mail, theres a big lag time things get lost, hits get reversed so theres a lot of miscommunication. After they wade through all of the evidence, jurors will then be asked to turn their attention to David Rocha. The idea was that rap music could unite and galvanize young Norteo soldiers across the state, and it did. Now, for a CD he cut five years ago, for a guy he claims he barely knew, for a dollar he never made, David Rocha faces a life sentence on a single count of conspiracy. I didnt care, he said later. After all, race-based prison gang violence dominates Californias prison system, according to a 2002 report from the California State Department of Justice. Like other major prison gangs, including the Aryan Brotherhood and the Mexican Mafia, Nuestra Familia issues orders from its power base in the Security Housing Unit of Pelican Bay. Whatever you want. That 50 percent looked like gold., Sir Dyno claims he never asked where Gratton got his money, and whether or not the jury believes that could be key to his fate. While Sanchez sipped beer, Frias met Martinez at his car. All rights reserved. Therefore, David is an NF member or associate. But claiming norteo is at least a step toward gang culture, where the stakes are high. Lizard initially followed his script and pushed for peace, according to the transcripts. Despite the governor's complaints, all five are still housed in the same supermax unit. But even after Lizard shed his prison skin and sided with the government, his behavior was hardly that of a reformed citizen. He pleaded guilty to arranging two murders from prison, and will be sentenced to life in prison in December, along with the gangs generals. CD, Lewis and Helton say. That leaves Cervantes, who has always kept a keen eye on Salinas affairs, firmly in control as the organization's only general. Of course, once the hit list is reactivated, Lizard knows that his name will sit at the very top. Im a Northerner, he says, arms wide. The coddled "terrorists" of South Florida Anti-Castro Cuban exiles who have been linked to bombings and assassinations are living free in Miami. "He's trying to regroup these guys. There sat Cornelio Corny Tristan, one of three alleged NF generals. On Daddys Home, instead of the stone-cold thug who whacks his way through the streets, Sir Dyno raps about what he truly is: a 31-year-old father facing a life sentence for the choices he made years earlier. I was doing it as a smokescreen. Cuete arranged for the new hotshot to move into his cell. For the first time in decades, one man sits alone at the helm of the criminal organization that for more than 30 years has called the shots for thousands of Norte-o gang members in the Salinas Valley. The immediate and constant communication strengthened the gang. In the weeks leading up to Lizards arrest, Kayln Santiagos apartment had been stormed by FBI agents. The three ounces found in Sir Dynos car, Gratton was claiming, came from him a statement which, if true, puts Sir Dyno squarely within the gang conspiracy. What if you get away with it? I cant muscle the guy because I dont know what hes involved with, he reasoned, so either I make an issue of it and make an enemy I dont want, or just let it go. The only problem is the limiting of audience outside Northern California., After costs for radio spots and posters and printing, the plan estimated profits of $21,051 on the first 4,000 units. He was as bright and loyal as they came, so Cuete could trust him.. Once paroled, Lizard then served as Nuestra Familias highest-ranking member outside prison. Lizard himself adamantly denied Zilversmits claims, insisting that he pressed for peace in the case of Sanchez. If he went back to Pelican Bay, his elders would be upset to see him. The Norte-os are trying to establish (in Salinas) but every time they try to, there's shootouts." At the end of the trial, after Mr. Rocha spends four to six months sitting with other Latin males, the rest of whom are chained to the floor, how will jurors see him as an individual and judge him fairly in light of the limited evidence against him? they argue in one motion. They taught him to grind down plastic shampoo bottles into shanks for knifing an attacker, and to roll up the pages of National Geographic as makeshift spear handles. Its not realistic to integrate them now, said Holguin, now retired from the Department of Corrections. Daniel Hernandez sends a red line to several imprisoned (NF) leaders recommeding the impeachment of (NF) General Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba and lieutenant Sheldon Villanueva. Im just going to wait for the trial.. A federal grand jury in San Francisco handed down 21 indictments against gang members, including the three generals and captain Gerald Cuete Rubalcaba. Former leaders include James "Tibbs" Morado, Joseph "Pinky" Hernndez, Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba, Cornelio Tristn and Tex Marn Hernndez. A from-the-top down, command and control, rigidly structured operator who wouldn't let subordinates exercise any personal initiative. At the end of the day he gets to go home.. Jacobs told Viramontes he was marked, but promised he wouldn't let it happen in his yard. Helton checked out