Any brother who steps outside and then returns is automatically put on probation. For seven months, he secretly recorded meetings with his gangs underbosses, allowing federal agents to listen in as his carnals planned drug deals, bought firearms, and talked openly about killing people, including two deputy district attorneys from Santa Clara County. Chained to their seats on a triple-tiered bleacher facing the jury box were fourteen men dressed in blood-red jumpsuits. 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.. At the time, norteo street gangs were engaged in red-on-red turf wars, and were giving up overall ground to the sureos, their blue-clad enemies from the south. Ramirez confided to Lizard that his own boss, Heredia, who would later be Zilversmits client, wanted to go to war. What to do? The deep trouble in which he now finds himself has everything to do with his performance on a gang-funded rap CD titled Generations of United Norteos Till Eternity. The rapper arrived dressed in neatly pressed beige Dickies pants, spotless work boots, and an untucked flannel-print shirt a vato in his Sunday best, mumbling his apologies. The young guys trying to make their name were always the craziest, just as Lizard once had been. Years earlier, a young Norteo paroled from Pelican Bay had given a Santa Rosa detective a lead into the prison gang. But at the time, it seemed like the right thing to do. They need their cut, he said. County./AP. slated for Sept. 13 in San Francisco, is Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba He told his commander that hed received an order from Cuete to kill two deputy district attorneys, a husband and wife team in San Jose named Kitty and Charles Constantinides. According to one source, Ribota took the CD to the San Joaquin County district attorneys office to see if it constituted an official threat to a police officer. At first, Sir Dynos lead attorney Rosalind Manson thought she had a slam-dunk, a bring-on-the-First Amendment, lets-end-it-now case. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Nebraska cheerleader competes by herself at state competition, but crowd doesn't let her feel alone, Update: Highway 29, Howell Mountain Road may stay closed through weekend after Napa Valley snows, Former NFL star Chad Johnson says he saved money by living inside Cincinnati Bengals stadium for 2 years, American Canyon delays warehouse amid Vallejo concerns, Homeless people to get permanent housing at former Napa motel, A plan for paid parking set to emerge in Napa three decades after meters were removed, Two arrested in Napa after crash of stolen SUV, police say, Police: Man arrested after Napa apartment break-in, Man dies in apparent Napa County drowning, Browns Valley Road homes approved by Napa City Council, Police: Man arrested after reported knife threat in Napa, American Canyon considers Chicken Guy restaurant amid drive-thru concerns, Premiere Napa Valley fundraiser brings in $3.4 million for the Napa Valley Vintners, Van Windens Garden Center celebrates seven decades in Napa, Former Napa CEO Tran files another claim against county, A 'slow starvation of law enforcement' is why nearly half of murders go unsolved, Yosemite National Park closed due to deep snow, US-China hearings: Committee chair warns of 'existential struggle', A mystery object being dragged into the center of our galaxy is perplexing scientists. Dec. 22, 2021 5 AM PT. Sir Dynos lawyers argue that a group trial will taint the jurys perception of their client. The idea was that rap music could unite and galvanize young Norteo soldiers across the state, and it did. FBI reports show that while on the federal payroll, Lizard performed unauthorized drug deals. The more shock you had in your raps, at the time, the more you sold. Sir Dyno had only been to jail once, following his drug arrest. 15 year old Carlos "Casper" Silva a Preston parolee is arrested murders 3 people witin a seven week span on behalf of Nuestra familia. Nuestra Familia's new leadership General: David "DC" Cervantes Top Commanders: Daniel "Stork" Perez, of Salinas; Anthony "Chuco" Guillen, of San Jose; George "Puppet" Franco, of San Jose Demoted: Jose "Huerito" Gonzalez; James "Conejo" Perez Copyright 2008 Monterey County Herald. Gerald Marvin Rubalcaba of Visalia, age 45, was arrested for Possession of Controlled Substance Violation Parole: Felony Reckless Driving Evading P.O. only to sell records. I did what I had to do, he says. attempts on two assistant district attorneys in Santa Clara Jared Lewis, a former Modesto gang investigator, says the impact of G.U.N. Then he helped the FBI take the gang down. That was their fuck-up. Together, Nato and Lizard robbed drug dealers, committed petty crimes, and raised funds for their carnals back inside. He said that after he drove away from a successful arms sale in the South Bay, at which he wore a wire, one of his underbosses called to warn him he was being tailed by a suspicious car, which Lizard knew was the investigator. Select the option or tab named Internet Options (Internet Explorer), Options (Firefox), Preferences (Safari) or Settings (Chrome). But such divisions run deeper among Mexican Americans than among other Californians. Sureos tended to be more-recent immigrants who often disparaged Norteos as second-generation Latinos who groveled for agricultural jobs and neglected their mother tongue, according to Joseph Hernandez, a criminal justice professor at Sacramento State University and expert in Latino gangs. And in every fashion when necessity called for it, I wanted the NF hierarchy to recognize my loyalty and dedication to NF. 