The Latin Counts is a Latino street gang based in Chicago, Illinois with a significant branch in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit Police Chief James Craig, alongside U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade, FBI agents and other law enforcement officials, announces the arrest of 33 men who authorities believe are involved . ", The Red Zone: Inside Detroit's deadly gang wars. 6 Street Gang and associate of the Highwaymen . It is also one of the founding members of the People Nation multi-gang . ~ }]7|k|;_]ovG??RNLKii/J4ncZ^4]N0uijP0Dfr0fDnw)UWf The intended victim was uninjured. Joining Schneider in the announcement were Special Agent in Contact our office at 313-226-9634 or email us at USAMIE.EJ@usdoj.gov or visit our web page HERE for more information. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to rid our community of these violent gang members.. "R.R.," the fellow gang member, was struck by a bullet, fell to the ground and died outside the house. [2][3], The Latin Counts' main criminal activity involves drug activity and racketeering. the Latin Counts gang operates in southwest Detroit and the downriver communities of . Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). In 2014, 33 members of the Latin Counts were indicted on federal charges. Five other members of the gang have been convicted for their roles in the drive-by shooting. Ryan Jose Taylor, a/k/a Loco, 22, of Detroit, charged with conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, three counts of attempted murder in aid of racketeering, three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, and using, carrying, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence; Christopher Nicholas Rishell, a/k/a C-5, 28, of Lincoln Park, charged with conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, three counts of attempted murder in aid of racketeering, three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, and using, carrying, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. "Jacksons criminal conduct with his fellow Latin Counts gang members is a stark example of how the Latin Counts criminal enterprise poses a grave threat to public safety. *The above map highlights current Detroit gangs, history of the streets and more. In 1970, a faction broke off from the gang to be named the Bishops, who retained good relations with the Counts due to their sharing of the same bloodlines. U.S. v. Farid FataArchive of Fata Facilitator Website www.FataClaims.com, Archive of Fata Facilitator Website www.FataClaims.com. Detroit hoods map ranges from the West Side to the East Side of the city. Federal investigators saidGardner used violence to force a minor victim to engage in commercial sex acts and published explicit photographs of the minor in the prostitution advertisements he created. By working together, local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies strive to maximize their ability to identify and arrest individuals and groups initiating violence in Detroit. Gardner, 21, was convicted of sex trafficking a minor using force, fraud and coercion and production of child pornography. Attorneys for both defendants could not be reached for comment. So far, with the FBI, ATF and Detroit Homicide Task Force, there have been seven gang members charged and identified in connection to the drive-by, all of whom have pleaded guilty. According to the government, the Latin Counts have been involved inassaults, murder, drug deals,home invasions and robberies. 16, brother of the Latin Counts leader. The number is 313-226-9151. 1299, PageID.<pageID> Filed 03/01/10 Page 5 of 15. This enabled the Counts to enter a truce with the allied Latin Kings, but street-level conflict continued between the two gangs until the 1980s. Bolo ruled atop the local narcotics trade from 1990-1992, when his organization estimated to have been brining 100 kilos per month into the Metro Detroit Area was brought down by federal indictment. Michael Gardner, 21, of Detroit is going to prison for 20 years after a jury convicted him last fall offorcinga minor into prostitution and publishing sexually explicit photos of her in escort advertisements. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. If convicted, he faces a minimum of twenty years in . The Toledo Mafia Countsstarted on the 5600 block of Toledo Street, in southwest Detroit and gang members use social media to startand take credit for violent acts and other criminal activities, includingmurders, assaults and drug dealing, according to the government. DETROIT (WWJ/AP) -- Two gang members in Detroit will spend decades in federal prison. The name was changed two years later to Sons of Mexico City to better reflect their ethnic heritage. ATF agents along with our partners, the Michigan State Police, Detroit Police Department, and Michigan Department of Corrections served several search warrants in and around the metropolitan Detroit area and downriver,"ATF agent Terry Schimke said. In October 2017, police investigated a triple shooting where a suspected gang member was killed in a shootout. Copyright 2019 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Detroit One is a collaborative effort between law enforcement and the community to reduce homicides and other violent crimes in Detroit. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Latin Counts Gang on Audacy: Listen to Free Radio Online | Music, Sports, News, Podcasts " one of the Latin Counts members who rode to the scene with Jackson, R.R., exited the red pickup truck, stood out on the street, and fired bullets during the shooting, too.". 