Grattons business licenses, and learned of Sir Dynos involvement through the music distributor. Violence was averted in those cases, Gruel said. and manufacturers. Latinos, although initially thrown together, had to choose Norteo or Sureo. If you say, I dont know, they say Where are you from? When you tell them, they direct you to that side of the prison. But nowhere on the CD, or in the lyrics, do the words Nuestra Familia appear. He told them about killing Brown Bob. Nobody expects you to rap exactly what your life is. In the aftermath of Operation Black Widow, the five highest-ranking leaders of Nuestra Familia, James "Tibbs" Morado, Joseph "Pinky" Hernandez, Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba, Cornelio Tristan, and Tex Marin Hernandez, were transferred to the United States Penitentiary, Florence ADX, the federal supermax prison in Colorado. For that reason, he explains, he turned to dealing methamphetamine. In the early 1970s, gang fights which were called race riots then became more common inside the prisons. The DA was forced to offer Lizard a six-year deal, which he happily accepted. Nuestra Familia prestige is now generational, passed from father to son, uncle to nephew. According to Lizard and FBI informants, the accounts held up to $25,000. But while prosecutors were assembling their final case against the gang, Lizard was drug-tested as part of the terms of his release. He took the gangs oath, Blood in, blood out, and rose to the rank of captain within a few years. He makes drug deals here, he caps sureos there, he disses cops everywhere, all of it in the name of norteo supremacy. When Lizard asked Goose about protection for the rings, the underling said, Ill produce the manpower [and] the weapons to facilitate our needs and firepower to lay the motherfuckers down.. A judge will decide in December whether his cooperation as an informant outweighs his considerable criminal past. In NF, they dont want you to be friends in case you have to do something down the road, Lizard wrote. The idea was to create a music CD that would appeal to young Latinos and help recruit them into the ranks of the Nortenos, the breeding ground for hate toward the soldados of the Mexican Mafia. Fourteen of those charged in federal court in Los Angeles and Santa Ana . He complained again that his overhead was too high; he had to charge $3,200 per pound of meth, while his competitors were selling it at $2,600 to $2,800. I mean, I would think not, but you better have some realness to it if youre going to rap that way., Despite his marketed image, Sir Dyno now claims hes never known anyone who died from gang warfare, never had anyone close to him go off to prison. He told his commander that hed received an order from Cuete to kill two deputy district attorneys, a husband and wife team in San Jose named Kitty and Charles Constantinides. It is a form of psychological torture." Perez says that, after the initial arrests of the five, attempts were made to persuade them to plead guilty or inform on their co-defendants and on Cuba by . I even convinced the government that Im this crazy guy.. Lizard reminded his brothers about the warriors in Pelican Bay. Together, Nato and Lizard robbed drug dealers, committed petty crimes, and raised funds for their carnals back inside. That autumn, according to testimony from a fellow gang member, Lizard ordered seventeen stabbings. On the back cover, he stands next to Gratton, flashing XIV signs. At the time, the $5 million price tag and networking of thirty different law enforcement agencies made it the most expensive and largest investigation into a California prison gang. Chained to their seats on a triple-tiered bleacher facing the jury box were fourteen men dressed in blood-red jumpsuits. His character on the track writes a letter to his daughter, apologizing for his absence while she grows up. Copyright 2023 Police1. The justices will decide whether prisoners are denied their constitutional rights when forced to cell with another inmate based on race; a ruling could force administrators to consider full integration. Cervantes added that hed already followed the couple to the courthouse. Dozens of Napans who are homeless will soon find permanent housing in a former city motel. I mean, he wasnt gonna tell me, and I wasnt gonna tell him what I was doing.. The gang's new constitution says the five should still be respected as former leaders, but has stripped them of their power in California. In November 1986, Lizard tried out these new skills on another inmate and was transferred to San Quentin. And there was ghosting a letter: using a Q-Tip to swab milk or urine to write out orders on a piece of paper. But on his way out the door, the veteran agent made Lizard an offer. One morning this past August, Sir Dyno sat in his Dodge Caravan, stuck in I-580 traffic, knowing hed be late for his court hearing in San Francisco. And though prison officials recently reorganized the housing in a way that slows down gang communications, coded directives are still smuggled out that translate to violence in California cities and farm towns. His wife had declined to enter witness protection until the trial arrived. In 1968, in response to La Emes