Virginia Korean Gang Leader Sentenced to 210 Months for Extortion, Violence, and Organized Crime

Han Sa Yu, 44, a resident of Maryland who is originally from South Korea, was sentenced Friday, February 1, 2013, to 210 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for extorting Korean businesses operating in Annandale, Va. Yu also agreed to pay more than $98,000 in restitution to the victims of his extortion. The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C. and assisted by the Fairfax County Police Department.

Yu pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit extortion on Nov. 9, 2012, and was sentenced Friday, February 1, 2013. Yu founded the Korean Night Breeders (KNB) to carry out extortions of various businesses in Annandale. The KNB targeted businesses owned by persons of Korean descent and frequently sought out businesses that employed illegal aliens.

"HSI (Washington, D.C.) is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to combat violent gangs who prey upon those in our communities," said Special Agent In Charge John P. Torres. "Today's sentencing of Yu sends a message that extortion, especially under the threat of violence, will not be tolerated. HSI (Washington, D.C.) will continue to identify, investigate and dismantle gangs who are a threat to public safety."

The KNB also sought out Korean taxi drivers, karaoke bars, restaurants and billiard halls to extort cash. Many business owners were assaulted and others threatened in an effort to instill fear in their victims.

The gang members frequently would dress in black suits, which became their recognized uniform. They would surround an extortion victim to further instill fear and implicitly threaten victims. From one victim alone KNB extorted more than $30,000. Various restaurants in Annandale either paid extortion or provided free food and drink to the gang.

Yu, also known as "Thunder" and "Bungay," modeled the gang after Asian organized crime syndicates. He sometimes would hold weekly meetings where the gang would discuss potential victims, and Yu would teach fighting techniques and his extortion protocol. The size of the gang varied over time, but at times had 15 or more members. Yu and his gang used the extortion proceeds to purchase marijuana and cocaine, among other things.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Frank and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc J. Birnbaum prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

This investigation was part of HSI's Operation Community Shield initiative. Operation Community Shield partners with existing federal, state and local anti-gang efforts to identify violent street gangs and develop intelligence on gang members and associates, gang criminal activities and international movements to arrest, prosecute, imprison and, or deport transnational gang members. HSI's National Gang Unit's goal is to deter, disrupt and dismantle gang operations by tracing and seizing cash, weapons and other assets derived from criminal activities.

Since the inception of Operation Community Shield in February 2005, HSI special agents working in conjunction with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies nationwide have arrested more than 29,366 street gang members and associates linked to more than 2,300 different gangs. At least 40 percent of those arrested had a violent criminal history. More than 374 of those arrested were gang leaders. Through this initiative nationally, HSI has seized 4,137 firearms. 

ICE and HSI Gang Specialists Train Royal Bahamas Anti-Gang Unit

Over the past couple years, law enforcement agencies across the globe have seen a steady rise in transnational organized gangs. To tackle this growing problem in the Bahamas, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations' (HSI) National Gang Unit recently led a workshop to train officers with the Royal Bahamas Police Force's newest anti-gang unit.

Modeled after U.S.-based gang task forces, the Royal Bahamas Police Force is in the process of standing up its first anti-gang unit. Early in this process the Bahamian police force looked to HSI's National Gang Unit for guidance, knowledge and techniques. After multiple discussions and an on-site visit to determine the Bahamian police force's specific needs, the HSI gang unit created a customized 24-hour curriculum to share best practices and strategies, as well as to build upon the Bahamian force's existing knowledge.

"While we have trained anti-gang units in Mexico, this is the first time we've developed an anti-gang course for the Royal Bahamas Police Force," said Alvin DeLaRosa, program manager for HSI's National Gang Unit. "It took about five months to come to fruition, but we're glad to have another partner to take on these international criminals."

