LOS ANGELES – A South Los Angeles gang member pleaded guilty to a federal crime for conspiring to distribute narcotics, including crack cocaine and methamphetamine, from his storefront in the area.
Andrew Tate, 54, a.k.a. ‘Batman,’ of South Los Angeles, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. He is the lead defendant in an indictment targeting the Hoover Criminals Gang’s members and associates as part of an investigation dubbed ‘Operation Hoover Dam.’
According to his plea agreement, Tate owned a business named TNN Market and he sold methamphetamine, crack cocaine, and powder cocaine from it. Tate and co-defendant Bobby Lorenzo Reed, 58, a.k.a. ‘Zo’ and ‘Z,’ who owned the South Los Angeles-based store H&E Smoke and Snack Shop, referred customers to one another, supplied one another, and directed their employees to engage in drug sales and referrals in dozens of narcotics transactions from June 2017 to May 2018.
United States District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld Jr. scheduled a December 13 sentencing hearing, at which time Tate will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
In total, federal prosecutors have secured 10 convictions in this case. Reed pleaded guilty on June 7 to federal criminal charges in this case and is scheduled to be sentenced on September 13. On June 22, co-defendant Willie Alsha Hill, 51, of South Los Angeles, was found guilty by a jury of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 11.
The FBI, the Los Angeles Police Department, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation investigated this matter. Assistant United States Attorneys Jenna Williams and Jason Pang of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section are prosecuting this case.
Tate’s guilty plea is a significant blow to the Hoover Criminals Gang and its members. The investigation and prosecution of this case demonstrate the commitment of law enforcement agencies to combating gang activity and reducing the flow of narcotics into our communities.
Related Federal Cases
- Lamar Harris, Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances, Iowa 2021 · California
- Adrian Rodriguez Cardenas, Fentanyl Distribution Conspiracy, California 2021 · Idaho
- Alejandro Alvarez, Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, California 2020 · Idaho
- Isaiah Garcia, Fentanyl Distribution Conspiracy, California 2020 · District of Columbia
- Demecio Navarro Sanchez, Fentanyl and Methamphetamine Trafficking, California 2020 · Idaho
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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