Twenty-Six Year Sentence Handed Down in Mexican Mafia Investigation
| U.S. Attorney’s Office December 03, 2010 |
United States Attorney Laura E. Duffy announced that Mauricio Mendez was sentenced today in federal court in San Diego by United States District Court Judge Janis L. Sammartino to serve 318 months in custody, based on his conviction for conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1962(d) and brandishing a firearm during the commission of a crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(ii). Mendez entered his guilty pleas on September 10, 2010.
According to public records, Mendez was prosecuted as part of “Operation Keys to the City,” a yearlong investigation conducted by the multi-agency San Diego Violent Crimes Task Force-Gang Group that targeted the criminal activities of the Mexican Mafia (or “La Eme”) and Hispanic street gangs with ties to the Mexican Mafia. In his plea, Mendez admitted joining the Mexican Mafia Prison Gang and participating in its affairs, including robbery, kidnapping, extortion, and drug trafficking in the Southern District of California and elsewhere. He also admitted to performing a home invasion robbery in Coronado, during which he brandished a firearm to prevent the occupants from fleeing.
United States Attorney Duffy praised the coordinated effort of the several law enforcement groups led by the Violent Crimes Task Force-Gang Group and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) for the coordinated team effort culminating in today’s sentencing.
| DEFENDANT | Case Number: 09CR0710JLS |
| Mauricio Mendez | Age: 37 San Diego, California |
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
- Title 18, United States Code, Section 1962(d) - Conspiracy to Conduct Enterprise Affairs Through a Pattern of Racketeering Activity
- Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(ii) - Brandishing a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime of Violence
AGENCIES
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- San Diego Police Department
- San Diego County Sheriff’s Department
- National City Police Department
- San Diego County District Attorney’s Office
- U.S. Bureau of Prisons
- California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
- San Diego County Probation Department
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement