Traveling gang linked to San Luis crime wave

A recent carjacking, the holdup of a business and a string of residential burglaries are presenting this city's acting police chief with a baptism by fire as the new head of the police department. The break-ins, dozens of which have occurred since February, are believed to have been committed by a traveling band of burglars whose tactics have included phoning in false reports to police in an effort to divert officers away from neighborhoods they are targeting, says Police Commander Arturo Ramos. In the short term, the police department will launch a public awareness campaign to stress to residents the importance of organizing Neighborhood Watch programs and taking other preventive measures to curtail home break-ins, he said. But Ramos, who took over as acting chief after the resignation earlier this month of Eddie Munoz, says the department needs additional officers to cover the city's streets. Robberies such as the carjacking and the holdup of Desert Water are rare occurrences in San Luis, Ramos said, but should serve to remind police officers that as the city continues to grow, so could violent crime. In the holdup on March 12, a man whose face was covered by some type of black face or greasepaint walked into Desert Water on 2nd Avenue, displayed a pistol and fled on foot with an undisclosed sum of money from the cash register. Earlier in the month, according to police, a customer leaving a restaurant on the same street was confronted by an armed man with a handkerchief covering his face. The man got into the victim's car and demanded he drive him out of town. At County 19th Street and Avenue 1E, the carjacker let the victim out of the car and drove away in the vehicle, found later in Maricopa County by sheriff's deputies there. No one was injured in either incident, and no suspects have been arrested. The robbery came as police were dealing with a string of home break-ins committed over the past several months by what is believed to be an organized band of burglars from out of town. In all, police have taken reports of 41 residential burglaries since February. Typically the stolen property is clothing and other items that can then be sold at swap meets with little risk of being traced through serial numbers or other means, he said. “We think they are career criminals who don't have any connections in San Luis. They move from place to place.” The break-ins began in residential subdivisions on the city's east side, such as Los Alamos and Los Olivos, but have since moved to the west side to subdivisions such as Rio Sereno. The burglars “know how much time they have” to get in and out of a home, Ramos said. “They work in pairs, just seconds ahead of the officers. They know where the officers are, so if the officers go to one of the locations, (the burglars) hit in another area of the city.” In some cases, he said, the police department has received false reports of crimes in an effort to divert officers from neighborhoods where burglars want to strike. Ramos said one of his goals is to provide for more ongoing training for officers. One of the tools the department uses toward that end is a laser-shooting incident simulator, where a computer is used to mimic an armed confrontation on a screen to test the officers' responses. Officers have been required to complete the simulator training once a year but will now undergo it several times a year. Ramos hopes to be given council approval to increase the number of officers in the department to be able to beef up the department's presence on the streets. “We need more officers. We have the basics now, four officers per shift and a sergeant, but if two are sick at any time, we have two on — and we have an area of 33 square miles to patrol.” He said the department could use at least nine additional officers.

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If Chicago were a war zone, it would be a deadlier one for Americans than Afghanistan.

In fact, according to the Department of Defense and FBI data, the number of Chicagoans murdered is two and a half times U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan since 2001. With NATO in the rear-view mirror, area law enforcement officials and politicians will turn their attention away from unruly protestors back to the city's rising murder rate - up 54 percent from last year, according to police data. Last week, Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced a new strategy to combat gang activity in crime hot spots to halt the killing. The strategy, called a "wraparound plan," focuses on improving neighborhood services after police descend on an area to target and remove gangs. "Once we make arrests, and we eliminate a narcotics organization, we are committed to holding onto that turf, to that territory, to squeeze out the drug market and the violence," said Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy last week. Homicides in Chicago have spiked this year, though overall crime is down. Chicago has had 169 murders in 2012, compared to 110 at the same date last year. Overall, the city's crime rate is down 11 percent from last year. According to FBI and Department of Defense data, 5,056 people have been murdered in Chicago since 2001, compared with 1,976 total U.S. deaths in Afghanistan since 2001. Chicago's murder rate even outpaces total NATO coalition fatalities in Afghanistan since 2001 by a difference of more than 2,500 killed. The proposed wraparound plan is part of McCarthy's broader strategy to use data to concentrate police resources in troubled parts of the city, a strategy that reduced overall crime rates in New York by 80 percent in the 1990s. One of the programs developed in New York in the 1990s was a data-mapping system used to identify crime hot-spots. McCarthy brought the system, called CompStat, to Chicago last year; it helps police identify neighborhoods in which crime is likely to occur by tracking crime report trends. "Smart policing is about using resources and information to prevent violence," said Andrew Papachristos, a Harvard sociologist who studies street gangs, violent crime and gun violence. "It's not about going out and arresting people, it's about cooling people down." According to the Chicago Crime Lab, a research program at the University of Chicago, New York's turnaround in the 1990s was accomplished without mass incarcerations. Incarceration rates actually decreased by 28 percent in New York, while the national incarceration rate increased by 65 percent during the same period. Controversial strategies used in New York, such as the aggressive "stop and frisk" program, have not been adopted in Chicago. Explanations for the surge in Chicago murders range from the unseasonably warm winter to a police personnel shortage due to budget cuts. According to City Hall, the police department is short nearly 2,300 officers. Papachristos, however, argues that despite Chicago's need for more cops, a good policing strategy can still reduce crime. "Smart policing is better than more policing," he said. "It's not about how many people you have on the street, but having the right people on the street - one good cop is better than three average cops."

