Bakersfield was the traditional dividing point, but with the crush of immigration, the numerically superior Sureos pushed the demarcation line further north, first to Fresno and then to Modesto. Black tattoo ink scribbled across their forearms and crawled up their necks, and some of them hid stone-faced beneath dark Ray-Ban-style glasses. To avoid raising suspicion as a frequent mailer, she set up post-office boxes and had inmates write to other Norteos, who forwarded the correspondence to her. In 2004, when the prison gang's top five leaders were transferred from California to a federal supermaximum prison in Florence, Colo., a struggle for the gang's top positions brewed in Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City, the Nuestra Familia's traditional headquarters. I wanted to get out of there, to come to California and do what I needed to do.. But such divisions run deeper among Mexican Americans than among other Californians. Violence was averted in those cases, Gruel said. He was a loyal and merciless soldier until a foolish parole violation threatened to send him back to prison, where his own safety was in question. The rappers story varies somewhat depending on whos doing the telling. And in another case, according to his handlers, Lizard drove to Lodi with Happy Cervantes for a weekend getaway, where he left his wire behind and failed to stay in touch with the FBI. A few weeks later, the rapper signed a new contract with Dog Day Records and quickly released an album called Gang Stories. I was all ready to go, Lizard recalled later. He could shank n roll, as the prisoners say. For that reason, he explains, he turned to dealing methamphetamine. No one who entered the system could safely walk alone. Today, the real Sir Dyno has five kids, a home in Tracy, and makes a living off CD sales, which he estimates at beyond 100,000 nationwide. Around 6:30 p.m. on April 19, 1999, Brown Bob was watering his roses. He recorded From the Barrio with Love, taking his name outside California and into pockets of Chicano markets in places such as Phoenix, Denver, and Albuquerque. Click here to read the Nuestra Familia constitution. After he was expelled, his parents sent him back north to live with an aunt in Pittsburg, where he continued to. All of these directives were channeled through him. They knew I had them., He still hasnt been reunited with his family. His middle-class Long Beach upbringing was spent golfing, surfing, and skateboarding. In his FBI interrogation, Gratton never makes it clear whether Sir Dyno knew he was rapping for the mob, or that North Star Records had been set up to launder money. I did what I had to do, he says. I was giving them a taste of something they wanted for a long time. The five former leaders are James "Tibbs" Morado, 59, whose common-law wife, 20-year-old Salinas resident Crystal Nenque, was found slain on Hecker Pass Road near Watsonville in 2005; Joseph "Pinky" Hernandez, 58; Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba, 52; Cornelio Tristan, 46; and former Monterey resident Tex Marin Hernandez, 53. And when that rhyme ran out, as it usually does, he went where other rappers go to make up for the sudden loss of material: He started making shit up. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. The FBI believes the exchange earned Lizard a quick $3,600. The shooters blasted Brown Bob with seven shots to his arms, chest, back, and legs. The unit requires pin-drop silence from its inmates. The prosecutors revealed that Gratton would testify Sir Dyno dealt meth on his behalf. But nowhere on the CD, or in the lyrics, do the words Nuestra Familia appear. Police1 is revolutionizing the way the law enforcement community According to transcripts and court documents, Ramirez brought up the touchy subject of Ray Sanchez, a competing heroin dealer who was boasting of taking over the drug game. He told Ramirez there should be no bloodshed. But then he added: If something comes at us, you cant help it. You cant smoke everybody that sells dope.. He says theres a street code: You dont ever ask too many questions, and both men stuck to that code. This was our college, Lizard said. The consequences that the gangs have caused in society have given rise to two effects, which are the most outstanding: gang violence and citizen insecurity. Hes turned his attention to rapping about what he knows, rather than what he fantasizes. Jared Lewis, a former Modesto gang investigator, says the impact of G.U.N. Frias returned to the bar, gun tucked in his waistband, walked behind Sanchez, and