5 0 obj DETROIT (WJBK) - Six people have been arrested in a deadly shooting in Detroit last fall that federal authorities say is connected to a Detroit street gang called the Latin Counts. "The bullet recovered from R.R.s body and other evidence established that a fellow Latin Counts member fired the bullet that killed R.R.". <> Latin Counts gang leader Victor Vasquez of Detroit was sentenced to 30 . All the other boys in my neighborhood joined or they were beat-up or harassed all the time," Jackson said, according to the filing. Ex-FBI chief: Chuck Rizzo doomed for turning on the feds. [4] Gang members have also been involved in selling stolen weapons, assaults and murders. x][s~trX SbIS7iNY,8L^] 6LC^tZu{ZKNZw|}gNP,:*vU6.t]7}So]'g(}e_}oMeTS=uLW{- Defendant Aref Nagi (D-01) is charged in multiple counts of a Fifty-Count Second Superseding Indictment. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Investigators have been working the case for months and, on Thursday, they served four search warrants across southeast Michigan. In 1991, a full-scale shooting war erupted with the Latin Kings over turf in Cicero that pitted all Counts and Kings against each other nationwide. The other four defendants will appear in federal court on later dates. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Louis Crisostomo, Robert VanWert, and Eric Straus. According to court records, Rishell orchestrated and helped carry out with fellow Latin Counts gang members a drive-by shooting in a residential neighborhood of southwest Detroit that occurred on October 7, 2017, killing one victim and injuring two others. Its members, authorities say, use violence to stake out their. DETROIT (WJBK) - Six people have been arrested in a deadly shooting in Detroit last fall that federal authorities say is connected to a Detroit street gang called the Latin Counts. *The Flenory Bros. left SW Detroit in the mid-1990s, however, kept several lieutenants in the area to look after their affairs. He's got plenty -- and his situa- tion isn't improving with police saying he's the leader of the Latin Counts, a suddenly notorious south- west Detroit gang. In 1978, the Counts were invited to join the People Nation, a gang alliance formed in the Pontiac Correctional Center. Vasquez, 26, pleaded guilty for his participation in a racketeer influenced and corrupt organizations (RICO) conspiracy, and the murder of Mustafa Al-Yasiry in April 2014 at the Big Apple Market. Jackson . C3/vo5BY?8zNxe5vz~g}w`u[u7U[*//JXk$ m]=;s_le2ImmSjVf2|Ex?Upue% A leader of the Latin Counts gang was sentenced yesterday to 20 years in federal prison for assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, announced United States Attorney Matthew Schneider. 5 Detroit Gang Members Plead Guilty To Racketeering Conspiracy. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The conviction stems from a drive-by shooting in a southwest Detroit neighborhood on Oct. 7, 2017, that left a fellow gang member dead, two others injured and the intended target unscathed. Original territory of the infamous, Black Mafia Family, a crew of drug dealers led by the Flenory Brothers (Demetrius Big Meech Flenory & Terrance Southwest T Flenory), who were brought down in 2005 after being the biggest narcotic-trafficking organization in the country for the previous decade. A superseding indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Follow her on Twitter @Tbaldas. The two defendants arrested today will be making their initial appearances in federal court in Detroit this afternoon. The gang was founded in 1955 by Mexican youth who lived in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago. A leader of the Latin Counts gang was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering Press J to jump to the feed. Our Civil Rights hotline is available for anyone who may have suffered a violation of their civil rights. [MORE:5 Detroit Gang Members Plead Guilty To Racketeering Conspiracy]. According to the superseding indictment, the Latin Counts gang operates primarily in southwest Detroit and the downriver communities of Lincoln Park and Ecorse. DETROIT (WXYZ) The leader of the Latin Counts gang in Detroit was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on Tuesday in connection to a drive-by shooting in southeast Detroit in 2017. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. He was sentenced on Wednesday for his role in a 2014murder, admitting in a plea deal that heordereda hit on a man who was gunned down and killed at the Big Apple Market in southwest Detroit in 2014. Now, seven months later, law enforcement swarmed a home in the 7000 block of Whittaker. The Latin Counts use violence to retaliate against rivals, intimidate citizens in the community, and advance members positions within the gang. According to court documents, Rishell, 30, orchestrated and helped carry out, along with other Latin Counts gang members, a drive-by shooting in a residential neighborhood in Southwest Detroit on Oct. 7, 2017. Since its launch in 2013, homicides are down 30% and non-fatal shootings are down 45%, when comparing the homicide and shooting totals from 2012 to the totals in 2017. AUDREY SHEHYN/'l'he Detroit New~; Dawn Mendoza, leader of the Lady Counts, hangs out in "Count Park" in southwest Detroit with members of the Latin Counts gang and her sister, Cindy. Cindy Mendoza, 16, is not a gang member. A Latin Counts gang member was sentenced today to 30 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, announced United States Attorney Matthew Schneider, Special Agent in Charge James Deir of the ATF's Detroit Division, and Chief James Craig of the Detroit Police Department. Civil rights complaints may also be made online at this linkusamie.civilrights@usdoj.gov. A federal jury convicted Gardner following his October trial on charges of sex trafficking a minor and production of child pornography. All rights reserved. *Tried to kill federal witness slated to testify against them. Both terrorized Detroit neighborhoods for years, prosecutors say. (Khalil AlHajal | MLive). Rishell was the president of the Toledo Mafia Counts set of the Latin Counts at the time of the shooting. Gardner, who