La Mara Salvatrucha Street Gang

Cover of Darkness: S.F. Police Turned a Blind Eye to Some of the City's Most Dangerous Criminals — Who Were Also Some of Their Most Trusted Sources

MS-13 Becomes First American-Born Street Gang to Be Marked A "Transnational Criminal Organization" by the Feds

Last week, the U.S. Treasury Department officially labeled MS-13 a transnational criminal organization. No other American-born street gang has earned that distinction, which has previously been given to groups like the Yakuza in Japan and the Zetas in Mexico.The classification speaks to the gang's s ... More >>

How Marvin Medina's Perjury Charge Helped ID Wilfredo Reyes' Whereabouts

As described in this week's feature, "Hiding in Plain Sight," Bay Area MS-13 member Elgado Medrano's 2009 arrest for a car theft in South Carolina first hinted that Wilfredo Reyes had hidden away in that state.If Medrano, along with a couple of other guys, hadn't stolen a car, it's possibl ... More >>

Hiding in Plain Sight: A Homicide Suspect Spent Four Years on the Lam

"Hiding in Plain Sight": S.C. Officer's 2009 Photos of Wilfredo Reyes

This week's feature story, "Hiding in Plain Sight," explores how Wilfredo "Flaco" Reyes, the second suspect in the June 2008 murder of Anthony Bologna and two of his sons, was able to evade the San Francisco Police Department for four years.Reyes fled town soon after the crime. While Edwin Ramos sto ... More >>

Menace to Society: Why Many Young Black Men are Accused of Being in Gangs

Wilfredo Reyes Appears in Court for Charges in Bologna Family Murder

Wilfredo Reyes stepped into a San Francisco courtroom today to face charges that he played a role in killing Tony Bologna and two of his sons in June 2008. He waived his arraignment, which means he does not have to appear at that hearing tomorrow. Reyes fled town soon after the drive-by shooting. ... More >>

Wilfredo Reyes Will Be Extradited From North Carolina

Wilfredo Reyes, the possible second suspect in a 2008 triple homicide, will soon be in California to face murder charges. The sheriff's office in Rowan County, North Carolina, where Reyes was arrested last week, announced today that the alleged MS-13 gang member is not fighting the extradition, the ... More >>

Wilfredo Reyes Arrested in North Carolina in Connection With Bologna Family Murders

Authorities in North Carolina today arrested Wilfredo Reyes, the alleged MS-13 gang member who was in the car with Edwin Ramos the night Tony Bologna and two of his sons were murdered in June 2008.From the start, Ramos, who was convicted of first degree murder in May, claimed that Reyes pulled the t ... More >>

Edwin Ramos Sentenced to Life in Prison

Edwin Ramos, the 25-year-old convicted on three counts of first degree murder, will likely spend the rest of his life in prison. This morning, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Charles Haines sentenced him to three consecutive life terms, without the possibility of parole. This comes about a mont ... More >>

Edwin Ramos Convicted of First Degree Murder in Bologna Family Killing

Edwin Ramos was convicted today of killing a San Francisco man and his two sons. The Superior Court jury, after a week of deliberation, found him guilty on three counts of first degree murder. The three month-long trial stemmed from the June 2008 shootings of Tony Bologna, 48, and his sons Michael, ... More >>

Guillermo Herrera, MS-13 Gang Member, Gets Life in Prison

Life in prison probably won't do much to stop them ​Guillermo Herrera, better known as "Sparky," a San Francisco M-13 gang member, was sentenced today to life in prison for racketeering related charges. He is the last of six convicted MS-13 members to receive a life sentence. Herrera and his five ... More >>

Roberto Acosta, MS-13 Snitch Convicted of Lying to Government, Seeks New Trial

The snitch wants a new day in court. ​The MS-13 snitch who provided federal agents with information that led to the mega-indictment of the transnational gang -- and recorded alleged murder confessions that will be allowed as evidence in an upcoming Superior Court trial -- wants a new trial of his ... More >>

Danilo "Triste" Velasquez, San Francisco MS-13 Gang Leader, Convicted In Federal Court

​An MS-13 gang member who rose to a leadership position and demanded others continue the violence even after a federal take-down drained the gang's San Francisco ranks was convicted in federal court of RICO conspiracy today.Danilo "Triste" Velasquez (triste is Spanish for "sad") now faces 10 years ... More >>

Danielle Bologna Enters Witness Protection as Edwin Ramos Trial Nears

Edwin Ramos​Immigrant rights activists remember 2008 as the year that San Francisco turned its back on its sanctuary city status. Then-Mayor Gavin Newsom reversed the city's long-standing policy of shielding juvenile undocumented immigrants from deportation as the city became the target of anti-im ... More >>

Federal Judge: MS-13 Informant, Roberto Acosta, Will Likely Be Killed If Deported

The MS-13 informant's future is looking grim. ​A federal judge replaced the defense attorney representing the Roberto Acosta -- the MS-13 gang informant who was convicted of lying to his handlers -- and urged attorneys on both sides to consider the likelihood that Acosta will be killed if he's dep ... More >>