The four-day training, held the last week of September, brought together gang experts from HSI, the FBI, the Organized Crime and Gang Unit of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, D.C., and the Bahamian equivalent of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Vetted Royal Bahamas Police Force officers learned about recognizing gangs, gathering intelligence and evidence, analyzing intelligence, types of smuggling, interview techniques, and prosecution strategies.
During the training's opening remarks, Bahamian National Security Minister Bernard Nottage noted that the "serious threat" these "well organized and sophisticated" gangs are posing to his country.

"We have come to pool our ideas on ways to eliminate or control the proliferation of gang violence or gang-type violence in our communities," Nottage said.

DeLaRosa noted that in the Bahamas, these gangs resort to whatever tactics, including homicide, they need to in order to survive, to traffic drugs and to smuggle guns.

"Organized gangs are not confined to our borders," added DeLaRosa. "It's a worldwide epidemic, and a growing problem in the Bahamas. Working together we can dismantle transnational gangs to ensure public safety in the region."

Next week, HSI's National Gang Unit is scheduled to conduct similar training in Anguilla, British West Indies.

Operation Community Shield Arrests 14 Foreign Gang Members

Special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – in close partnership with the Wisconsin police departments of Milwaukee, Greendale and Greenfield – arrested 14 men during an enforcement operation Monday, July 30, 2012. This is the latest local effort in an ongoing national HSI initiative to target foreign-born gang members.

The operation was conducted July 30 in Milwaukee and resulted in the arrests of 13 Mexican nationals and one national of the Dominican Republic, all male.

The Mexican nationals arrested are proven members or associates of the "Mexican Posse" street gang. They are currently in ICE custody pending deportation proceedings. One gang member also faces possible federal prosecution as an illegal alien possession of a firearm.
Also arrested was a previously deported alien from the Dominican Republic. He has been charged in federal court with illegally re-entering the United States after having been deported, a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

All 14 of those arrested have criminal histories that include arrests and convictions for a wide range of crimes committed in the United States. Some of their convictions include narcotics trafficking, criminal damage to property and theft.

"Violent street gangs account for a burgeoning amount of crime in our communities in the Midwest and across the country," said Gary Hartwig, special agent in charge of HSI Chicago. "ICE works in tandem with our local law enforcement partners to identify these gang members and remove them from the streets in the name of public safety."

This investigation was part of HSI's Operation Community Shield initiative. Under Operation Community Shield, HSI partners with existing federal, state and local anti-gang efforts to identify violent street gangs and develop intelligence on gang members and associates, gang criminal activities, and international movements to arrest, prosecute, imprison and/or deport transnational gang members. HSI's National Gang Unit's goal is to deter, disrupt and dismantle gang operations by tracing and seizing cash, weapons and other assets derived from criminal activities.

Since inception in 2005 to date, HSI special agents working in conjunction with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies nationwide have arrested more than 26,726 street gang members and associates. Almost 40 percent of those arrested had a violent criminal history. More than 340 of those arrested were gang leaders and more than 4,000 were MS-13 gang members or associates. Through this initiative nationally, HSI has seized 3,429 firearms. To date, of those arrested, more than 14,200 have been charged criminally, and nearly 12,500 have been charged with immigration violations and processed for removal.

MS-13 Gang Member Pleads Guilty to Illegal Reentry

A citizen and national of El Salvador and a member of the

MS-13 street

gang who was previously convicted of sexually assaulting a child in Fairfax County, Va., pleaded guilty Thursday, July 26, 2012, to illegally reentering the United States after having been previously deported.

The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

According to court documents, Salvador Portillo, 30, illegally entered the United States and was removed by ICE Oct. 8, 2003. Thereafter, Portillo again illegally reentered the United States.

On Dec. 26, 2010, Portillo sexually assaulted an 8-year-old girl in Fairfax County. He was subsequently convicted of rape and sodomy in the Fairfax County Circuit Court and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Portillo was indicted for illegal reentry Feb. 23 and transferred from state to federal custody July 12. He faces a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison when he is sentenced Aug. 31, which would follow the sentence term imposed by Fairfax County.

