Three members of Orange County-based street gangs were sentenced to life in prison after they were found guilty of murdering a man on behalf of a Mexican Mafia leader, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Friday.
Federal authorities said in Aug 2017, 43-year-old Mike Escobar of the Little Hood gang in Anaheim, 47-year-old James Mendez of the Sureño gang in Garden Grove and 38-year-old Kevin Trejo of the Jeffrey Street gang in Anaheim killed a member of a Costa Mesa street gang.
Escobar, Mendez and Trejo allegedly lured the victim to a residential neighborhood in Orange before fatally shooting him seven times in the back and once in the head, the DOJ said.
The victim had been involved in trafficking drugs and collecting taxes from other Orange County gangs on behalf of a Mexican Mafia leader, who was in prison at the time.
The Mexican Mafia, also known as “La Eme,” is a U.S.-based prison gang that exerts significant influence over Hispanic street gangs throughout Southern California. Its leaders often orders associates to carry out illegal activities from prisons while collecting profits from drug trafficking, illegal gambling and other crimes.
“Gang members directing murders from behind bars will be charged and prosecuted just like those who pull the triggers,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This case charged both the shooters and the perpetrator who ordered the murder. The Criminal Division will maintain its commitment to eradicate gangs at all levels and make America safe.”
The DOJ said the conviction and sentencing were possible thanks to collaborations with the Orange, Santa Ana, Placentia police department as well as the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
The Mexican Mafia leader who ordered Escobar, Mendez and Trejo to commit the murder for him was scheduled for trial in August 2027, the DOJ said.