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. Lizard is disappointed that he never got his moment on the witness stand. All rights reserved. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. Lizards letters were sent to code breakers at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Theyre trying to say that when I met Robert Gratton I started selling drugs for him, and to finance the G.U.N. That autumn, according to testimony from a fellow gang member, Lizard ordered seventeen stabbings. He is the most significant witness and cooperators in this prison gang/organized crime family in history. It was a hell of an audience to keep waiting. Consider this reasoning using an unrelated example: All chickens are bipeds; John Ashcroft is a biped. Henry Happy Cervantes spoke to Lizard alone. But paid parking could return, in some form, this year, as the city works to pu. A federal grand jury in San Francisco handed down 21 indictments against gang members, including the three generals and captain Gerald Cuete Rubalcaba. Cuete and Lizard proved just how far their reach extended in early 1999. He was very concerned about his familys safety, his safety. At the time of Operation Black Widow, law enforcement officials had estimated that Nuestra Familia was responsible for at least 600 murders in the previous 30 years. Natos harsh sentence made Lizard rethink his lifes path. She disguised her own missives as legal mail from a fictitious San Francisco attorney and sent them directly back into the Secured Housing Unit, where all three gang generals were locked up. But rumors about G.U.N. I want to be with my family/but I killed a man yesterday.. It was during that interrogation Sir Dyno says he first learned about Grattons connections to Nuestra Familia. True to my nickname, he said, Im chameleon-like, and can blend in. He would be the highest-ranking brother on the streets, responsible for overseeing the gangs battalions and communicating back to the generals. The idea was to create a music CD that would appeal to young Latinos and help recruit them into the ranks of the Nortenos, the breeding ground for hate toward the soldados of the Mexican Mafia. Nato had worked his way up in the ranks from Norteo street thug to membership in the Nuestra Familia prison gang. The shooters blasted Brown Bob with seven shots to his arms, chest, back, and legs. According to Lewis, the gang grew from about a thousand members in the late 80s to more than two thousand just six years later. But the rapper has faith the judicial process will work in his favor. I wanted to go face to face with all those attorneys, he said. I cant muscle the guy because I dont know what hes involved with, he reasoned, so either I make an issue of it and make an enemy I dont want, or just let it go. If he was going to hold the case together, hed need to account for his own alleged crimes as a snitch. Using confidential informants, investigators said they've You wouldnt isolate an inmate and make him a target for the other side., But some criminologists now acknowledge that this practice strengthened the gangs. These defendants wisely elected to plead guilty rather than face the prospect of Mr. Hernandez appearance as a trial witness against them.. But Lizard hadnt exactly gone straight. A few years earlier, the two attorneys had nailed former general Pinky Hernandez for ordering a murder, and Cuete wanted to offer their coffins as a gift to Pinky. Snow-locked Highway 29 between Calistoga and the Lake County border will likely stay closed through the weekend, CHP announced Friday afternoon. If you ever want to talk, call me. Cervantes added that hed already followed the couple to the courthouse. They were, according to the government, members of Nuestra Familia, Northern Californias most notorious and ruthless prison gang. They were much smaller than the Mexican Mafia, so they used it to their advantage, gang expert Jared Lewis said. He was sentenced to six months in the prisons infamous Secured Housing Unit, where more than a thousand inmates spend 23 hours a day triple-locked inside individual cells, with only a small food slot as a window. In December of 2001, Daniel Hernandez became the highest-ranking member of the Nuestra Familia prison gang to cooperate with federal investigators. Holguin also was searching for evidence that connected Lizard to a larger operation. If he went back to Pelican Bay, his elders would be upset to see him. The federal indictment named 13 members, including Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba, the boss who greenlighted Viramontes, and the two other reigning La Mesa members, James "Tibbs" Morado and Cornelio "Corny" Tristan. Chalk it up as a loss, just let it go, and move on. Around 6:30 p.m. on April 19, 1999, Brown Bob was watering his roses. He makes drug deals here, he caps sureos there, he disses cops everywhere, all of it in the name of norteo supremacy. 