was sentenced Thursday, also was accused of using his status as a Vice Lords gang member to intimidate the minor into staying in prostitution and put her in fear of reporting the activity. % According to the superseding indictment, the Latin Counts gang operates primarily in southwest Detroit and the downriver communities of Lincoln Park and Ecorse. NEW! The Gangster Disciples (often abbreviated as the GD's, formerly GDN) are an African American street and prison gang, which was formed in 1969, by Larry Hoover and David Barksdale.The two rival gangsters united together to form the Black Gangster Disciple Nation (BGDN).Since 1989, after a decline in leadership caused friction between the two gangs, the BGDN has divided into different factions . The CFP was created in the late-1980s as a means of combating other street gangs coming into SW Detroit after the demise of the Bolo Boys and trying to take the territory by force. The name was changed again in 1959 to Latin Counts, inspired by the Polish Counts gang that operated in the nearby Back of the Yards community. Protecting the public from violent criminals is at the heart of ATFs mission, said Special Agent in Charge James Deir. [1], The Latin Counts' symbol consists of a depiction of Count Dracula, a knight's helmet, and a sword with five slashes above it. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Louis Crisostomo and Eric Straus. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Detroit Police Chief James Craig, alongside U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade, FBI agents and other law enforcement officials, announces the arrest of 33 men who authorities believe are involved in a southwest Detroit street gang known as the Latin Counts, July 25, 2014. Latin Counts Gang Leader Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Orchestrating Drive-By Shooting in Southwest Detroit A leader of the Latin Counts gang was sentenced yesterday to 20 years in federal prison for assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, announced United States Attorney Matthew Schneider. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. . The Latin Counts Gang was brought to Detroit from Chicago by the Tony "Scarface" Viramontez Octavio "Bootis" Viramontez, Tony's younger brother killed in 1991 after Tony was arrested for felonious assault Tony runs gang until 2007 when he is arrested for drug dealing At war with Latin Cobras Jose "Chewy the Boss" Garcia The investigation into the Latin Counts gang started following a shooting at a house in Southwest Detroit on the 2400 block of Liddesdale last fall. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. long time cocaine distributor who operated mainly in the Detroit Metropolitan area. 2023 www.freep.com. DETROIT (WWJ/AP) --Two gang members in Detroit will spend decades in federal prison. "During the shooting, Jackson fired several bullets from a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun," Crisostomo wrote in a court filing. They named their gang the Texans in homage to the state they originally lived in. During the 1960s, the Counts came into conflict with other gangs in the Pilsen area such as the Latin Kings, the Satan Disciples and Ambrose. / CBS Detroit. The Detroit One collaboration of local, state, and federal law enforcement has led to charges against six members of the Latin Counts street gang for committing murder conspiracy and two non-fatal shootings that occurred in southwest Detroit on October 7, 2017, United States Attorney Matthew Schneider announced today. The Detroit One collaboration of local, state, and federal law enforcement has led to charges against six members of the Latin Counts street gang for committing murder conspiracy and two non-fatal shootings that occurred in southwest Detroit on October 7, 2017, United States Attorney Matthew Schneider announced today. Gardner, 21, was convicted in federal court of sex trafficking a minor using force, fraud and coercion and production of child pornography. Schneider was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge James Deir of the ATFs Detroit Division, and Chief James Craig of the Detroit Police Department. Dawn, 20, says as a Lady Count, she gets the respect of the guys. She said the unsolved Dec. 23 drive-by slaying at a gas station on Vernor would go unavenged because the Latin Counts "are not into revenge. Also according to court records, the Latin Counts gang operates primarily in southwest Detroit and the downriver communities of Lincoln Park and Ecorse. Investigators . Court records show Rishell orchestrated and helped carry out a drive-by shooting on Oct. 7, 2017, killing one person and injuring two others. "I don't get involved with that Through the lead efforts of the ATF, FBI, and the Detroit Homicide Task Force, law enforcement identified and charged a total of seven violent members of the Latin Counts gang responsible for the drive-by shooting, all of whom have since pleaded guilty. Christopher Nicholas Rishell, known as "C-5", 30, of Lincoln Park, was sentenced on charges of assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering. [1] Its territory has expanded to include Southwest Detroit, Michigan, and the suburbs of Lincoln Park and Ecorse. The four defendants who are already in federal or state custody are: This appalling shooting took place in a residential neighborhood and resulted in the killing of a suspected Latin Counts gang member and injuring two others. 1M?>X`2e ~m;>g;>RPqIL`?GD*S?FW{|S+'L4T )ql>-{'g vk/u0[i5O7Xn\7T?d]!S_S?VuCx 6jwmCwmnyp/3[]3?V%^#9b}lF* cU0&H(B;6~78^\Hs`Z>w HvTafnVVIRXYY&k|pu'b &+`(*5-I h $[ Their colors are black and red. Alleged members of Detroit street gang 'Latin Counts' indicted on assault, drug, gun charges Suspects accused of assault, selling illegal narcotics to state out 'turf' Published: July 25, 2014, 5: . 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