San Jose Gang Boss Jesus Armendariz Gets 15 Years for Racketeering

San Jose gang boss Jesus Armendariz was hit with a 15-year federal prison sentence Thursday for running a violent criminal enterprise tied to the Mexican Mafia, fueling a reign of terror across Santa Clara County with drugs, guns, and bloodshed. The conviction marks the latest domino to fall in the FBI’s sweeping takedown of Sureño street gangs operating under prison-based directives.

Armendariz, who admitted to leading the Sur Santos Pride (SSP) gang from at least 2009 to 2014, pleaded guilty on July 28, 2016, to racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute over 50 grams of crystal methamphetamine, and using a firearm during a crime of violence. As a key liaison between the Mexican Mafia and Sureño factions in San Jose, he enforced prison gang edicts, collected street taxes, and armed foot soldiers with weapons and drugs shipped from inside the penal system.

At his tattoo shop—a front for criminal operations—federal agents seized more than 700 grams of crystal meth, three handguns, and an AR-15 rifle during a January 30, 2014, raid. That bust helped unravel a network tied to murder, attempted murder, and armed robbery, all committed in the name of the SSP and other Sureño crews loyal to the Mexican Mafia’s violent mandate.

U.S. District Judge Edward J. Davila handed down the sentence as part of a broader crackdown by the FBI’s Santa Clara County Violent Gang Task Force. Armendariz’s conviction is the twelfth secured in the operation, which began with the March 18, 2014, indictment of 27 Sureño members on charges including RICO conspiracy, VICAR murder and attempted murder, and drug trafficking.

Alongside his prison term, Armendariz was sentenced to five years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $300 special assessment. He remains in federal custody and will begin serving his sentence immediately. Five other defendants are set for sentencing in the coming months, while six others await trial scheduled for May 2017, with a status conference set for December 15, 2016.

Other convictions in the sweep include JOSE DAVID SANCHEZ a/k/a “Joker” and JUAN CHAVEZ a/k/a “Dukester,” both sentenced to 77 months in prison on October 21 and October 30, 2014, respectively, for meth distribution. ANDY LAMB also faces charges in the ongoing case, as federal prosecutors dismantle one of San Jose’s most entrenched criminal networks.