overwhelming power, a group of Norteos bonded together in the exercise yard of what was then named Soledad State Prison. Ribota declined comment for this story, in light of the upcoming trial. Not with NF.. All of these directives were channeled through him. Man, Im from the streets. The amount of violence attributed to the men inside the courtroom and their associates on the outside was staggering: fifteen killings, eighty conspiracies to murder, ten attempted murders, ten felony assaults, one hundred assaults, and two drive-by shootings. These divisions werent just cultural. Copyright 2023 Theres no denying Sir Dyno is norteo, but hes careful to explain that a norteo isnt necessarily a gang member, just a Chicano proud of his provenance. Lo-fi beats backed simple, repetitive keyboard riffs. And the transfer led to internal power struggles played out in the streets, police say. But the state prison guards union and correctional officials have argued that to mix inmates now would only bring more violence. Days later, Big Smiley sent Lizard his own wilas, as well as books on Chicano history. His alleged crime is conspiracy in other words, simply having associated with the men sitting beside him. Since prisoners cant mail one another, Lizard began writing Kayln Santiago, a friend from Boise. dozens of murders while imprisoned at Pelican Bay, including Copyright 2023 He wanted gang members to start cooking the drug themselves. When you turn your back on all of that. It took 26 years for death to catch up to Donald Ramon Ortiz. Lizard prepared to take the stand against Nuestra Familia. Even though he was broke and sleeping on friends couches, Sir Dyno felt he was on the cusp of the big time, ready to break. If it read Hello Love!, it was every eighth word. But the rapper has faith the judicial process will work in his favor. I know theres some things you dont ask., Dyno claims thats the moment he realized hed been duped and would never see his cash. This was the place where we took all of our training to the next level. Not just in rap, but everywhere. At a hearing last month, Steven Gruel, US assistant attorney and Chief of Major Crimes, told the court that Sir Dynos limited role with Nuestra Familia made no difference under the law: It doesnt matter if you associate with a RICO enterprise for five years or five minutes; it still makes you part of the conspiracy.. Not only was there one less Sureo, but Lizard also showed a knack for attacking without detection. I fear no man, he said. We shared a common goal, and that goal was to be the very NF members who put the organization back on track.. Sanchez was laying low, but Ramirez expected him to pop up again. People like the extreme., He was one of the few who really got off their butts and did it, says Eduardo Crooked Quiroz, a rapper and filmmaker who has known Sir Dyno for ten years. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. But government agents said that Brown Bob actually had pulled away from the gang. So Lizard flipped. Dec. 22, 2021 5 AM PT. Just dont go out looking for it and doing anything., Ramirez replied, Its in motion. promotional posters around town and learning from a confidential informant that Robert Gratton, one of the faces on the posters, was financing North Star from meth sales. The report counted nearly seven thousand cases of inmate assault in the states 32 institutions, along with nine murders that year, a steady increase over the past decade. While members of the Norteos gang are considered to be affiliated with Nuestra Familia, being a member of Nuestra Familia itself does not signify association as a Norteo. Still Sir Dyno says he wasnt getting paid. But recently, Lizard spoke on the phone with her, discussing their new lives. After three decades, Nuestra Familia is now an institution on Northern California streets and is spreading rapidly through the suburbs of the Central Valley, gang investigator Lewis said. I also learned the informant was skimming money from the Nuestra Familia street leaders and not reporting this to me.. Hed loaded up the hit list and was feuding with two of the generals while angling for a promotion. The "filter," or official paperwork announcing the hit, came down to Jacobs, who, by this time, had developed a close friendship with Viramontes. Now, nearly all Norte-o soldiers and Nuestra Familia regiment captains across California answer to Cervantes, gang experts say, but re-establishing the gang's control over the streets has not been easy. was drawing the attention its makers craved, and then some. Looking to score one night in early 1994, Lizard headed to an intersection known for the sale of chiva. Rubalcaba is accused in court papers of ordering CD turned out to be one of about fifty disks the prolific rapper has appeared on in the past ten years, and the most militant in its norteo ideology. After Gratton ratted out his fellow gang members one by one, offering a list of 350 names, he was moved into the federal Witness Relocation Program. He returned to San Quentin in June of 1994 to begin his sentence. In early 1998, fellow La Mesa heavyweight Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba ordered Viramontes dead. Salinas underboss Alberto Larez