But the eight deputies this week filed an updated lawsuit with new allegations, including that the Banditos recently had an inking party where 10 deputies were tattooed, raising the total number of members to 100. The memo included an anonymous letter detailing the Banditos wrongdoings. Deputies Gregory Rodriguez, Monica Farias, Steven Miller, Alejandro Lomeli, and Marc Elizondo pounced. The Banditos initially attempted to recruit some of the plaintiffs. Her doctor placed her on medical leave again. He slammed his hands on the side of the vehicle and said, What the fuck is wrong with you? On March 8, 2012, Barsh filed a Policy of Equity (POE), a practice that prohibits discrimination against County employees on a variety of bases, on Lopezs behalf and told Captain Henry Romero about the Banditos threats and harassment. Zaredini did not report the incident for fear of retaliation by the gang. On that shift Lopez saw Wargo purchase reports, meaning that Wargo would write arrest reports for other deputies as part of initiation into the gang. Rosa Gonzalez became the latest target of the Banditos abuses in December 2011, shortly after she arrived at the East LA Station. She said it's time the department take the elimination of deputy gang membership seriously.. Rodriguez also bragged that If [civilians] run from me, I make sure they come back with broken bones. Hector Little Listo Soto Saavedra allegedly drove around solely to attack civilians. Huntsman also said LASD ignored evidence that exists to support the conclusion that the Banditos are a gang-like clique and their influence has resulted in favoritism, sexism, racism, and violence ICIB did not want to delve into the Banditos involvement.. Former Undersheriff Ray Leyva stated in a deposition that Villanueva made a settlement with Deputy Gregory Rodriguez, a Bandito, shortly after Rodriguez was involved in the attack at Kennedy Hall. Casas also says he received several intimidating messages from the Banditos, including demands to stop working at the station and threats of assault. The group embraces the tradition of violence passed down by the gangs that came before them and turns on anyone who questions them. She attempted to contact Romero about the status of her transfer request, but he was allegedly unavailable. The Banditos are a group of nearly 100 deputies who wear matching tattoos of a skeleton with a thick mustache, sombrero, pistol and bandolier, according to the suit. Vincent Miller, an attorney for the whistleblower deputies, says that the gang was looking for Gonzalez, but didnt hesitate to beat up other deputies as well, including: Deputies Jose Fuentes, Art Hernandez, Oscar Escobedo, and David Casas. Youve got people who rigged internal affairs bureau investigations, Miller told LAist. Community members speak out at a town hall in East Los Angeles on July 10, protesting the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Departments handling of the Banditos, an Several members of the Banditos showed up, which was uncommon, according to court documents. Villanueva has said hes the first sheriff to have implemented a policy that prohibits membership in illicit groups. The Banditos are said to operate out of the sheriffs East L.A. station, and sport tattoos of gun-wielding skeletons wearing sombreros. In a letter dated Monday, Inspector General Max Huntsman said his office has compiled a partial list that includes 11 deputies who allegedly belong to the Banditos, which operate out of the East L.A. sheriffs station, and 30 alleged Executioners from the Compton sheriffs station. On August 8, 2013, Lopez was taken off of disability leave and cleared to return to work. One deputy alleges in a complaint against the County that activities like fundraisers, training parties, and staff barbecues at the East LA station must be roundtabled by the Banditos. They use word on the yard, a phrase used to explain what is being said among people in prison, according to the lawsuit. It was filed on behalf of eight deputies who accused a group of colleagues of being members of a gang that violated the civil rights of deputies who did not support them with a campaign of harassment and physical attacks. The lawsuit contends that even with the new leadership, the Banditos still effectively run the East L.A. station and that it remains a hostile workplace. Rodriguez told Contreras that he was going to be assigned to ride along with Munoz. A spokesperson for the Association of Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, which represents some of the defendants, declined to comment until he saw the new court documents. Deputy gangs have existed within the LASD for at least 50 years. Cerise Castle | April 1, 2021 Part of A July 19, 2021. Other new Latino deputies have faced similar treatment court documents allege Bandito member Jose Aceituno shoulder checked another employee inside the East LA station. Instead of investigating her claim, the department began investigating her. Part of A Tradition of Violence, an extensive investigation into more than five decades of abuse, terror, and murder carried out by gangs within the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department. Donate Now Even though he's one of the named plaintiffs, he requested anonymity out of fear that Banditos might harass him at his home or his new station because he spoke to the media. LAist.com/radio. . Art Hernandezs lawsuit charges that there is a video which shows members of the Banditos gathered at the station following the fight, preparing a cover story together. Smith says that current Sheriff Alex Villanueva reached out to Gonzalez after taking office and assisted her with study for the Sergeants exam. His body was recovered near Mount Islip. For the latest national news from NPR and our live radio broadcast, visit Gonzalez developed high blood pressure and a heart condition which led to her removal from the field. Twenty-four are currently stationed in East L.A. In his letter, Huntsman requests that the Sheriffs Department cooperate with his investigation into the groups by providing investigative files and other documents. The refusal to provide backup created "close calls" that almost got deputies killed, according to the suit. READ NEXT: The Pink Hand, Big Listo, and Crook. LASD has never thoroughly investigated allegations of gang corruption, and this case is no exception, Huntsman told The Times. Prospects are put on a list and Banditos vote on who becomes a member at "roundtable meetings" held at a Bandito member's home, according to the lawsuit. In 2016, Munoz, Deputies David Silver Silverio, Vincent Moran, Anthony Pacheco, Leo Sanchez, and associate