The Chicago Syndicate
The Mission Impossible Backpack

Thursday, September 01, 2016

MS-13 Gang Leaders Face New Charge of Murder

As part of an ongoing investigation into the criminal activities of leaders, members, and associates of the criminal organization “La Mara Salvatrucha,” or “MS-13,” a federal grand jury has handed down a fourth superseding indictment adding allegations that six members of MS-13 murdered a 16-year-old in July 2015.

Oscar Noe Recinos-Garcia, a/k/a “Psycho;” German Hernandez-Escobar, a/k/a “Terible;” Noe Salvador Perez-Vasquez, a/k/a “Crazy;” Jose Rene Andrade, a/k/a “Triste,” a/k/a “Inocente;” Josue Alexis De Paz, a/k/a “Gato;” and Manuel Diaz-Granados, a/k/a “Perverso,” are charged with federal racketeering conspiracy, the object of which included the murder of Jose Aguilar-Villanueva, a/k/a “Fantasma”, age 16, who was stabbed to death in O’Connell Park in Lawrence on July 5, 2015. Four of these six individuals -- Recinos-Garcia, Hernandez-Escobar,  Perez-Vasquez, and Andrade -- were previously charged with racketeering conspiracy. De Paz and Diaz-Granados are newly charged. In documents previously filed with the Court, Hernandez-Escobar and Perez-Vasquez are identified as leaders of MS-13’s Everett Loco Salvatrucha (ELS) clique.

The superseding indictment alleges that on July 5, 2015, the defendants stabbed Aguilar-Villanueva to death in O’Connell Park in Lawrence.  Including the murder of Aguilar-Villanueva, the fourth superseding indictment now alleges that a total of 17 members of MS-13 are responsible for six murders from October 2014 to January 2016 in Chelsea, East Boston, and Lawrence, as well as the attempted murders of at least 15 people. Two MS-13 members -- Edwin Gonzalez, a/k/a “Sangriento;” and Noe Perez-Vasquez, a/k/a “Crazy,” are named as participants in two of the RICO murders. The fourth superseding indictment re-alleges that more than fifty leaders, members, and associates of MS-13 conspired to commit murder, attempted murder, and drug trafficking. Various other defendants are also charged with drug trafficking, firearm violations, immigration offenses, and fraudulent document charges.

The charge of RICO conspiracy provides a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, or life if the violation is based on racketeering activity for which the maximum penalty includes life imprisonment; three years of supervised release; and a fine of $250,000.

United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Jonathan Blodgett, Essex County District Attorney; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Matthew Etre, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Colonel Richard D. McKeon, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Chief James X. Fitzpatrick of the Lawrence Police Department; Commissioner  Thomas Turco of the Massachusetts Department of Corrections; Sheriff Frank G. Cousins, Jr. of the Essex County Sheriff Department; Sheriff Steven W. Tompkins of the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department; Daniel F. Conley, Suffolk County District Attorney; Marian T. Ryan, Middlesex County District Attorney; Boston Police Commissioner William Evans; Chief Brian A. Kyes of the Chelsea Police Department; Chief Steven A. Mazzie of the Everett Police Department; Chief Kevin Coppinger of the Lynn Police Department; Chief Joseph Cafarelli of the Revere Police Department; and Chief David Fallon of the Somerville Police Department, made the announcement.

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

#SouthSideCartel Gangster Pleads Guilty to Racketeering, Carjacking, Robbery and Drug Charges

A Newark, New Jersey, man pleaded guilty to his role in a violent and long-running racketeering conspiracy perpetuated by the “South Side Cartel,” a set of the Bloods street gang based in Newark, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman of the District of New Jersey.

Malik Lowery, aka Leek, 35, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas in the District of New Jersey to multiple counts of a second superseding indictment charging him with racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, carjacking, robbery affecting interstate commerce and conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, one kilogram or more of heroin and 280 grams or more of crack cocaine. Lowery is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 6, 2016.

In pleading guilty to the racketeering charges, Lowery admitted that he was involved in the murder of a South Side Cartel member on Oct. 20, 2007; committing an armed carjacking with fellow South Side Cartel members on Jan. 3, 2008; and robbing a drug dealer on Feb. 3, 2008, among other acts.

The South Side Cartel was once known among law enforcement and the FBI as the most violent street gang operating in Newark, committing numerous murders, shootings, robberies and other violent acts in furtherance of the enterprise. The gang is a subset of the Bloods street gang that has operated primarily from two apartment buildings, dubbed the “Twin Towers,” located on Hawthorne Avenue in Newark. Local law enforcement has made repeated narcotics and gun-related arrests at these buildings from 2002 to 2010. Many of the South Side Cartel members have tattoos depicting these buildings and the gang’s initials. At its peak, the South Side Cartel had about 20 members or associates, many of whom have since been killed in gang-related murders or are serving prison sentences for gang-related crimes.

