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South LA Gang Leader Arrested on Racketeering Charges
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Los Angeles Police Department have arrested 11 members and associates of the South Los Angeles-based Florencia-13 (F13) street gang on federal racketeering, narcotics and firearms charges. The indictment alleges that the gang is a criminal enterprise as defined by the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
According to the indictment, Leonel Laredo, a.k.a. “Wizard,” 47, who is currently incarcerated at a federal prison in Beaumont, Texas, directed F13’s operations in the unincorporated Florence-Firestone neighborhood of South Los Angeles, as well as parts of Lynwood, Maywood, Bell and other nearby communities. Laredo allegedly ran the street gang from prison with a goal of enriching himself, family members and associates through extortionate “taxes” taken from drug dealers and businesses in F13’s territory.
The RICO indictment also alleges that F13 members were responsible for the shooting and attempted murder of a rival gang member in South Los Angeles in December 2016. In April 2017, one defendant, Samuel Flores Mejia, a.k.a. “Menace,” shot and wounded a fellow F13 member to discipline him at one of the gang’s “casitas,” or illegal gambling houses.
The indictment also alleges that F13 members attempted to smuggle narcotics into the California state prison and Los Angeles County jail systems, including attempting to mail two shipments totaling 100 grams of heroin to an imprisoned Mexican Mafia member.
Out of the 36 defendants named in the six indictments, 11 were arrested today, 16 were already in custody, and authorities are searching for nine fugitives. The defendants taken into custody this morning are scheduled to make their initial court appearance this afternoon in United States District Court.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Los Angeles Police Department. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation provided substantial assistance. The Joint Regional Intelligence Center provided support during the investigation.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher C. Kendall of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Section.
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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