Virginia Assistant Attorney General and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Marc Birnbaum are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

Drug Trafficking Ring Dismantled

Members of a violent Bronx drug trafficking crew were arrested and charged Thursday, June 14, 2012, with distributing crack cocaine and other drugs. These charges come as a result of an investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) led El Dorado Task Force (EDTF) in New York.

Special agents and police officers arrested 21 members and associates of the Murder Moore Gangstas (MMG), a violent drug trafficking crew based in and around the Moore Houses in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx. They were charged with conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine, powder cocaine, marijuana, MDMA-ecstasy, and painkillers, as well as assorted firearms offenses.

"Today's arrests dealt a significant blow to a criminal organization that allegedly peddled crack cocaine and marijuana throughout New York City communities," said James T. Hayes Jr., special agent in charge of HSI New York. "The successful outcome of this investigation is exactly why HSI's El Dorado Task Force brings together local and federal law enforcement agencies to detect and disrupt criminal factions that distribute illegal drugs contributing to the demise of our society."

"This violent gang and drug trafficking organization has been dismantled and taken off the streets today to eliminate fear from the community and to keep our streets safe," said Wilbert L. Plummer, acting special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) New York Field Division. "Cocaine, ecstasy and marijuana were being distributed in open air markets, and through our collaborative efforts from the law enforcement community we have arrested those responsible and put them behind bars."

"With today's arrests in the Bronx, there are 21 fewer alleged criminals infesting the streets with narcotics and using deadly firearms to support and defend their illegal trade," said Preet Bharara, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. "Cleaning up the neighborhoods in this district so that residents can live in peace, knowing their communities and their children are safe, remains one of our top priorities."

"ATF is committed to working alongside our law enforcement partners to impact and reduce violent crime in New York City," said Joseph Anarumo Jr., special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in New York. "Today's arrests and seizures exemplify that cooperative effort to remove violent, predatory criminals from our streets."

"These gang members pushed illegal narcotics and used violence and intimidation to further their drug trade," said Raymond W. Kelly, commissioner of the New York City Police Department (NYPD). "I want to commend the NYPD Bronx Gang Squad and particularly the undercover detectives who at great risk to themselves took drugs, guns and ultimately these suspects off the streets."

"As part of the El Dorado Task Force, the IRS-Criminal Investigation Division works with our law enforcement partners to accomplish a number of objectives to make life better for the citizens of the New York City–Metropolitan area," said Victor W. Lessoff, acting special agent in charge of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CID). "Combating drugs and violence on our streets, using our financial investigative expertise, is one of them."

In a coordinated operation Wednesday, June 13, 2012, and Thursday, June 14, 2012; federal, state and local law enforcement officers arrested 14 MMG members and associates in the Bronx. One of the charged defendants was previously arrested on state charges, and six defendants are still at large.

According to court documents, between December 2011 and June 2012, undercover detectives with NYPD made multiple purchases of crack cocaine and other drugs from MMG members and associates in the Moore Houses area of the Bronx. Investigators also had court-authorized wiretaps on some of the defendants' phones, and intercepted them engaging in their drug business.

Defendants Juan Fernandez, Ramon Morales, Odell Scarborough, Yemelia Ayala, Angel Alicea, Emmanuel Miller, Robert Rivera, Eugene Miller, Edward Brown, Lamont Robinson, James Miller, Alberto Bajana, Miguel Otero, Bryan Cummings, Jose Valdez, Dennis Sanders, Nathaniel Johnson, Kristopher Meade, Rolando Montes and Ricky Walker are charged in an indictment with conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine, powder cocaine, marijuana, MDMA and oxycodone/roxycodone. The defendants operated in and around 550 Cauldwell Avenue and

480 Concord Avenue

, the Bronx. Fernandez, Morales, Scarborough, Emmanuel Miller, Edward Brown and Rolando Montes are also charged with possessing firearms in connection with their drug activity.

Defendant Melvin Caceres is charged in a complaint with trafficking in firearms without a license.

On Thursday, June 14, 2012, law enforcement officers searched six locations in the Moore Houses area and recovered, among other items, a rifle, a revolver and drug paraphernalia. Officers also recovered small quantities of crack cocaine, powder cocaine and marijuana from certain of the defendants.

