LOS ANGELES – Santos Zepeda, also known as “Slim,” 33, of Glendale, a senior member of the Frogtown gang, pleaded guilty this morning to federal charges and admitted being a primary supplier of narcotics to the criminal enterprise.
Zepeda pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and conspiring to traffic methamphetamine before United States District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez, who is scheduled to sentence the defendant on January 22.
As a result of the guilty pleas entered today, Zepeda faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum penalty of life without parole.
The RICO indictment targeting the Arnold Gonzales Organization is the result of Operation “Gig ‘em,” an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Violent Crime Impact Team; the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Office of Correctional Safety, Special Service Unit; the Glendale Police Department; and the Los Angeles Police Department.
According to the indictment, Gonzales, a member of the Mexican Mafia, ordered the unification of three street gangs that were traditional rivals. The “peace treaty” imposed by Gonzales in 2010 brought together the Frogtown, Toonerville and Rascals gangs, which worked together to control the narcotics trade and other illegal activities in an area that ran along the Los Angeles River from Elysian Park nearly to Burbank.
Out of the 22 defendants named in the indictment, 11 have pleaded guilty. The remaining 11 defendants, including Jorge Grey, are scheduled to go on trial on March 5, 2018.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in court.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Carol Alexis Chen and Alexander B. Schwab of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Organized Crime|Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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