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Dozens of Gang Members Charged in California with Narcotics Violations

LOS ANGELES—Over 900 officers and agents participated in the execution of pre-dawn arrest and search warrants targeting members and associates of the Black P-Stones street gang, announced Steven Martinez, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI in Los Angeles; André Birotte Jr, United States Attorney for the Central District of California (Los Angeles); Chief Charlie Beck of the Los Angeles Police Department; Los Angeles City Attorney, Carmen Trutanich; and Special Agent in Charge, Jim Todak, of Housing and Urban Developments Office of the Inspector General. Over 50 arrest warrants were served primarily in the southwest area of Los Angeles. Twenty-five state search warrants were also executed during today's early morning operation, known as Operation Red Dawn, as it relates to the targeting of the Black P-Stones, a faction of the notorious Bloods street gang. Seventy-five members and associates of the Black P-Stone Bloods were identified for arrest during this investigation that lasted over one year.

Twenty-one defendants were charged in 15 indictments returned by the federal grand jury sitting in the United States District Court for the Central District of California with a variety of federal statutes relative to the possession and conspiracy to possess methamphetamine and cocaine base, also known as "crack." An additional 54 state arrest warrants were filed with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. A large share of the state defendants were arrested this morning; the remainder were already in custody on unrelated charges. An additional 20 individuals were arrested during the course of the lengthy investigation but are not included in today's overall numbers. Prior to today's operation, the investigation had resulted in the seizure of: 135.5 grams of PCP 41.2 grams of methamphetamine; 25 kilograms of marijuana; 1.7 kilograms of cocaine; and a variety of firearms.

Assistant Director in Charge, Steven Martinez, said, "The task force coordinated this joint effort to have the greatest impact on the landscape of the P-Stones' gang-controlled neighborhood. The strategy involved dismantling the gang's infrastructure by arresting the main players and by removing the businesses where gangs launch their criminal activity. By working jointly with the LAPD, the City Attorney and HUD, we have a chance to provide the community with an opportunity to move forward." The federal defendants are listed below: Tiana Renee Baudoin, a.k.a "A-Dogg," 25, of Inglewood Kenneth Richard Bell, a.k.a. "K.B," 26, of Los Angeles Rodney Dewar Bourgeois, a.k.a.

"Gangsta/G Rod," 44, of Los Angeles Jiles T Bradshaw, a.k.a. "Lil B-Ball," 33, of Los Angeles, fugitive Huey Jacque Carter, a.k.a. "Reesio/Baby Huey," 41, of Los Angeles ( in state custody) Lawrence Issac Cooks, Jr, a.k.a. "Sandman," 37, of Los Angeles Rudolph Valentino Cotton, a.k.a.

"Rudy/X," 50, of Los Angeles Jose Desiderio Gaitan, a.k.a. "Lil Brazy/B-Dog," 26, of Minot, North Dakota Hector Alex Garcia, a.k.a. "Alex," 40, of Los Angeles Jorge Hernandez-Calderon, 34, of Los Angeles, fugitive Michael Jerome Lawrence, Jr, a.k.a. "Big Mike/Tone," 36, of Los Angeles, fugitive Andrew Joseph McMillian, a.k.a.

"Drew/Unc," 59, of Los Angeles Charles Ray Moore, Jr, a.k.a. "Mo/Lil Mo/C.K. Mo," 37, of Los Angeles Christopher Earl Patterson, a.k.a. "Fat Rat," 39, of Los Angeles Sylvester Ivan Payne, a.k.a.

"Bo," 50, of Los Angeles Milo Koshawn Perkins, a.k.a. "Lo," 39, of Los Angeles Norman Paul Reed, a.k.a. "Poochie," 47, of Los Angeles Sean Correll Sims, a.k.a. "Louie," 43, of Los Angeles (arrested in Phoenix, AZ) Chance Lorane Willis, Jr a.k.a.