fired a bullet into the base of his skull, killing him. He was all business, all the time.. Lizard said he attacked Huero-T as he slept, pummeling him into a bloody mess until guards pulled him off. A grand jury indictment was in the works. All you have to do is find out where the motherfucker is, pull up on the side of them., Lizard ended the conversation. Now, for a CD he cut five years ago, for a guy he claims he barely knew, for a dollar he never made, David Rocha faces a life sentence on a single count of conspiracy. Well, if youre upset with the content, the First Amendment says Too bad. Copyright Weeklys All rights reserved. Holguin also was searching for evidence that connected Lizard to a larger operation. And I wanted to go high.. The rationale for the federal case, officials said, was to cripple the gang's power base . Citing the First Amendment, the DA chose not to pursue the case. And all are charged with substantive crimes: drug sales and possession, murder, and so on. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. And in every fashion when necessity called for it, I wanted the NF hierarchy to recognize my loyalty and dedication to NF. Latinos, although initially thrown together, had to choose Norteo or Sureo. But Wino rejected Lizard. And frankly, heres a guy whos committed numerous violent crimes, and hes getting a free pass. It is here that the stories begin to diverge: Rocha claims that in the eleven or so months he knew Gratton, the parolee never discussed his ties to the highly secretive prison gang. He was born in Pittsburg, which made him a Norteo by birth. Since at least the 1920s, many California Latinos have thought of themselves in the same way that other residents of the state divide themselves: as Northern Californians, or Norteos; and Southern Californians, or Sureos. He told the young man that if he wanted to be recognized by Nuestra Familia, he could appeal to the generals. If you say, I dont know, they say Where are you from? When you tell them, they direct you to that side of the prison. I also learned the informant was skimming money from the Nuestra Familia street leaders and not reporting this to me.. If he stayed in Corcoran, hed have to watch his back for young Norteos. I wanted to go face to face with all those attorneys, he said. Had they not almost burned my identity, I wouldnt have had to be doing any of that, he said. But Lizard played it cool. His bike frame was made by Dyno, so the kids at school called him Dyno Dave. By the time he turned twenty, though, youthful angst had sunk in, and Too $hort cassettes found a home in Dyno Daves music box. Gratton is the guy whos going to make the entire case against David; its his word against Davids. They were caught up in power grabs and backstabbing. Danny was telling me, But Im not a gang member,' Holguin said. His father sold vacuum cleaners; his mother was a housewife. And he got what he wanted., Out only three months, G.U.N. But one day on the yard, he was approached by Juan Nato Gurule, a long-lost cousin from the East Bay. Lizard got away with it, and when Big Smiley emerged, he personally sponsored Lizard into Nuestra Familia. Symbols and culture The former leaders include James "Tibbs" Morado, Joseph "Pinky" Hernandez, Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba, Cornelio Tristan, and Tex Marin Hernandez. It wasnt quite the impression he wanted to make. only to sell records. Gratton, meanwhile, had Sir Dyno write out a business plan, which offers a glimpse of the rappers instinct to use shock value to boost sales: By releasing G.U.N. When Lizard asked Goose about protection for the rings, the underling said, Ill produce the manpower [and] the weapons to facilitate our needs and firepower to lay the motherfuckers down.. Former leaders include James "Tibbs" Morado, Joseph "Pinky" Hernndez, Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba, Cornelio Tristn and Tex Marn Hernndez. In April 2001, FBI agents, along with assistance from 24 local and state agencies, ended Operation Black Widow. If it read Hello Love!, it was every eighth word. I said, Yeah, I could rap like that, whatever. Finally, he was going to San Francisco to testify. But as his FBI handlers dug further into Lizards tenure as their employee, they unraveled other disturbing facts that threatened to compromise the credibility of their star witness. 