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Dog 'The Bounty Hunter' Chapman's Show Canceled

Dog "The Bounty Hunter" Chapman will have more time on his hands to catch criminals, because his show on A&E is being canceled ... TMZ has learned. Multiple sources connected with the show tell us ... Dog's people and A&E have been negotiating, but the network has now decided to pull the plug and not do season 9. One source connected with Dog tells us the cancellation is based on "creative differences."  But here's the reality ... saying "creative differences" is like breaking up with a girl and saying, "It's not you, it's me."

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Motorcyclists beat videotaping driver on Highway 101

A driver who lost control of his Toyota Prius while shooting a cellphone video of motorcycle riders on Highway 101 Sunday in Belmont was beaten and threatened after he slammed into them, injuring two riders. According to California Highway Patrol Officer Art Montiel, the collision happened around 8:08 a.m. near the Ralston Avenue exit as the driver and motorcyclists headed north. The driver, who remains unidentified, swerved into the center divider while recording and then hit one rider. The car then bounced back across two lanes and hit another. After the crash some of the angry riders hit the Prius driver in the head and threatened him with a knife, Montiel said. No riders were arrested and the assault is still under investigation. The Prius driver was cited on suspicion of driving while distracted but was not arrested. Both bikers and the videotaping motorist were taken to a hospital with minor injuries. Montiel said all three were expected to be released Sunday. Some of the bikers at the scene of the crash were Hells Angels, Montiel said. The injured riders, however, were members of a different club, and the name was not immediately available. Montiel said it was not clear why the driver was taking the cellphone video. He did not have any further details about the people involved in the collision.

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Nortenos members indicted for murder in Dodge City

Federal prosecutors in Kansas unsealed charges Friday against 23 members of a Dodge City, Kan., street gang, including counts alleging racketeering and murder. Members of the Nortenos allegedly killed Israel Peralta and wounded another man near a Dodge City trailer park in June 2009, said U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom. “They engaged in drug trafficking, robbery and even murder for the purpose of expanding their power, wealth and influence,” Grissom said. The indictment culminated a two-year investigation of the Nortenos by Dodge City police; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and other law enforcement agencies. The racketeering portion of the indictment includes numerous allegations of violent crimes, including murder, attempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon. The charges also contend that the Nortenos robbed Guatemalan immigrants who worked in nearby beef packing plants, finding them easy targets because the victims often did not use banks and tried to avoid contact with law enforcement. Dodge City Police Chief Craig Mellecker said increased gang violence prompted authorities to open the investigation. The federal indictment included counts against Jason Najera, 28, who is alleged to have been the leader of the Nortenos. Those facing murder allegations include Pedro Garcia, 25, Gonzalo Ramirez, 26, Russell Worthey, 23, and Anthony Wright, 26. “Gangs of armed men will not be permitted to prey on the weak or to exchange fire while the rest of us scramble for cover,” Grissom said.

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Massachusetts Art Heist: Search of Alleged Mobster's Home Yields 2 Guns