"Lil Chance," 29, of Los Angeles Kimya Wilson, a.k.a. "Rock/Lil Kimi," of Los Angeles, fugitive David Andrew Winzer, a.k.a. "Hitman," 33, (currently in federal custody) "The Justice Department is committed to a long-term approach to public safety, a strategy that involves taking hardcore gangsters off the streets, but also includes helping local communities reclaim, rebuild, and restore their neighborhoods," said United States Attorney André Birotte Jr "Today's action targeting the P-Stone Bloods is the latest example of our collaborative effort to identify, investigate, and prosecute individuals responsible for bringing misery into our communities." During the investigation, the task force augmented its suppression efforts by partnering with agencies that will address long-term community stability. The Los Angeles City Attorney's Office is pursuing civil actions to include property abatement, evictions and case conferences for 15 of the gangs controlled businesses and residences.

In addition, the Office of the Inspector General for Housing and Urban Development (HUD-OIG) is addressing violations related to Section 8 Housing, which will include the removal of tenants. Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said, "As the chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, I have been committed to working closely with our federal and state law enforcement partners. This morning in a joint task force, we executed federal and state warrants which targeted a notorious street gang. I am very pleased with the results of this morning's operation.

I will continue my commitment in our fight to reduce crime and the fear of crime in our communities and to keep these dangerous predators off the streets of Los Angeles." The Black P-Stones (BPS) have a history which dates back to the early 1960s. Since then, BPS membership and territorial boundaries in, primarily, the lower Baldwin Village area of Los Angeles, have increased to approximately 894 documented members. They are ranked among the top 10 gangs in Los Angeles and approximately 275 members were served under a current gang injunction. City Attorney Carmen Trutanich said, "Through our joint efforts, we are removing thugs from the streets of Los Angeles, one gang at a time, so the residents of Los Angeles may once again walk in their neighborhoods without fear.

My office's Project TO.U.G.H. is filing nuisance abatement actions against three gang-related properties based upon evidence of drug sales and criminal gang activity by members of the Black P Stone Bloods criminal street gang and their known allies at those properties. I want to thank our law enforcement partners, including the FBI, LAPD, and United States Attorney's Office, for their part in dismantling these gangs." The BPS have strong established ties to other Blood gangs in the area, as well as to Blood prison gangs. The BPS are known to be involved in a variety of violent crimes to include murder, assault, robberies, narcotics violations, and firearms violations.

The federal investigation employed effective narcotics violations to target the gangs upper echelon, as well as mid-level operators and known founders of the gang. HUD-OIG Special Agent in Charge, James Todak, said, "One of the primary goals of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General is to reduce fraud and abuse in HUD's rental assistance programs. To that end, we will aggressively strive to ensure that federally subsidized residences will not be used by criminals in furtherance of their unlawful acts. We continue to work with our law enforcement counterparts to help us achieve this goal." In a similar case, known as Operation Stone Cold, the same task force targeted the Black P-Stones in 2006.

In that case, 17 federal targets were convicted and sentenced. There were also 12 state defendants convicted. A sustained approach will be made locally by the implementation of a Community Recovery Plan, which will include measures such as, increased police patrols, including enforcement and nuisance teams in the targeted neighborhood; community clean-up days, graffiti removal; abandoned vehicle impound; trash clean up; community meeting with property owners, and the coordination of youth programs in the targeted neighborhood. All of the defendants face charges that carry a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison.

The majority face charges that carry up to a statutory maximum sentence of up to 40 years in prison. The federal defendants will be prosecuted by the United States Attorneys Office. They will have an initial appearance in United States District Court in Los Angeles this afternoon. The state defendants will be prosecuted by the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office.

An indictment complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court. Media Contact: FBI: Laura Eimiler, Lourdes Arocho (speaks Spanish) & Ari Dekofsky: 310 996-3343 United States Attorney's Office Spokesman: Thom Mrozek: 213 894-6947 LAPD: Media Relations: Norma Eisenman 213 486-5925 City Attorney's Spokesman: John Franklin: 213 215-2707

Reported by: FBI

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