ORANGE COUNTY MEXICAN MAFIA LEADER AND FOUR MEMBERS INDICTED FOR MURDERING MAN OUTSIDE HIS PLACENTIA HOME

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Case #:18ZF0002

Date: July 30, 2018

ORANGE COUNTY MEXICAN MAFIA LEADER AND FOUR MEMBERS INDICTED FOR MURDERING MAN OUTSIDE HIS PLACENTIA HOME

*Two defendants accused of organizing murder from inside state prison

SANTA ANA, Calif. – The leader of the Orange County Mexican Mafia and four associates were indicted for murdering a man outside his home in Placentia. Two defendants are accused of organizing the murder from inside state prison.

Defendants	Felony Charges	Minimum Sentence	Court Date
Johnny Martinez, 42, Gang Moniker: “Crow”	Conspiracy to commit a crime Murder First degree residential burglary Street terrorism Sentencing Enhancements Murder during commission of other felony Criminal street gang activity Gang member vicarious discharge firearm causing death	Life in state prison without the possibility of parole	Arraignment Aug. 31, 2018, time to be determined Department C-30, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana
Gregory David Munoz, 30, Gang Moniker: “Lou/Snoopy”	Conspiracy to commit a crime Murder First degree residential burglary Street terrorism Sentencing Enhancements Murder during commission of other felony Criminal street gang activity Gang member vicarious discharge firearm causing death	Life in state prison without the possibility of parole	Arraignment Aug. 31, 2018, time to be determined Department C-30, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana
Ysrael Jacob Cordova, 33, Gang Moniker: “Tripps”	Conspiracy to commit a crime Murder First degree residential burglary Possession of firearm Street Terrorism Sentencing Enhancements Murder during commission of other felony Criminal street gang activity Personal discharge of firearm causing death	Life in state prison without the possibility of parole	Arraignment Aug. 31, 2018, time to be determined Department C-30, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana
Ricardo Valenzuela, 38, Gang Moniker: “Solo”	Conspiracy to commit a crime Murder First degree residential burglary Possession of a firearm Street terrorism Sentencing Enhancements Murder during commission of other felony Criminal street gang activity Gang member vicarious discharge firearm causing death	Life in state prison without the possibility of parole	Arraignment Aug. 31, 2018, time to be determined Department C-30, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana
Augustine Velasquez, 22, Gang Moniker: “Boogie”	Conspiracy to commit a crime Murder First degree residential burglary Street terrorism Sentencing Enhancements Murder during commission of other felony Criminal street gang activity Gang member vicarious discharge firearm causing death	Life in state prison without the possibility of parole	Arraignment Aug. 31, 2018, time to be determined Department C-30, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana

 Circumstances of the Case

• At the time of the crime, Johnny Martinez, known by the moniker “Crow,” is accused of being the recent leader of the Mexican Mafia and directing criminal street gang activity in Orange County. Ysrael Jacob Cordova (“Tripps”), Ricardo Valenzuela (“Solo”), Gregory David Munoz (“Lou/Snoppy”), and Augustine Velasquez (“Boogie”), are also accused of being criminal street gang members actively participating in the Mexican Mafia of Orange County. Charles Coghill is accused of being the driver (charged under case #17NF0987).
• Between Oct. 8, 2016 and Jan. 22, 2017, Martinez, who is currently incarcerated in the Salinas Valley State Prison in Monterey County, is accused of communicating more than 3,500 times via cell phone with Munoz, who was incarcerated Calipatria State Prison in Imperial County at the time of the crime.
• Between Jan. 18, 2017 and Jan. 19, 2018, Munoz is accused of communicating via cell phone with Coghill 58 times, with Cordova 50 times, with Valenzuela 43 times, and with Velasquez three times.

• On Jan. 19, 2017, Munoz is accused of directing Coghill to pick up a silver Chrysler 300 and semi-automatic firearms in Santa Ana, drive to a hotel in Anaheim, and pick up Cordova, Valenzuela, and Velasquez.

• On Jan. 19, 2017, Coghill is accused of picking up Cordova, Valenzuela, and Velasquez and driving to a residence in Placentia.

• Cordova, Valenzuela, and Velasquez are accused of exiting the vehicle armed with semi-automatic firearms, walking through the front gate of the residence, and confronting victim Robert Rios in the front yard. Velasquez is accused of detaining Rios at gunpoint while Cordova and Valenzuela entered the residence.

• Shortly thereafter, Velasquez is accused of struggling with Rios. Cordova and Valenzuela are accused of immediately returning. Cordova is accused of shooting Rios in the chest with a 9mm Semi-automatic rifle. During the struggle, Cordova also is accused of shooting Velasquez in the left leg. Cordova, Valenzuela and Velasquez are accused of fleeing the scene.

• Emergency responders located Rios unresponsive outside his residence and he was later declared deceased from the single gunshot wound.

• The Placentia Police Department (PPD) investigated this case. The identity of the perpetrators was initially unknown. The crime was captured on the victim’s security cameras and PPD released the footage in an effort to seek information about the identity of the defendants. 

About the Mexican Mafia

The Mexican Mafia has been in existence since the late 1950s.  Criminal street gang members of Southern Hispanic descent incarcerated in the California Prison System answer to the Mexican Mafia. 

In 1987, Peter Ojeda (Sana) took charge and maintained control for the next 30 years. In 2016, Johnny Martinez, a PLAS gang member currently serving a 15 years to life sentence in Salinas prison for one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder. Martinez is accused of taking control of the Orange County Jails after Ojeda was federally convicted and sentenced to 15 years to life in state prison Since that time, the Mexican Mafia has become much more active and violent. Martinez demands the utmost loyalty from those on the “mesa,” which typically includes four gang members who work closest with Martinez to control the Orange County jails and street gang activity.

The Mexican Mafia controls Orange County criminal street gangs by collecting taxes, ordering assaults to keep gang members in line, and directing murders through jailhouse “kites” against enemies of the Mexican Mafia and disobedient criminal street gang members. This is known as putting someone on the “hard candy list” or “green-lighting them.”

Prosecutor: Senior Deputy District Attorney Dave Porter, GANG/TARGET Unit