Sureño Gang Members Indicted For Distributing Methamphetamine Or Being A Felon In Possession Of A Firearm

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned three indictments on June 13, 2019, against Armando Garcia, aka Thien Quach, 44, of Los Angeles; Manuel Reyes, 35, of Sacramento; Elton Padilla, 35, of Sacramento; Julio Adrian Jiminez-Sevilla, aka "Mudo", 31, of Burns, Oregon[KCS(1] ; Manuel Rubin Perez, aka "Rascal", 33, of Orland, CA; Gregorio Rojas, 28, of Orland, CA; and Jorge Zarate, 23, of Orland, CA, charging them with distributing methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. In addition, Jiminez-Sevilla is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. On June 13, 2019, a federal grand jury returned an additional indictment against Erick Stephen Perez, 32, of Orland, CA, charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, defendants Garcia, Reyes, Padilla, Manuel Rubin Perez, Rojas and Zarate are linked to Sureño street gangs that claim allegiance to the Mexican Mafia. The majority of these federal indictments target gang members who allegedly trafficked in narcotics and firearms and held senior positions within their respective organizations. The Garcia, Reyes, Padilla, Jiminez-Sevilla, Manuel Rubin Perez, Rojas, and Zarate indictments also charge conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

This case is the product of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) Special Service Unit, CDCR Adult Parole, CDCR High Desert State Prison Investigations, California Highway Patrol, Sacramento Sheriff’s Department, Sacramento County Probation, Sacramento Police Department, Susanville Police Department, Lassen County Sheriff's Department, Bureau of Land Management, North State Major Investigations Team, Glenn County Sheriff's Department, Glenn County Probation, Glenn County Investigation Task Force, Reno Police Department, and Tehama County Sheriff's Office.

The OCDETF program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply. Assistant United States Attorney Vincenza Rabenn is prosecuting these cases.

This case was also a product of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

If convicted, defendants Garcia, Reyes, Padilla, Jiminez-Sevilla, Manuel Rubin Perez, Rojas, and Zarate face a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $10,000,000 fine. Defendant Erick Perez faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison. Any sentence, however, would 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. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.