Andrea Villa forced Casas to pay taxes to the gang a scheme allegedly cooked up by Noel Lopez, Mark Elizondo, Munoz, Rodriguez, and Silverio. LAist is part of Southern California Public Radio, a member-supported public media network. Munoz, Moran, and Rodriguez cornered Gonzalez and pressured him to leave the station. A Los Angeles County sheriffs deputy associated with a gang-like group of deputies with matching tattoos testified that he has attended about seven inking parties.. The other plaintiff deputies would provide assistance, despite the fact they would have to go outside of their respective areas of service. Lopez attempted to come back to work just over a month later, but was met with the same harassment as before. She previously covered the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, focusing on accountability stories and writing about failures by officials to comply with transparency laws. Several neighbors came out of their houses and filmed the incident. A deputy grabbed him and cuffed him. In their claim, the deputies allege that Raymond Mendoza, Jonathan Rojas, Woodrow Kim, Juan Sanchez, and Luis Valle have recently served and continue to serve as field training officers (FTO). What are you going to do? On December 23, 2011, Deputy Eduardo Sanchez, another Banditos associate, swore at Lopez and demanded that she meet up with him. There were sexual implications to his request and she told him that she would not meet up with him alone. On April 10, 2013, Lopez found a dead rat underneath the drivers side door of her vehicle. Her case settled for $1 million in 2019. The other plaintiff deputies continued to face harassment from Banditos associates. , including the charge that the Banditos named as defendants in the lawsuit attacked fellow deputies at a September 2018 off-duty party, leaving two unconscious and sending them to the hospital. In December 2018, Banditos "secretly removed the bullets from Deputy Zaredini's shotgun," the lawsuit claims. We believe when reliable local reporting is widely available, the entire community benefits. Attorneys representing a group of Los Angeles County Sheriffs deputies who claimed to have been harassed and brutalized by the Banditos deputy gang at the East Los Angeles Station have filed a fifth amended complaint naming 17 additional associates of the group. In fall of 2017, Munoz sent Raymond Mendoza, an alleged Banditos shot caller, to confront Deputy Zaredini about not being hostile enough to Deputy Alfred Gonzalez. Banditos meetings are held at the home of Deputy Noel Crook Lopez. Granados and Zaredini both suffered retaliation for blowing the whistle, according to the complaint. Gonzalez said under oath that in the summer of 2013, shortly after being given the day off and mentioning plans to travel to Hawaii, she received a text message sent to a group she was in with Deputy Jose Rauno. The next time she heard from Patrelli, she informed Lopez that Wolak wouldnt be sending her to the hospital location after all. Every weekday, you'll get fresh, community-driven stories that catch you up with our independent local news. No one had any knowledge of that name, Villanueva said. Gonzalez was transferred to the Norwalk Station, but no action was taken against the sergeants. Deputy Christopher Wargo drove to the location and blocked Lopezs patrol car so she could not move and ordered her out of the vehicle. Subgroups? Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. LASD does not appear to have disciplined anyone for the text exchange. The charges were dismissed at a pre-trial hearing by the prosecutor after reviewing the cell phone video of Grays arrest. Every weekday, you'll get fresh, community-driven stories that catch you up with our independent local news. LAist is part of Southern California Public Radio, a member-supported public media network. Los Banditos East LA Station has been a notorious LASD gang hub for decades, but not every deputy is welcome. draft a policy regarding cliques The Top 5 newsletter catches you up with LAs top 5 stories in just 3 minutes. Your tax-deductible financial support keeps our stories free to read, instead of hidden behind paywalls. In one of the more explosive allegations, the lawsuit claims Banditos declined to provide backup to deputies they don't like, endangering them and the public. A second investigation into the Kennedy Hall incident initiated by Sheriff Villanueva resulted in the termination of Deputies Gregory Rodriguez, David Silverio, and Sergeant Michael Hernandez, all members of the Banditos. The deputies who filed the lawsuit include seven men and one woman. Lieutenant Eric Simpson allegedly buried the memo under the orders of Chief Bobby Denham. At the end of the call he followed Lopez to her car. In the message, he said that Queen FUPA, meaning Fat Upper Pussy Area, was not going to make it to work today because she was going to Hawaii. SEE MORE OF OUR COVERAGE ON LA'S DEPUTY GANGS: Our news is free on LAist. She was very damaged by what happened, he tells Knock LA. One of the deputies who filed the lawsuit said federal agents interviewed him but declined to provide details. Lopez also believed that she would be subjected to further harassment if she went to another area. He ended up fiercely resisting oversight and clashing with watchdogs and the rest of the countys political establishment. The lawsuit claims the department is "permeated by criminal gang culture.". The Banditos logo (Courtesy of Vincent Miller). But I dont think she had a choice on this one because the video and the report were all over the news and the internet [she] wasnt interested in winning the case in my opinion. The Banditos consist primarily of Latinx LASD personnel, and allegedly do not allow women to become full-fledged members. She had no assistants trying this case. Huntsman told The Times that about a third of the 41 deputies on his list admitted that they had tattoos or belonged to the groups; the rest were identified by other sworn personnel in statements to sheriffs investigators. In December 2013, Lopez was informed that if she didnt immediately request a transfer to Century Station, she would have to return to East LA. LOS ANGELES A Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy received an alleged "Banditos" tattoo six months after a new policy banned cliques in the The gang also established a culture at the station where deputies work backwards, meaning they arrest civilians then later come up with probable cause by planting and manufacturing evidence. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Deputy cliques in L.A. 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