ATLANTA, GA - Six alleged members of the violent street gang “Vatos Locos” were indicted late today by a federal grand jury on racketeering and violent crime charges. Named in the indictment were: EDUARDO GARIBO, a/k/a “Lalo,” a/k/a “Oso,” 28, of Atlanta; MARIO MONDRAGON-CORTES, a/k/a “Shadow,” 21, of Atlanta; ROGELIO LOZANO-VASQUEZ, a/k/a “Torito,” 21, of Atlanta; ANGEL GARIBO, a/k/a “Gasper,” 25, of Gwinnett County; JESSIE NAVARETTE-MAYA, a/k/a “Smokey,” 20, of DeKalb County; and GILBERTO HERNANDEZ-CABRERA, a/k/a “Chino,” 22, of Atlanta. All defendants were already in custody with the exception of NAVARETTE-MAYA.

United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said, “Gang violence creates fear, and it is our goal to help quell this fear by targeting gangs wherever they operate in our community. These six defendants are charged with a frightening level of violent crime, including shootings and stabbings that killed three people in public places.”

            “Violent street gangs breed fear and violence in our communities,” said Brock Nicholson, Special Agent in Charge of ICE-HSI in Atlanta. “ICE HSI works in tandem with our local law enforcement partners to identify these gang members and remove them from the streets in the name of public safety.”

            The indictment charges four of the six defendants with a racketeering (RICO) conspiracy that includes the commission of three homicides, two attempted murders, and several other shootings. All six defendants have also been charged with committing a violent crime in furtherance of their racketeering activities. Four of the defendants are also charged with gun crimes, including using a firearm to commit a crime of violence and being an unlawful alien in possession of a firearm. The indictment outlines a number of specific criminal allegations relating to crimes in the Atlanta area attributed to the gang’s activity (victims are named only by initials):     

             ●From a date unknown and continuing to at least October 15, 2010, EDUARDO GARIBO, a/k/a “Lalo,” a/k/a “Oso,” served as a leader of the Vatos Locos gang, with members operating in the counties of Fulton, Gwinnett and DeKalb, Georgia.

            ●On or about October 27, 2007, in Fulton County, Georgia, three Vatos Locos members shot victim R.G.T. while attempting to rob R.G.T. at gunpoint.

            ●On or about October 27, 2007, in Fulton County, Georgia, three Vatos Locos members attempted to carjack victim R.M.B. while fleeing the scene of an attempted armed robbery.

            ●On or about November 9, 2008, in DeKalb County, Georgia, defendants EDUARDO GARIBO, a/k/a “Lalo,” a/k/a “Oso,” MARIO MONDRAGON-CORTES, a/k/a “Shadow,” ANGEL GARIBO, a/k/a “Gasper,” and other Vatos Locos members planned to shoot suspected members of SUR-13, a rival street gang, in retaliation for a prior confrontation between SUR-13 and Vatos Locos.
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●On or about November 9, 2008, in DeKalb County, Georgia, defendant EDUARDO GARIBO, a/k/a “Lalo,”a/k/a “Oso,” provided a .38 caliber pistol and a .380 caliber pistol to defendant MARIO MONDRAGON-CORTES, a/k/a “Shadow,” and two other Vatos Locos members so that they could shoot suspected SUR-13 gang members.

            ●On or about November 9, 2008, in DeKalb County, Georgia, defendant MARIO MONDRAGON-CORTES, a/k/a “Shadow,” and two other Vatos Locos members took the firearms provided by defendant EDUARDO GARIBO, a/k/a “Lalo,” a/k/a “Oso,” and drove out to shoot suspected SUR-13 gang members, who they had kept under surveillance for over one hour.

            ●On or about November 9, 2008, in Fulton County, Georgia, defendant MARIO MONDRAGON-CORTES, a/k/a “Shadow,” and two other Vatos Locos members located a vehicle on I-85 that they believed contained the targeted rival gang members, and, using the weapons provided by defendant EDUARDO GARIBO, a/k/a “Lalo,” a/k/a “Oso,” two Vatos Locos members shot into that vehicle and killed victims P.L. and B.B.

            ●On or about November 9, 2008, in Fulton County, Georgia, two Vatos Locos members shot victim M.E.H., who was driving in a different vehicle on I-85.

●On or about November 18, 2008, in DeKalb County, Georgia, two Vatos Locos members struck victim R.R., a suspected member of rival gang SUR-13, in the head with a baseball bat, and, after committing the assault, one of the Vatos Locos members involved fled to Mexico to avoid arrest.

            ●On or about May 3, 2009, in Fulton County, Georgia, defendants MARIO MONDRAGON-CORTES, a/k/a “Shadow,” EDUARDO GARIBO, a/k/a “Lalo,” a/k/a “Oso,” and ANGEL GARIBO, a/k/a “Gasper,” and other Vatos Locos members and associates fought rival gang members at Centennial Olympic Park, and, during that gang fight, victim R.H., a member of a rival street gang, was stabbed.

            ●On or about August 23, 2009, in Fulton County, Georgia, a Vatos Locos member beat victim J.R., a member of the rival gang La Raza, with a wooden bat while at Underground Atlanta.

            ●On or about October 10, 2009, in Gwinnett County, Georgia, Vatos Locos members fired gunshots at suspected members of SUR-13, a rival street gang, who were outside a crowded nightclub.

            ●On or about October 31, 2009, in DeKalb County, Georgia, defendant MARIO MONDRAGON-CORTES, a/k/a “Shadow,” and other Vatos Locos members shot at members of the Northside Locos, a rival street gang.

            ●On or about November 2, 2009, in Fulton County, Georgia, defendants MARIO MONDRAGON-CORTES, a/k/a “Shadow,” and ROGELIO LOZANO-VASQUEZ, a/k/a “Torito,” and another Vatos Locos member, acting on information provided to them by a different Vatos Locos member, shot at a group of members of rival gang SUR-13, shooting victim S.D.R. in the neck.

            ●On or about November 18, 2009, in Fulton County, Georgia, a juvenile Vatos Locos member sold to a fellow gang member a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun.

            ●On or about March 8, 2010, in DeKalb County, Georgia, a Vatos Locos member beat victim J.H., a member of rival street gang SUR-13, in the head with a steel rod.

            ●On or about May 1, 2010, in DeKalb County, Georgia, after being informed of the location of suspected rivals by defendant MARIO MONDRAGON-CORTES, a/k/a “Shadow,” other Vatos Locos members and associates punched and shot at victims M.S., F.M., and R.A.

            ●On or about May 2, 2010, in Fulton County, Georgia, Vatos Locos members and associates stabbed two members of a rival street gang at Centennial Olympic Park, including victim J.R., who was stabbed in the abdomen.

●On or about August 29, 2010, in Fulton County, Georgia, outside the Five Points MARTA station, Vatos Locos members and associates, acting on an agreement to find and assault rival gang members, stabbed and killed J.R., a member of SUR-13, a rival street gang, who was attending an outdoor festival.

The charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison with the possibility of the death penalty, and a fine of up to $250,000.  In determining the actual sentence, the Court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders.

            Members of the public are reminded that the indictment contains only allegations.  A defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government's burden to prove a defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

            This case is being investigated by Special Agents of the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, (ICE-HSI) with assistance from the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office and the DeKalb County Police Department.

            Assistant United States Attorneys Kim Dammers and Nekia Hackworth are prosecuting the case.

            For further information please contact Sally Q. Yates, United States Attorney, or Charysse L. Alexander, Executive Assistant United States Attorney, through Patrick Crosby, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Attorney's Office, at (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the HomePage for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia is www.justice.gov/usao/gan.

 

 

 

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