Roberto Acosta, MS-13 Informant Convicted of Lying, Wants Out of Jail

The MS-13 snitch thinks the government is ungrateful for his help. ​Roberto "Bad Boy" Acosta, the MS-13 gang informant who for years gave federal agents details about San Francisco's branch of the gang, faces sentencing in federal court next week for lying to his handlers about how many people he' ... More >>

Feds Want Maximum Prison Time for Roberto Acosta, MS-13 Informant Who Lied

The government's snitch is about to get sentenced. ​Federal prosecutors are pushing for the maximum five-year sentence for the criminal informant who was shaping up to be their star witness in the case against San Francisco's MS-13 clique. But his future took a turn when Roberto Acosta was instead ... More >>

San Francisco MS-13 Informant Found Guilty of Lying

The government won its case against its own informant. ​The inside informant who turned evidence for the feds about his own MS-13 gang in San Francisco was found guilty this week of lying to the government.According to the complaint, Roberto Acosta had told his handlers that he'd only been the mes ... More >>

Roberto Acosta, MS-13 Informant in San Francisco Gang Case, to Stand Trial for Lying

The government will soon see its rat in court. ​It's not every day that the government charges their own criminal informant with lying. That's exactly what happened with Roberto Acosta, an MS-13 gang leader who infiltrated the gang which had claimed turf near 20th Street in the Mission District. A ... More >>

Phil Bronstein, Chronicle Editor, Discovers MS-13 Trial

Hey Bronstein, presta atencion!​When you're Phil Bronstein, all other members of the media are mere gnats. Perhaps so insignificant as to be rendered invisible.   The Chronicle's editor-at-large writes in his column today about the ongoing federal trial of members of MS-13 -- Mara Salvatrucha ... More >>

SF Weekly Letters

MS-13 Members Indicted for Racketeering and Murder Charges

Three more members face conspiracy charges. ​A federal grand jury indicted three alleged MS-13 gang members on Wednesday for conspiracy to commit murder and racketeering. The indictment comes in addition to the 24 alleged MS-13 members already facing conspiracy charges after the three-year investi ... More >>

What Taqueria Is Tasty Enough for an MS-13 Member to Risk Getting Shot?

View Tacos on 24th Street in Norteño Territory in a larger mapSF Weekly reporter Lauren Smiley followed up on her (stunning) cover story, "A Rat's Life," with a blog post yesterday, "The Insider's Guide to the MS-13 Gang." In between tidbits like not using gang funds to buy broken-down Impalas and ... More >>

The Making of a MS-13 Gangster

How does this happen?​The youngest of the 24 accused Mara Salvatrucha gangsters operating in the Bay Area are barely 20 years old. They were still minors -- or had just turned 18 -- when they were arrested in 2008 during the Opeation Devil Horns gang take down. Since then, they have been indicted ... More >>

A Rat's Life: MS-13 Snitches Run Wild While Turning State's Evidence

The Insider's Guide to the MS-13 Gang

A look inside ​You may have thought you knew the basics about the Mara Salvatrucha, the lethal street gang of mostly Central American immigrants highlighted in this week's cover story. You jump in, kill rivals, sordid things like that. But during the first week of the trial of seven members of the ... More >>

San Francisco MS-13 Gang Wasn't Violent Enough for Edwin Ramos, Witness Says

Accused murderer of the Bologna family jumped into a more violent clique in Richmond, witness testifies. One attorney alleges Bologna murders could have been prevented had federal agents deported Ramos when they first knew about his crimes.Edwin Ramos wasn't indicted with the 24 alleged MS-13 gangst ... More >>

MS-13 Gang Members Plead Guilty to RICO Charges Before Upcoming Trial

Gang Busters​A Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang member involved in a drive-by shooting pled guilty this week to racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to commit murder charges. Wilbert "Cypress" Castillo, 29, admitted Tuesday he's been an MS-13 member since 2004.  He confessed that he agreed wit ... More >>

Immigration: Defending juvie probation chief proves expensive

Sanctuary Sellout

Before: S.F. coddled undocumented teen criminals. After: S.F. punishes undocumented teens who commit crimes (and some who don't, too).

It's Your Friday Morning News Quiz!

Need someone to help you figure out how many grams are in an ounce? Here's your ace.​Gavin! Timmy! Tyson Beckford! Grizzly Bear! Immunity to cereal! What a week. But were you paying attention? 1. Putting the bizarre cherry atop a surreal sundae, an expert witness gave what rationale for 21-year-ol ... More >>

Feds complain that S.F.'s sanctuary city policies impeded investigation of Latino gang

List: How to tell if you're living next to a marijuana grow house

Sin Nombre

Fruits of War film this Sunday at Parkway Theater

East Side Story

The mindless, endless Mission gang war doesn't have Bernstein music or Sondheim lyrics. Just Surenos, Nortenos, and dead kids.