None of the priceless masterpieces from a record art heist were found today in a search by the FBI on the property of an alleged mobster, according to his attorney. Authorities conducted the search today on the property of Robert Gentile, 75, who was arrested in February on federal drug charges. The warrant allowed ground-penetrating radar to be used so agents could search for weapons, said A. Ryan McGuigan, Gentile's attorney. The search today yielded two guns. "Nobody cares about [the guns]. What they were looking for was stolen art," McGuigan told ABCNews.com at the end of the day. The search warrant marked the second time the FBI had searched Gentile's property. Both warrants were for weapons, McGuigan said, because the statute of limitations on the art theft case had expired. Among the masterpieces stolen more than 20 years ago were works by Degas and Rembrandt. In March, a federal prosecutor said Gentile may have some connection to the art heist at Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990, the Associated Press reported. The U.S. attorney's office declined to comment today on the search or what connection Gentile could have to the heist. During the early hours of March 18, 1990, two men disguised as police officers were let inside the museum through a security door. The museum's guard was told the officers were responding to a call. Josh Reynolds/AP Photo Empty frames from which thieves took "Storm... View Full Size Art Heist at Boston Museum Watch Video Masterpiece Mystery: Gift or Theft? Watch Video Judge's Son Arrested in Casino Heist Watch Video Once inside, the thieves asked the guard to step away from the security desk, saying there was a warrant for his arrest. The move kept the guard more than a safe distance from the museum's emergency alert button. The other guard was called to the security desk, where the thieves handcuffed the workers and marched them into the basement. The men were secured to pipes and their hands, feet and heads were duct-taped. When the guards' morning replacement arrived, he discovered 13 pieces of art were missing, including work by Degas, Rembrandt, Manet and Vermeer. The art heist has produced few leads -- even with seasoned investigators on the case -- until now. Gentile was arrested on federal drug charges after he allegedly sold prescription drugs to an undercover agent. McGuigan said he believes it was a ruse to allow authorities to search Gentile's home, because the statute of limitations on the art heist had expired. "It is our contention he was set up by the FBI to sell drugs to an undercover agent so they could execute a search warrant on his home," McGuigan said. The first search yielded firearms, ammunition and homemade silencers, adding more federal charges to Gentile's rap sheet. McGuigan said the FBI claimed the first search wasn't thorough enough, so they issued a warrant for a second search, which included the ability to use ground-penetrating radar in Gentile's yard. "They're pretty thorough. The FBI doesn't miss things," McGuigan said, underscoring his point that his client's alleged crimes were a ruse to search his property for the missing paintings. The heist has remained at the top of the list of the FBI's Art Recovery Squad. The works are worth an estimated half a billion dollars, making it the largest art theft in history, according to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Twenty-two years later, empty frames continue to hang in the museum as placeholders for the works the museum hopes will one day be returned. Gentile pleaded not guilty to federal weapon and gun charges last month and is being held without bond.

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US blacklists sons of Mexico drug lord Joaquin Guzman

The US treasury department has put two sons of Mexico's most wanted man Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman on its drugs kingpin blacklist. The move bars all people in the US from doing business with Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar and Ovidio Guzman Lopez, and freezes any US assets they have. Joaquin Guzman, on the list since 2001, runs the powerful Sinaloa drug cartel. Mexico has seen an explosion of violence in recent years as gangs fight for control of trafficking routes. The US administration "will aggressively target those individuals who facilitate Chapo Guzman's drug trafficking operations, including family members," said Adam Szubin, director of the department's Office of Foreign Assets Control . "With the Mexican government, we are firm in our resolve to dismantle Chapo Guzman's drug trafficking organisation." Ovidio Guzman plays a significant role in his father's drug-trafficking activities, the treasury department said. Ivan Archivaldo Guzman was arrested in 2005 in Mexico on money-laundering charges but subsequently released. As well as the Guzman brothers, two other alleged key cartel members, Noel Salgueiro Nevarez and Ovidio Limon Sanchez, were listed under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. They were both arrested in Mexico in 2011 and are still in custody. Under the Kingpin Act, US firms, banks and individuals are prevented from doing business with them and any assets the men may have under US jurisdiction are frozen. More than 1,000 companies and individuals linked to 94 drug kingpins have been placed on the blacklist since 2000. Penalties for violating the act range include up to 30 years in prison and fines up to $10m (£6m). The US has offered a reward of up to $5m a for information leading to the arrest of Joaquin Guzman, who escaped from a Mexican prison in 2001.

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FBI offers up to $100,000 for info leading to capture of Eduardo Ravelo

Eduardo Ravelo, born on October 13, 1968 was added as the 493rd fugitive to the FBI 10 most wanted list on October 20, 2009. He is originally from Mexico, however he holds permanent residency status in the United States which gives him free movement across the border. An FBI informant and former lieutenant in the Barrio Azteca, a prison gang active in the U.S. and Mexico, testified that Ravelo told him to help find fellow gang members who had stolen from the cartel. In March 2008, he became the leader of the gang shortly after betraying his predecessor, stabbing him several times and shooting him in the neck. (Eduardo Ravelo: Wikipedia) Eduardo Ravelo was indicted in Texas in 2008 for his involvement in racketeering activities, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, and conspiracy to possess heroin, cocaine and marijuana with the intent to distribute. His alleged criminal activities began in 2003. He is believed to be living in an area of Cuidad Juarez controlled by the Barrio Ravelo, with his wife and children just across the border from El Paso, Texas. He is also said to have bodyguards and armored vehicles to protect him from rival gangs as well as rival cartels.

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