Giddy-Yup!
Posted on 11/20/2006 5:31:53 PM PST by NormsRevenge
LOS ANGELES
Three members of a Hispanic gang were sentenced Monday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for using murder and other violent acts to intimidate blacks in their neighborhood.
Federal prosecutors had alleged Gilbert Saldana, Alejandro Martinez and Fernando Cazares targeted blacks in the largely Hispanic community of Highland Park, east of downtown Los Angeles. They were found guilty of conspiring to use violence, including the shooting deaths of two black men in 1999 and 2000.
"These were horrific offenses that have had far-reaching consequences," U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson said during sentencing.
Each defendant received two consecutive life sentences. They were convicted in August.
A fourth man, Porfirio Avila, was also convicted. He was scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 18.
In order to reach guilty verdicts, jurors had to find the attacks were part of a conspiracy to violate the victims' right to live where they please and to use state-administered facilities, including public streets.
Authorities said it was one of the first prominent cases in which the U.S. Justice Department targeted a street gang with laws normally used to prosecute white supremacist groups such as skinhead organizations and the Ku Klux Klan.
"These defendants will now spend the rest of their lives in federal prison for the despicable act of trying to rid their neighborhood of African Americans," said Acting U.S. Attorney George Cardona.
Defense attorneys claimed police concocted the conspiracy charges by tying together random attacks committed largely by unknown perpetrators. They also questioned the credibility of two former members of the gang who became government witnesses.
Giddy-Yup!
so if they targeted a white middle class neighborhood thay'd be out in a year...huh?
Boy, I'm betting they are wishing they had targeted whites now!
What a crock. Why couldn't they be found guilty of murder in the first degree (premeditation) with aggravated circumstances (gang advantage)? Can't we do the right thing to bad people without having a PC rationale?
Kramer apologized today.
They are serial killers. That's enough.
LOL!
I'll be charitable and presume these thugs are US citizens...
If they are illegal immigrants, they must have been framed.
The President told me the only thing the illegals do is work and obey laws.
(/sarc)
I guess Dubya has never visited
KEYWORD: CRIMALIENS
THey would have never have been sent to prison to begin with.
Not any longer.
It's tough being one of the set-up folks around here. lol
'Kramer" .. the newest latest Big dumb white guy Black-listed in Hollyhood
They ought to bunk 'em with the Aryan Brotherhood leaders that got life recently.
So? He's just a rich and famous greedy Jew that wants to keep the "n------s" down! /I apologize for my sarcasm.
I wonder if we'll ever get rid of "hate" crime law.
A crime is a crime, no additional sentencing needed on who the target is.
Not around here. I noticed Black middle class folks moving to the northwest San Fernando Valley more often. Welcome! Gangs can't get far. It's very quiet around here. And people own guns, besides the police and sherriffs that live here.
Actually, the AB and the Latino prison gangs have a longstanding alliance, based on a common hatred of Blacks.
now, if they just targeted whitey... they'd be ok.
Don't be messin' with Maxine's constituents.
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