Hernandez never belonged to either group until he ended up in prison. Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates. “I was ready to go,” he recalled. By 1965, Sureños outnumbered Norteños by roughly seven to one inside the prison system. He oversaw battalions across the greater Bay Area, and relayed their progress to his bosses back inside. Ultimately, Judge Charles Breyer denied Zilversmit’s motion. One of the suspects hit his victim over the head with a catalytic converter after being caught in the act, Napa Police said. Dyno dyno.com Dyno drains. Over the next four years, Lizard and Cuete masterminded and penned more than three thousand letters, according to an FBI report. Lizard said Bob was marked because he’d stuck his nose into matters that didn’t concern him. Up to that point, Lizard had identified himself as a Sureño, but only when pressed. You can’t smoke everybody that sells dope.”. FBI reports show that while on the federal payroll, Lizard performed unauthorized drug deals. Lizard initially followed his script and pushed for peace, according to the transcripts. Thousands bought the album in the major record chains like Sam Goody’s. “He is the most significant witness and cooperators in this prison gang/organized crime family in history. You have permission to edit this article. “You wouldn’t isolate an inmate and make him a target for the other side.”, But some criminologists now acknowledge that this practice strengthened the gangs. But Lizard played it cool. . . Transferred to Chino State Prison, he celled with two Texas gang members who’d been banished for terrorizing their own prison system. But within a few months, Nato got pinched for robbery, and with his long rap sheet, he got 39 years. 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 Norteños; and Southern Californians, or Sureños. But on his way out the door, the veteran agent made Lizard an offer. They were Gerald “Cuete” Rubalcaba, my pal Lizard Hernandez, and Robert “Huero” Gratton. In the aftermath of Operation Black Widow, the five highest-ranking leaders of Nuestra Familia, James "Tibbs" Morado, Joseph "Pinky" Hernandez, Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba, Cornelio Tristan, and Tex Marin Hernandez, were transferred to the United States Penitentiary, Florence ADX, the federal supermax prison in Colorado. Symbols and culture “I didn’t have a choice,” he recalled. The former leaders include James "Tibbs" Morado, Joseph "Pinky" Hernandez, Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba, Cornelio Tristan, and Tex Marin Hernandez. Napa’s new card room, Ace & Vine, opened for business this past week. “While working as an informant, he tested positive for drug use. In total, aside from the five convictions and twenty guilty pleas credited to Lizard’s grand jury testimony and undercover work, federal officials said Operation Black Widow led to a total of 75 Nuestra Familia convictions. He’d proved he had the muscle to ascend within Nuestra Familia. He took a job at a golf course and used his access to the links to reclaim his swing, sometimes playing 36 holes a day. Any Nuestra Familia member who betrayed his fellow carnals was subject to article two, section five of the group’s constitution: “AN AUTOMATIC DEATH SENTENCE WILL BE PUT ON FAMILIANO THAT TURNS TRAITOR, COWARD, OR DESSERTER” [sic]. . As he awaits his new sentence, Lizard also awaits his new identity. There are witnesses and a video to prove it. “You don’t have a choice. Lizard was then ordered to make a move on Jeremiah Ruiz, a Nuestra Familia dropout. The former leaders include James "Tibbs" Morado, Joseph "Pinky" Hernandez, Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba, Cornelio Tristan, and Tex Marin Hernandez. Smiley replied that it was true, but not to worry — no one was moving on it. “I wanted to get out of there, to come to California and do what I needed to do.”. From inside Pelican Bay State Prison, Lizard had served as the brutally violent gang’s principal secretary, helping inmates in solitary confinement set up bank accounts in Idaho, direct drug sales across Northern California, and even order murders. • A trial-setting hearing will be held Dec. 1 for the lead defendant, Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba and James "Tibbs" Morado, Cornelio "Corny" Tristan, Joseph "Pinky" Hernandez, Tex Marin Hernandez, Daniel "Stork" Perez, Alberto "Bird" Larez and Henry "Happy" Cervantes. 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. Even though they’d heard about the hit in advance, FBI agents never told Sanchez he was marked for violence. “It’s not realistic to integrate them now,” said Holguin, now retired from the Department of Corrections. After severa… 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. Nuestra Familia members in the Secured Housing Unit kept to a punishing daily regimen of crunches and push-ups, followed by makeshift weightlifting with a barbell fashioned from pillow cases filled with books and magazines. the credibility of the witnesses — convicted felons who made deals “After the informant completed his undercover work, I discovered that the informant had engaged in unauthorized drug deals,” Agent Ragan wrote. . “I told him, ‘I know exactly who you are,’“ Holguin recalled. Lizard also followed protocol and reported his arrival to the prison’s ranking gang member, Daniel “Wino” Perez. Brown Bob brought it on himself.”, It was just like the Nuestra Familia constitution said: “Blood In, Blood Out.”, By the time Lizard exited Pelican Bay, prison guards had nicknamed Nuestra Familia “The Blooming Flower” for its astonishing growth. “It always does.”, Even Judge Charles Breyer seemed to question the value of Operation Black Widow. If you wish to change your alliance, you will still have to prove to Norteños you are worthy, and the Sureños will want to kill you for switching sides.”. He’s got a future. Lizard says the drug was merely Vicodin, a pain reliever he took after strenuous workouts at the gym. Instead, phone records and a confidential FBI source revealed that he’d driven to a house in East San Jose, where he’d bought two pounds of methamphetamine. He was born in Pittsburg, which made him a Norteño by birth. “The guys I played with didn’t care Norteño, Sureño, or what side you were on. “I was all ready to go,” Lizard recalled later. Lizard had been hiding out along the East Coast, a snitch buried deep inside federal protective custody. . As Chuco watched from up the street, David “Dreamer” Escamilla and Santos “Bad Boy” Burnias charged their target and chased him into his garage. 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