Lowery and his co-defendants, Mark Williams, aka B.G., and Farad Roland, aka B.U., represent the last of the gang’s active members. On Aug. 10, 2016, Williams pleaded guilty to racketeering and related charges before Judge Salas. Roland is scheduled to begin trial in September 2017 on five murder charges.

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

John Bills Sentenced to Ten Years for Corruption in Awarding of Chicago Red-Light Camera Contracts

The former assistant transportation commissioner for the city of Chicago was sentenced to ten years in federal prison for his role in a corruption scheme involving the city’s red-light camera contracts.

A jury in January convicted JOHN BILLS, 55, of Chicago, on all counts against him.  The conviction included nine counts of mail fraud, three counts of wire fraud, one count of extortion under color of official right, one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, three counts of bribery, and three counts of filing false tax returns.

In addition to the 120-month prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Kendall also ordered restitution in the amount of $2,032,959.50.

The sentence was announced by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Michael J. Anderson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Joseph M. Ferguson, Inspector General for the City of Chicago; and James D. Robnett, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago.

In 2003, as an assistant transportation commissioner, Bills was a voting member of the city’s Request for Proposal (RFP) evaluation committee, which sought vendors under the city’s Digital Automated Red Light Enforcement Program.  In May 2003, the committee recommended awarding contracts to Phoenix-based Redflex Traffic Systems Inc., to install cameras that automatically record and ticket drivers who run red lights.  Evidence at trial revealed that from approximately 2003 to 2011, Bills used his influence to expand Redflex’s business with the city, resulting in millions of dollars in contracts for the installation of hundreds of red-light cameras.  In exchange for his efforts, Redflex provided Bills with cash and personal benefits, including meals, golf outings, rental cars, airline tickets, hotel rooms and other entertainment.

Some of the benefits were given directly to Bills, while hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash was funneled to him through a friend, MARTIN O’MALLEY.  Redflex hired O’Malley as a contractor and paid him lavish bonuses as new cameras were added in Chicago.  O’Malley testified at trial that he often stuffed the bonus money into envelopes and gave it to Bills during meals in Chicago restaurants.  In addition, O’Malley testified that he used some of the bonus money paid to him by Redflex to purchase and pay all expenses for a condo in Arizona that Bills used as his own.  O’Malley, of Worth, pleaded guilty in December 2014 to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.  He is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Kendall on Sept. 12, 2016.

After KAREN FINLEY became CEO of Redflex, O’Malley’s commissions escalated and Bills assisted Redflex in being awarded a “sole-source” contract for additional cameras.  The sole source contract was rescinded when a competitor complained.  As the city began the process of issuing a second RFP in 2007, Bills, in his capacity as a non-voting, advisory member of the 2007 evaluation committee, assisted in ensuring that the RFP favored Redflex.  Finley, of Cave Creek, Ariz., pleaded guilty last year to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.  She is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Kendall on Nov. 10, 2016.

Monday, August 29, 2016

Shootings and Murders in Chicago Continue to Spike

Even before the high-profile shooting death of Nykea Aldridge, NBA star Dwyane Wade's cousin, Chicago had been battling a citywide spike in violent crime. While the connection to one of the country's best-known athletes has drawn national attention to the city's problem with gun violence, the underlying problem remains all too familiar for many Chicago residents.

Following Aldridge's death, nine people were killed and nearly 50 were shot across Chicago over the weekend, ABC Chicago station WLS-TV reported. Aldridge's death took place just one day after Wade participated in an ESPN Town Hall on gun violence in the Windy City, an event also attended by Wade's mother, the pastor Jolinda Wade.

"Just sat up on a panel yesterday, The Undefeated, talking about the violence that's going on within our city of Chicago, never knowing that the next day we would be the ones that would be actually living and experiencing it," she said. "We're still going to try and help these people to transform their minds and give them a different direction, so this thing won't keep happening."

Murders have spiked by 49 percent this year compared to last year, and 81 percent over the same time period in 2014.

With more than 450 murders so far in 2015, Chicago is on pace for its highest overall murder count since at least 2012, when 504 were recorded in the entire year.

Overall shooting incidents -- at more than 2,200 and counting -- have mirrored that rise, with a 48 percent spike so far in 2016.

Police blame gangs for a disproportionate share of the city's violent crime.

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said on Saturday that about 1,400 people -- many of them gangs members -- are driving 85 percent of the city's gun violence. The two suspects in Aldridge's death are both documented gang members, police said.

Tragically, many of the shooting victims get caught in the crossfire.

Aldridge, 32, was hit by stray bullets as she pushed her newborn in a stroller after enrolling one of her children in school, WLS-TV reported.

This year's shootings have intensified with the summer heat. This July alone, Chicago saw 65 homicides — the most for that month since 2006, the Associated Press reported.