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The CD had been funded in 1998 from Pelican Bay prison by the top Nuestra Familia general, Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba. They were operating a sophisticated shop, gang expert Lewis said. Im from up here, I grew up with norteo friends. It is a form of psychological torture." Perez says that, after the initial arrests of the five, attempts were made to persuade them to plead guilty or inform on their co-defendants and on Cuba by . Inside Corcoran State Prison, Lizard reported to the ranking commander and heard some troubling news. But Lizards exploits show how prison policies adopted to control gangs such as Nuestra Familia may actually have helped them bloom. One month later, he was visited by Louie Holguin, a special agent with the Department of Corrections who monitored parolees and prison gangs. Ultimately, Sir Dynos fate could come down to whether jurors believe the David Rocha at home on the couch, or Robert Gratton, the snitch on the stand. It gives you something to do. Do Not Sell My Personal Information. It would bring the most attention and the most sales. He told his interviewers Sir Dyno put out Gang Stories without permission and, for that, was very close to being placed on a hit list.. Instead, he says, Gratton talked business. Eager to shore up his status in Nuestra Familia, Lizard said, he soon stabbed Sureo Rudolpho Castillo in the throat, nearly killing him. Weeks later, the general was attacked by Sureos and landed in solitary confinement. Transferred to Chino State Prison, he celled with two Texas gang members whod been banished for terrorizing their own prison system. With the prison population growing so fast, they had their pick, Lewis said. Most importantly, he showed a willingness to draw sureo blood. The justices will decide whether prisoners are denied their constitutional rights when forced to cell with another inmate based on race; a ruling could force administrators to consider full integration. Lizard has a thick handlebar mustache, broad shoulders, and is engraved with prison tattoos in Old English script. the credibility of the witnesses convicted felons who made deals In NF, they dont want you to be friends in case you have to do something down the road, Lizard wrote. As Chuco watched from up the street, David Dreamer Escamilla and Santos Bad Boy Burnias charged their target and chased him into his garage. And with an ever-increasing prison population that only assures the continued growth of it and other gangs, the very segregation that bolstered the gangs strength appears irrevocable. But the feds believe his relationship with Gratton ran deeper than words on wax. Since flipping for the feds, Gratton is preparing to publish his story in a yet-to-be-released book, The Rise and Fall of Nuestra Familia. When it concluded in April 2001, after a $5 million investment, it was one of the largest takedowns on a prison gang in US history. They were much smaller than the Mexican Mafia, so they used it to their advantage, gang expert Jared Lewis said. How could he go back in with Cuete wanting him dead? The next rung of leaders in Pelican Bay includes Daniel "Stork" Perez of Salinas; Anthony "Chuco" Guillen of San Jose, who was involved in the murder of a Nuestra Familia member there and is serving a 25-year sentence; and George "Puppet" Franco, 39, from San Jose, responsible for the gang's activities in Stockton, Tracy and Fresno. Any Nuestra Familia member who betrayed his fellow carnals was subject to article two, section five of the groups constitution: AN AUTOMATIC DEATH SENTENCE WILL BE PUT ON FAMILIANO THAT TURNS TRAITOR, COWARD, OR DESSERTER [sic]. On Daddys Home, instead of the stone-cold thug who whacks his way through the streets, Sir Dyno raps about what he truly is: a 31-year-old father facing a life sentence for the choices he made years earlier. Symbols and culture Sir Dyno believed hed just made a wise career choice. If Sir Dynos case were only about lyrics, its likely the First Amendment would swiftly end the debate in his favor. Meanwhile, Daniel Lizard Hernandez is just one step away from his own day of reckoning, and from possibly reentering the outside world. Now he had to prove he had a mind to match. For the first time in decades, one man sits alone at the helm of the criminal organization that for more than 30 years has called the shots for thousands of Norte-o gang members in the Salinas Valley. Or better yet, two prosecuting attorneys., Cervantes persisted. FBI agents did not respond to interview requests. These defendants wisely elected to plead guilty rather than face the prospect of Mr. Hernandez appearance as a trial witness against them.. At the end of the trial, after Mr. Rocha