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. In the next room, Ragan and a team of detectives from the Santa Rosa Police Department listened to the meeting and watched it on a hidden camera. All norteos must unite with the determination to fight and challenge all those who oppose our unity and advancement toward equal justice. Man, Im from the streets. I was showing them everything., Today, Lizard said he flipped because he was tired of people pushing their own agendas. In sealed court documents, Lizards primary FBI handler claimed that he was duped by his informant. The California Supreme Court is now reviewing a case that questions whether inmates can be segregated for their first sixty days at reception prisons such as San Quentin. But I knew more about Cuete and his family, and he did about mine. He was more than just a studio rapper, he says. This was our college, Lizard said. All those guys didnt want to see me up there. In May of 2001, Lizard met with Martin Ramirez, a gang member from Salinas. Meanwhile, Daniel Lizard Hernandez is just one step away from his own day of reckoning, and from possibly reentering the outside world. Or were they? It sold, and he knew why. He has since repudiated his former gang life, and spends his time writing and speaking to law enforcement gatherings about prison gangs. I was ready to go, he recalled. 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. Not at all coincidentally, Pelican Bay also has become the headquarters of Nuestra Familia. October 10, 1976. One morning this past August, Sir Dyno sat in his Dodge Caravan, stuck in I-580 traffic, knowing hed be late for his court hearing in San Francisco. January 22,2001 ', All of the early motions from Gruel and his team of US prosecutors pointed only to Sir Dynos role in making the album. A grand jury indictment was in the works. Sir Dyno believed hed just made a wise career choice. On the new CD, he pounded out a few norteo rhymes, deriving material from his meth bust, after which hed pleaded guilty to a reduced charge and was sentenced to a year of house arrest. Within minutes, the gang member confessed his role in Nuestra Familia and offered to trade information for leniency. But one year later, his family moved to Long Beach, the heart of Sureo country. After several years of upheaval -- stemming largely from the massive federal prosecution called Operation Black Widow -- the top leadership of the Nuestra Familia is once again firmly established. Days later, Big Smiley sent Lizard his own wilas, as well as books on Chicano history. 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]. I mean, he wasnt gonna tell me, and I wasnt gonna tell him what I was doing.. Gratton is the guy whos going to make the entire case against David; its his word against Davids. The former leaders include James "Tibbs" Morado, Joseph "Pinky" Hernandez, Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba, Cornelio Tristan, and Tex Marin Hernandez. They were getting orders in and out of that prison in no time. I kind of paused, Sir Dyno says, adding that he suddenly thought better of asking too many questions. A judge will decide in December whether his cooperation as an informant outweighs his considerable criminal past. The only way to sell was to shock, he says. Joe Gonzales orders the murder of familiano Richard Hernandez for failing to carry out orders. He told them about the codes, the phony law firm, the bank accounts. If youre a norteo, and youre flamed-up in reds a 49ers jersey will do a lone sureo, who might be dressed down in his Dodgers blue, could make a move on you, unprovoked. His middle-class Long Beach upbringing was spent golfing, surfing, and skateboarding. Hes 31 now, soft-spoken and contemplative, a Papa Bear figure, a Chicano Dr. Dre; hardly the guy who would urinate on a dead mans plot. Copyright Weeklys All rights reserved. Regardless, the compilation had limited success, and never took off like the G.U.N. A small star on his forehead suggested hed killed someone in prison, even though, in truth, he hadnt. But Wino rejected Lizard. But within a few months, Nato got pinched for robbery, and with his long rap sheet, he got 39 years. Lizard hadnt, so Nato schooled him on the long-standing war. Every day we prepared for war., Lizard speaks about his gang membership with such conviction and authority that one law enforcement official jokingly compared his oratory skills to those of Fidel Castro. It gives you a sense of purpose. When the cheerleading coach broke the news to Katrina Kohel that she was the only one left on the cheer squad, Kohel was determined to compete anyway. The unit requires pin-drop silence from its inmates. And all are charged with substantive crimes: drug sales and possession, murder, and so on. His character on the track writes a letter to his daughter, apologizing for his absence while she grows up. Do Not Sell My Personal Information. They let in only the guys who followed the rules to the T, and bought into the cause. But compared to allegations lobbed by San Francisco attorney Marc Zilversmit, the drug and money violations turned out to be the least of the governments worries. 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