United States Attorney Deborah R. Gilg announced that Fernando Martinez, 26 years old, was sentenced on December 18, 2014, to serve 262 months’ imprisonment, and five years of supervised release after his prison sentence is complete, by the Honorable Richard G. Kopf, Senior United States District Court Judge. An indictment filed in May of 2014 charged Martinez with possessing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, with the intent to distribute. Martinez pleaded guilty to that charge on August 28, 2014.

Evidence at the sentencing hearing showed that Martinez was a member of a street gang known as the “East Side Locos” in Grand Island. An investigator with the Grand Island Police Department, and who is also a member of the Central Nebraska Drug and Safe Streets Task Force, testified that Martinez is known to use the moniker “Silent.” The Court received into evidence copies of two music videos produced by members of the East Side Locos gang. The videos credited “Silent” as performing some of the songs. The lyrics in the songs promoted drugs, violence and gang membership. The investigator also testified about an incident where Martinez was previously convicted for unlawful discharge of a firearm for a drive-by-shooting incident which occurred in Grand Island in March of 2007. The house targeted in that drive-by-shooting was the home of two rival gang members.

This case was investigated by the Grand Island Police Department, and the Central Nebraska Drug and Safe Streets Task Force.