estimated that over the last ten years hed sent Cuete and the generals 40, 45 thousand dollars.. He was a loyal and merciless soldier until a foolish parole violation threatened to send him back to prison, where his own safety was in question. There was also the lean and smooth figure of Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba, the gang's most powerful captain, whose job inside Pelican Bay, a fellow gang member told the feds, was to "keister" the. You have entered an incorrect email address. She disguised her own missives as legal mail from a fictitious San Francisco attorney and sent them directly back into the Secured Housing Unit, where all three gang generals were locked up. Sir Dyno had only been to jail once, following his drug arrest. At home, Sir Dyno says hes just waiting for the truth to come out, but the phrase emerges like one thats been worn out, a fortification against the harsher truth: He stands to lose everything. Nato had worked his way up in the ranks from Norteo street thug to membership in the Nuestra Familia prison gang. Around 6:30 p.m. on April 19, 1999, Brown Bob was watering his roses. Lizard first went to prison when he was nineteen. One of those footnotes involves Sir Dyno who, despite his history of gangsta-rap posturing, clearly is not a criminal on a par with his codefendants. He and his wife moved to Boise, Idaho, where he hoped the slow pace would help him start over. The strings of evidence crossed, and the investigation grew, joined by the FBI and dubbed Operation Black Widow. He oversaw battalions across the greater Bay Area, and relayed their progress to his bosses back inside. Lizard has a thick handlebar mustache, broad shoulders, and is engraved with prison tattoos in Old English script. OUR PUBLICATIONSCannabis ChronicleEast BayGilroy DispatchGood Times Santa CruzHollister Free LanceKing City RustlerMarin Pacific SunMetro Silicon ValleyMorgan Hill TimesNorth Bay BohemianPress BannerSalinas Valley TribuneSouth ValleyWatsonville Pajaronian, ADVERTISINGAdvertiseLegal NoticesObituariesSponsored ContentWriting An ObituarySubmit an Obituary, COMPANY INFOJob OpportunitiesPrivacy Policy. Monday. He told them about the codes, the phony law firm, the bank accounts. Jared Lewis, a former Modesto gang investigator, says the impact of G.U.N. According to grand jury testimony, Lizard sent a coded letter that eventually reached Antonio Chuco Guillen just before he was paroled from San Quentin. The album would preach the unification of norteos Chicanos born north of an invisible border located somewhere around Fresno who, once inside the prison system, were eligible to join Nuestra Familia. He reiterated that he told Martinez clearly: no bloodshed., How could I order the hit? he asked. Lizard hadnt, so Nato schooled him on the long-standing war. The Apprehension Teams scrutiny proved to be Sir Dynos downfall. After he was expelled, his parents sent him back north to live with an aunt in Pittsburg, where he continued to carouse. He tested positive, violating a federal policy that informants remain drug-free while working for the government. OUR PUBLICATIONSCannabis ChronicleEast BayGilroy DispatchGood Times Santa CruzHollister Free LanceKing City RustlerMarin Pacific SunMetro Silicon ValleyMorgan Hill TimesNorth Bay BohemianPress BannerSalinas Valley TribuneSouth ValleyWatsonville Pajaronian, ADVERTISINGAdvertiseLegal NoticesObituariesSponsored ContentWriting An ObituarySubmit an Obituary, COMPANY INFOJob OpportunitiesPrivacy Policy. with prosecutors for reduced sentences, The Press Democrat reported Finally, he was going to San Francisco to testify. Back among the general prison population, Lizard reported to his ranking captain, Gerald Cuete Rubalcaba, one of the gangs most revered members. Theres no reason Id want him to go down.. These defendants wisely elected to plead guilty rather than face the prospect of Mr. Hernandez appearance as a trial witness against them.. Using racketeering statutes to bust the organized crime ring, the indictment carried six charges of murder or attempted murder, as well as charges of assault, conspiracy, drug trafficking, and arms dealing. Rocha did not seem to understand the reason for the arrest or the charge. Nearby cops heard the shots and pulled in quickly. Not far from Tristan sat Rico Smiley Garcia, facing the death penalty for carrying out his bosses orders and putting two bullets in the back of Castillos head. attempts on two assistant district attorneys in Santa Clara The large XIV across his throat represented the fourteenth letter of the alphabet, N, for Norte. Though vastly outnumbered, Nuestra Familia distinguished itself by organizing its troops along strict paramilitary lines. You have entered an incorrect email address! The CD had been funded in 1998 from Pelican Bay prison by the top Nuestra Familia general, Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba. Lizard was charged with attempted murder, and sent back to jail. Along with Crooked and other Bay Area rhymers, the Darkroom Familia took off as a twelve-member supergroup, touring across the West on their own dime, all of them touting the street thug lifestyle.

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