Federal racketeering charges have been accepted by three gang members who were involved in a shootout that resulted in the robbery and murder of an off-duty Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officer in early 2022.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Luis Alfredo de la Rosa Rios, Ernesto Cisneros, and Jesse Contreras admitted their involvement in the incident and will face lengthy prison sentences.
On January 10, 2022, Officer Fernando Arroyos and his girlfriend were walking on East 87th Street in the Florence-Graham neighborhood of South L.A. when they were confronted by the three men.
The assailants, members of the Florencia 13 gang, admitted to targeting the couple for robbery.
Seeing Arroyos wearing a gold chain, they approached the couple in a black pickup truck, brandishing firearms.
During the encounter, Cisneros took Arroyos’ wallet from his pocket, discovering the officer’s LAPD identification card.
As tensions escalated, gunfire erupted from both sides. Rios and Cisneros fired at Arroyos, who fought back, firing his own weapon.
Arroyos was struck once and fled into a nearby alley before succumbing to his injuries at St. Francis Medical Center.
Following the incident, all three men, along with Haylee Marie Grisham, Rios’ girlfriend, were apprehended by deputies.
In their subsequent statements to investigators, the gang members admitted their roles in the shooting.
Gang Members Plead Guilty to Federal Racketeering Charges
Recently, they reached plea agreements with federal prosecutors, accepting guilt for conspiracy under federal racketeering laws targeting organized crime.
Sentencing and Murder Charges: While none of the defendants are facing murder charges due to jurisdiction limitations, federal prosecutors have alleged that their reckless actions directly contributed to Arroyos’ death.
The plea agreements stipulate that Rios and Cisneros could face 35 to 50 years in prison, while Contreras may receive a 35-year sentence.
Grisham, who is not accused of directly participating in the shooting, agreed to plead guilty to a count related to the racketeering scheme.
The decision to pursue federal charges, in this case, stemmed from a jurisdictional dispute.
Then-Sheriff Alex Villanueva, engaged in a feud with L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón, brought the case to the US Attorney’s Office after declining to file charges in state court.
The federal charges provide an avenue to hold the defendants accountable for their actions, albeit not on murder charges.
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Source: East Bay Times