Jesse Santibanez, Alfredo Cardona, Murder in Aid of Racketeering, Texas 2014
A federal jury in San Antonio, Texas, has convicted two Texas Mexican Mafia members of the murder of Balcones Heights Police Officer Julian Pesina in 2014.
Jesse Santibanez, 29, and Alfredo Cardona, 36, were found guilty of one count of murder in aid of racketeering and one count of discharging a firearm during a murder in aid of racketeering.
Pesina, a 27-year-old police officer, was shot and killed on May 4, 2014, outside his tattoo shop in San Antonio.
According to evidence presented during the trial, Pesina had claimed membership in the Texas Mexican Mafia and was selling narcotics and paying the 'dime' (the 10% street tax) to the gang.
However, the gang learned that Pesina was a police officer and orchestrated his murder. Ruben Reyes, another TMM member, previously pleaded guilty to similar charges, including this murder, and was sentenced to five consecutive life-imprisonment terms.
Jerry Idrogo, a 37-year-old TMM member, pleaded guilty on August 11, 2016, to a racketeering conspiracy charge that included this murder.
Santibanez and Cardona each face a minimum mandatory sentence of life in federal prison and are scheduled to be formally sentenced on February 8, 2018, before United States District Judge Xavier Rodriguez.
The FBI, Texas Department of Public Safety, San Antonio Police Department, and Bexar County Sheriff's Office investigated the case.
Santibanez, Cardona, and Idrogo all remain in federal custody, with Idrogo's sentencing scheduled for November 29, 2017.
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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