spends four to six months sitting with other Latin males, the rest of whom are chained to the floor, how will jurors see him as an individual and judge him fairly in light of the limited evidence against him? they argue in one motion. And I got caught what I was doing. Now, the legal definition rests simply on whether a person has a slight connection to the mob. He arrived on time, with one of his friends waiting in the lobby. But the state prison guards union and correctional officials have argued that to mix inmates now would only bring more violence. I wanted my brothers to eventually put me in a position that would enable me to push the Familia into the future, on a profound level.. To test his allegiance, he was ordered to move on his cellmate, Johnny Huero-T Fernandez. They moved together into a Pittsburg apartment, and Nato continued his cousins indoctrination in Nuestra Familia. As he awaits his new sentence, Lizard also awaits his new identity. Arnold Schwarzenegger protested the fact that the five were not scattered across the federal prison system, as former U.S. Attorney Robert Mueller's staff had promised. By 1965, Sureos outnumbered Norteos by roughly seven to one inside the prison system. Nuestra Familia prestige is now generational, passed from father to son, uncle to nephew. If you wish to change your alliance, you will still have to prove to Norteos you are worthy, and the Sureos will want to kill you for switching sides.. Under federal law, its rather easy to be declared a coconspirator in a RICO case. He said he knows they may try to find him, but that he will not hide. Theres no reason Id want him to go down.. Lizard prepared to take the stand against Nuestra Familia. Over the next four years, Lizard and Cuete masterminded and penned more than three thousand letters, according to an FBI report. He told them about killing Brown Bob. Back among the general prison population, Lizard reported to his ranking captain, Gerald Cuete Rubalcaba, one of the gangs most revered members. The rapper says his final meeting with Gratton occurred while the label owner was outside washing his car. I told him, I know exactly who you are,' Holguin recalled. Cuete took a shine to Lizard because Lizard was a stickler for detail, one police investigator said last year. Dec. 22, 2021 5 AM PT. From inside Pelican Bay State Prison, Lizard had served as the brutally violent gangs principal secretary, helping inmates in solitary confinement set up bank accounts in Idaho, direct drug sales across Northern California, and even order murders. They pulled in young guys by the bushel.. There was Henry Happy Cervantes, built like a fire hydrant, who got caught on an FBI wire offering to murder two Santa Clara County district attorneys. One of those footnotes involves Sir Dyno who, despite his history of gangsta-rap posturing, clearly is not a criminal on a par with his codefendants. That wasnt what I signed up for.. Robert Brown Bob Viramontes was 44 and had shared cells with Nuestra Familias founding fathers in Soledad. For now, at least, the final guilty pleas appeared to have pruned back the Blooming Flower. Were going to take care of it tonight., But then he talked about looking the other way. He told his carnal, We got more on the table than just a fight for powder. His teen angst surfaced one day when he threatened to kill his vice principal. He was a criminal too. The rapper denied this new accusation. Gang affiliation in California is often a matter of geography, but for Daniel Hernandez it wasnt that simple. I mean, I would think not, but you better have some realness to it if youre going to rap that way., Despite his marketed image, Sir Dyno now claims hes never known anyone who died from gang warfare, never had anyone close to him go off to prison. The following day, Ray Sanchez walked into Caps Saloon, unaware that hed been the discussion of a hit. In total, aside from the five convictions and twenty guilty pleas credited to Lizards grand jury testimony and undercover work, federal officials said Operation Black Widow led to a total of 75 Nuestra Familia convictions. Its a tough call. Heres my card.'. As a kid growing up in this small town, David Rocha was a freestyle BMXer who bounced along on one wheel during Fourth of July parades. If he was going to hold the case together, hed need to account for his own alleged crimes as a snitch. Hernandez has conducted himself as a cooperating witness with great dignity and character, a memo from the US Attorneys office stated. 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