The six other defendants charged in the indictment; Eugene Miller, Johnson, Montes, Otero, Rivera and Valdez remain at large.

El Salvador National Deported; Wanted for Murder in Home Country

A member of a transnational street gang wanted in his native country of El Salvador for aggravated homicide was deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) the week of May 24, 2012 and turned over to authorities in that nation's capital.

Tarsis Dodamin Quintero–Sanchez, 40, was repatriated to El Salvador Wednesday aboard a removal flight chartered by ICE's Air Operations Unit. Quintero, a documented member of the 18th Street Gang, is named in a warrant issued by Salvadoran authorities in September 2007 charging him with murder and belonging to an illicit group, specifically the 18th Street Gang.

According to the warrant, the slaying occurred Sept. 16, 2007, in the Ciudad Delgado section of San Salvador. Authorities allege Quintero and two others fired nine shots at the victim, Oscar Oswaldo Reyes Alvarado, resulting in his death. The motive for the shooting is unknown.

Quintero's deportation caps a five–month effort by ICE's Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) and Office of the Principal Legal Advisor to secure his removal. Quintero came into ICE custody in December 2011, following his conviction in Los Angeles County for vandalism. Since Quintero had been previously deported from the United States in 2000, ICE sought to reinstate his prior removal order. Quintero appealed the agency's action to the Board of Immigration Appeals, which dismissed the appeal in late April, paving the way for Quintero's deportation. While Quintero was in ICE custody awaiting a decision on his immigration case, Salvadoran consular representatives alerted the agency about the outstanding murder warrant.

"Five years after the crime occurred, this suspect undoubtedly believed he'd succeeded in eluding justice, but given our international cooperation, the reach of the law today is longer than ever before," said Timothy S. Robbins, field office director for ERO Los Angeles. "ICE will continue to use its unique immigration enforcement authorities and work closely with foreign governments to protect residents here and abroad from those who pose a threat to public safety."

"One of our top U.S. priorities in Central America right now is to help to improve the security situation in this region," said U.S. Chargé d'Affaires Sean Murphy. "El Salvador is one of our strongest partners in that fight, and this case shows why. Congratulations to both ICE and to the Salvadoran Police on a job well done."

In addition to his most recent conviction for vandalism, database checks indicate Quintero's criminal record in the United States includes two prior robbery convictions in 1993 and 1995.

Since Oct. 1, 2009, ERO has removed more than 335 foreign fugitives from the United States who were being sought in their native countries for serious crimes, including kidnapping, rape and murder. ERO works with ICE's Office of International Affairs, foreign consular offices in the United States and Interpol to identify foreign fugitives illegally present in the country.

Fresno Illegal Alien and Gang Member Pleads Guilty to Firearm Possession

A Fresno man with ties to a local street gang has pleaded guilty to charges of being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm.

Hector Gonzalez, 19, appeared in court to answer to the charge stemming from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Fresno Police Department.

According to court documents, on Dec. 10, 2011, Gonzalez was a passenger in a car that was the subject of a traffic stop by the Fresno Police Department. An officer discovered a .22-caliber gun on Gonzalez during a pat-down search. Gonzalez admitted that he was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and had not pursued citizenship in the United States. Gonzalez also admitted he has been affiliated with the East Side Bulldogs since he was 15 years old.

"For criminal street gangs, weapons are the tools of the trade. Taking gang members and their guns off the street makes our community safer," said Clark Settles, the special agent in charge who oversees HSI Fresno. "Homeland Security Investigations will continue to work closely with its federal, state and local law enforcement partners to disarm and dismantle these organizations that are spreading crime and violence through our neighborhoods."

"ATF is committed to preventing violent crime and pursuing criminals who unlawfully possess firearms and are members of a gang," said Stephen C. Herkins, special agent in charge for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. "Too often, guns and gangs are a deadly combination."

Gonzalez is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O'Neill July 9. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Sanchez is prosecuting the case.