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El Paso Gang Member Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Conspiracy
Washington – Fabian Rodriguez, 35, aka ‘Shamoo,’ of El Paso, Texas, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy yesterday in the Western District of Texas, El Paso Division.
According to court documents, Rodriguez was an associate of the Barrio Azteca (BA) gang, which began in the late 1980s as a violent prison gang and has expanded into a transnational criminal organization. The BA is primarily based in West Texas; Juarez, Mexico; and throughout state and federal prisons in the United States and Mexico.
The gang has a militaristic command structure and includes captains, lieutenants, sergeants, soldiers, and associates, all with the purpose of maintaining power and enriching its members and associates through drug trafficking, money laundering, extortion, intimidation, violence, threats of violence, and murder.
Rodriguez and another associate, Juan Manuel Viscaino Amaro, 41, aka ‘Porky,’ a Mexican national, also pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy today. According to court documents, members and associates of the BA have engaged in a host of criminal activity committed since January 1, 2003, including drug trafficking, extortion, money laundering, kidnapping, and murder.
The BA profits by importing heroin, cocaine, and marijuana into the United States from Mexico. Gang members and associates allegedly charge a ‘street tax’ or ‘cuota’ on businesses and criminals operating in their turf. These profits are used to support gang members in prison by funneling money into prison commissary accounts of gang leaders and to pay for defense lawyers or fines.
Rodriguez faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. His sentencing date has not been scheduled.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Joseph A. Cooley of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section, Trial Attorney Brian Skaret of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Western District of Texas – El Paso Division.
The case was investigated by the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico provided significant assistance.
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Organized Crime|Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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