Legal News

Rocky Swings Away, Tries to Hit 18th Street Gang Where it Hurts

By Dan Slater

Attorneys for the city of Los Angeles are devising a potentially novel weapon in that city’s war on crime. They filed a suit yesterday seeking monetary penalties against nine imprisoned gang leaders, alleging that at least some of them continue to oversee their criminal enterprises from inside prison.

Here’s the WSJ story, and here’s the lawsuit.

Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo announces he is taking legal action against several known members of the 18th Street gang Monday, Dec. 8, 2008, in Los Angeles. (AP/Ric Francis)

In the past, prosecutors have filed criminal cases against imprisoned gang members for continuing to direct criminal operations from their prison cells, notes the WSJ. But the L.A. City Attorney’s office says it believes this is the first suit that seeks civil monetary penalties for alleged damages to the public caused by such criminal activity.

The defendants are reputed members of the Los Angeles-based 18th Street gang, which the suit calls “one of the largest and most violent criminal street gangs in the world” with an estimated 30,000-plus members in 15 states and five foreign countries. (For some historical info on the 18th Street gang, click here.)

The city attorney’s lawsuit aims to take away any financial benefits the imprisoned gang members are enjoying from their alleged illegal activities, said City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo. “We’re going to hit them where it hurts, in their wallet.”

The suit alleges that 18th Street gang members are “vertically integrated” with the Mexican Mafia and funnel criminal proceeds to jailed Mexican Mafia members through various means, including deposits into bank accounts that the men maintain at the prison. Prisoners can have individual bank accounts to buy sundries.

Full post as published by Law Blog - WSJ.com on December 09, 2008 (boomark / email).