68 people charged in connection with violent white supremacist street gang in LA, FBI say

Sixty-eight people have been charged in a federal grand jury indictment detailing the alleged crimes of a white supremacist street gang that prosecutors say has an alliance with the Mexican Mafia prison gang.

On Wednesday, FBI officials joined federal prosecutors and law enforcement officials in downtown Los Angeles to announce the arrests of 42 people in connection with the investigation — including 29 suspects arrested that same day in raids in the LA area. These defendants were expected to be arraigned later Wednesday in U.S. District Court in downtown LA, while the other 13 remained in custody. A total of 68 people were charged in a 76-count indictment returned by a grand jury on September 26.

The Peckerwoods in the San Fernando Valley have been accused of a yearslong pattern of racketeering, extensive drug trafficking, illegal firearms possession and COVID-19 loan fraud, according to federal prosecutors. The indictment, unsealed Wednesday, details the seizure of dozens of pounds of fentanyl, heroin and meth, as well as several illegal firearms.

The gang is alleged to have worked with other organized crime groups in California prisons.

“As a white supremacist gang, the Peckerwoods sometimes take orders from the Aryan Brotherhood, the dominant white supremacist gang in California, and maintain an alliance with the Mexican Mafia prison gang, which controls most of California’s Latino street gangs,” the U.S. said . The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said in a statement announcing the charges.

Federal prosecutors allege the gang espouses a violent white supremacist ideology, using Nazi tattoos, graffiti and iconography such as swastikas and images of Nazi planes.

When prosecutors released images of the defendants during a news conference Wednesday, the phrase “Operation Hate One Eight” appeared above their photos. A common area code in the San Fernando Valley, where the gang is believed to be based, is 818.

“The Peckerwoods’ violent white supremacist ideology and widespread criminal activity pose a serious threat to our community,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement, describing the group as a “destructive force.”

In the statement, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said the Justice Department has “delivered a decisive blow” to the gang by arresting and charging dozens of people believed to be members and associates.

According to federal prosecutors, members and associates used social media to communicate with each other about their alleged crimes, define gang rules, identify gang members in good standing and attack those who violate the group’s rules. Prosecutors say they do this through members-only Facebook groups and private messages sent on online platforms.

Some of the charges listed in the indictment include conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, wire fraud, conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, distribution of a controlled substance, aggravated identity theft, unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense and possession of 15 or more unauthorized entry devices.

Check back for updates on this developing story.