Three Norteño Gang Members Who Murdered Victims In San Francisco Sentenced To Decades In Prison Following Their Convictions On Racketeering Conspiracy Charges

SAN FRANCISCO – Three San Francisco Mission District (SFMD) Norteño gang members who murdered and attempted to murder four victims in San Francisco between January 2018 and July 2019 were sentenced today to prison terms ranging from 21 to 33 years following their convictions on racketeering conspiracy charges, announced First Assistant United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp. The sentences were handed down by the Hon. William H. Orrick, Senior United States District Judge.

Fernando Madrigal, AKA “Nando,” 25; Alvaro Reina Cordero, AKA “G-Boy,” 26; and Oscar Guadron Diaz, AKA “Cutty,” 24, all of San Francisco, each pleaded guilty in February 2023 to one count of racketeering conspiracy, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1962(d), in connection with their roles in the murders and attempted murder of four victims, including a 15-year-old innocent bystander who was mistaken for a rival gang member.

In his plea agreement, Madrigal—who was sentenced today to 33 years in prison—admitted that, on July 12, 2018, he lured a victim to a parking lot near Candlestick Park in San Francisco on the pretense of purchasing marijuana from the victim. In fact, however, Madrigal admitted that he planned to rob the victim and that he and an accomplice were both armed when they arrived at the parking lot near Candlestick Park, where they met the victim around 6:20 p.m. Madrigal admitted he shot and killed the victim, disposed of the victim’s cell phone on or near the San Mateo Bridge, and dumped the victim’s body in the Oakland Hills, where it was found more than a year later.

Madrigal also admitted that, on July 8, 2019, he was in the Mission District in San Francisco when he used an AR-style firearm to shoot and kill a 15-year-old boy whom Madrigal mistakenly believed was a member of a rival gang. Madrigal admitted he committed these two murders in part to earn respect from other SFMD Norteños and to enhance his status in the gang. Finally, Madrigal admitted that he regularly traveled between California and Iowa to engage in drug trafficking; that he possessed two firearms, dozens of bullets, and nearly $7,000 in cash when he was arrested on August 14, 2020; and that he was on probation following a prior carjacking conviction when he committed the murders in July 2018 and July 2019.

In their plea agreements, Cordero and Guadron Diaz—who were sentenced today to 26 and 21 years in prison, respectively—admitted that, on January 23, 2018, they were driving around the Holly Park neighborhood of San Francisco when they saw a suspected rival Sureño gang member standing with a female companion at a bus stop near the intersection of Leese Street and Richland Avenue. They also admitted that, upon confirming the man’s identity in another drive-by, Guadron Diaz (who was driving) parked about two blocks away from the bus stop, where he idled while Cordero—who was, and who Guadron Diaz knew to be, armed with a loaded gun—put on a black and white skeleton mask and got out of the car.

Cordero admitted he then ran to the bus stop, approached the man and his female companion, and fired approximately nine shots, hitting the man (who died) in the body and the woman (who survived) in the face. Cordero then ran back to the parked car and he and Guadron Diaz—who admitted in his plea agreement that he knew Cordero planned to shoot the man and that he knowingly assisted Cordero commit the shooting—drove away from the scene. Guadron Diaz also admitted that law enforcement officers found ammunition consistent with the type used in the murder and attempted murder, as well as a fully automatic machine gun, in a search of his home in San Francisco two days after the shooting. Finally, both Cordero and Guadron Diaz admitted they committed and participated in the murder and attempted murder to earn respect and prestige among other SFMD Norteño gang members.

“Norteño criminal street gangs have terrorized San Francisco’s Mission District for years through a relentless campaign of shootings, robberies, gun trafficking, drug dealing, and extortion,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins. “Today’s sentences send a clear message that gang members who inflict wanton violence and harm our community will be arrested, prosecuted federally, and sentenced to lengthy prison terms.”

“The brazen acts of violence committed by these men deprived local residents of their sense of security,” said FBI San Francisco Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp. “The sentences handed down today cannot undo the harm inflicted on the victims or their families, but the defendants have been held accountable. The FBI and its partners will continue to work to eradicate violent gangs from our streets.”

In addition to the custodial sentences, Judge Orrick ordered all three defendants to spend five years on supervised release, beginning after their prison terms are completed.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Leif Dautch is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Kevin Costello. The prosecution is the result of a multi-year investigation by the FBI, with assistance from the San Francisco Police Department’s Community Violence Reduction Team and Homicide Detail.