On Aug. 8, nine people were murdered in Chicago, making it the bloodiest day in 13 years, according to the Chicago Tribune. The victims that day included a 10-year-old boy shot in the back as he played on his front porch, the Tribune reported. Some 27 children younger than 13 have been shot in Chicago so far this year, according to WLS-TV.

Thanks to J.J. Gallagher.

Friday, August 26, 2016

Full Track List for #Mafia3 Plus Expanded Game Score

Mafia III (Expanded Game Score)

? And The Mysterians: “Ninety-Six Tears

The Animals: “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place”

Aretha Franklin: “Chain of Fools,” “Respect”

Barry Maguire: “Eve of Destruction”

Beach Boys: “Help Me, Rhonda,” “Heroes and Villains,” “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”

Beethoven Ben: “Dance of the Hours”

Big Brother & The Holding Company: “Piece of My Heart”

Blue Cheer: “Good Times Are So Hard To Find”

Bobby Fuller Four: “I Fought The Law”

Box Tops: “The Letter”

Canned Heat: “On The Road Again”

Chambers Brothers: “I Can’t Turn You Loose”

Clarence Carter: “Slip Away”

Clifton Chenier: “Ay-Tete-Fee”

Count Five: “Psychotic Reaction”

Cream: “White Room”

Creedence Clearwater Revival: “Proud Mary,” “Fortunate Son,” “Bad Moon Rising,” “Born on the Bayou”

Del Shannon: “Runaway,” “Keep Searchin’ (We’ll Follow The Sun)”

Delta Rae: “Bottom of the River”

Dewey Edwards: “I Let A Good Thing Go By”

Diana Ross & The Supremes: “Love Child”

Dusty Springfield: “Son of a Preacher Man”

Eddie Floyd: “Knock on Wood”

Elvis: “A Little Less Conversation”

Etta James: “Don’t Go To Strangers”

Four Tops: “Reach Out, I’ll Be There”

Freddie Cannon: “Palisades Park”

Iron Butterfly: “In A Gadda Da Vida”

James Brown: “I Got You (I Feel Good)”

Jefferson Airplane: “Somebody to Love,” “White Rabbit”

John Lee Hooker: “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer”

Johnny Cash: “Folsom Prison Blues (Live),” “Ring of Fire”

Jr. Walker and the All Stars: “Shotgun”

L.C. Cooke: “Take Me For What I Am”

Lightnin’ Hopkins: “Black Ghost Blues,” “Sinner’s Prayer,” “The Howling Wolf”

Lightnin’ Slim: “G.I. Blues”

Little Richard: “Long Tall Sally”

Lonnie Youngblood: “Go Go Shoes”

Martha and the Vendellas: “Nowhere to Run”

Marvin Gaye: “You”

Mercy Dee Walton: “Five Card Hand”

Misfits: “You Belong To Me”

Mourning Ritual (ft. Peter Dreimanis): “Bad Moon Rising”

Otis Redding: “Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay,” “Hard To Handle”

Otis Redding & Carla Thomas: “Tramp”

Otis Spann: “Must Have Been The Devil”

Patsy Cline: “Crazy”

Paul Revere and the Raiders: “Kicks”

Ramones: “Palisades Park”

Roger Miller: “King of the Road”

Roosevelt Sykes: “Hey Big Momma”

Roy Orbison: “Running Scared”

Rufus Thomas: “Walking The Dog”

Sam and Dave: “Hold On, I’m Comin’,” “Soul Man”

Sam Cooke: “Chain Gang,” “Wonderful World,” “Bring It On Home To Me,” “Another Saturday Night,” “I’m Gonna Forget About You”

Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs: “Li’l Red Riding Hood”

Sonny Rhodes: “You Better Stop”

Status Quo: “Pictures Of Matchstick Men”

Steppenwolf: “Desperation,” “Born To Be Wild”

Supremes: You Keep Me Hangin’ On

Temptations: “I Wish It Would Rain”

The Animals: “House of the Rising Sun”

The Avengers: “Paint It Black”

The Band: “The Weight”

The Chambers Brothers: “Time Has Come Today”

The Dramatics: “Get Up and Get Down”

The Duprees: “You Belong To Me”

The Fun Sons: “Hang Ten”

The Miracles: “You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me”

The Rolling Stones: “Mother’s Little Helper,” “Paint It Black,” “Sympathy For The Devil,” “Street Fighting Man,”

The Searchers: “Take Me For What I’m Worth,” “Needles & Pins”

The Shadows of Knight: “I Got My Mojo Working”

The Supremes: “Baby Love”

The Tams: “What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am)”

The Temptations: “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg”

The Troggs: “Wild Thing”

Three Dog Night: “One”

Vanilla Fudge: “You Keep Me Hangin’ On”

Affliction!

Affliction Sale

Flash Mafia Book Sales!