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Date: 04-10-2019
Case Style:
United States of America v. Carlos Hernandez, a/k/a Rider
Case Number: 2:16-cr-00442-CAS-1
Judge: Christina A. Snyder
Court: United States District Court for the Southern District of California (Los Angeles County)
Plaintiff's Attorney: Mack E. Jenkins, Julia Gegenheimer, MiRi Song
Defendant's Attorney: Edward M Robinson
Description:
Los Angeles, CA - Final Defendant in East L.A. Street Gang Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges Stemming From Firebombing of African-American Residences
The lead defendant in a federal hate crimes indictment pleaded guilty to five charges and admitted he organized a group of street gang members who firebombed African-American residences inside the Ramona Gardens Housing Development “in order to force the African-American victims to move from the [development].”
Carlos Hernandez, also known as “Rider,” 34, pleaded guilty to five felonies that carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison.
“The defendant and his fellow gang members targeted and attacked families sleeping in their homes because of their race,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to investigate and prosecute these violent acts of hate.”
“This defendant oversaw a scheme designed to send African-American residents a potentially deadly message – you are not welcome here,” said United States Attorney Nick Hanna. “As this successful prosecution clearly demonstrates, we simply will not tolerate acts of violence and hate calculated to deprive people of their civil rights.”
“Many resources were devoted to the investigation of this hate crime which inexplicably targeted residents based on the color of their skin, including vulnerable children,” said Paul Delacourt, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “Any crime that violates an individual’s civil rights will not be tolerated and will be vigorously investigated by the FBI and our partners.”
On the night of Mother’s Day, May 11, 2014, eight members of the Big Hazard street gang – including Hernandez, who was orchestrating the group’s activities – agreed to firebomb several apartments in Ramona Gardens because the residents were African Americans and living in the housing complex. In his plea agreement, Hernandez admitted that he organized the participants, gave each specific roles in the attacks and provided them with items to be used, including masks to conceal their identity and a hammer to break windows.
Once the gang members located their pre-selected targets, they smashed the windows of four apartments to allow for cleaner entry of the firebombs to maximize damage and threw lit Molotov cocktails into the residences, according to court documents. Three of the four targeted apartments were occupied by African-American families, including women and children, who were sleeping at the time of the unprovoked attack.
“Hernandez told the other codefendants who were present that the African-American victims were being targeted for firebombing because of their race,” according to his plea agreement, in which Hernandez admitted that he “and the codefendants knew that throwing firebombs into occupied residences after midnight created a substantial likelihood of causing serious bodily injury” to the African-American families.
Hernandez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate civil rights, violent crime in aid of racketeering, using fire and carrying explosives to commit another federal felony, using and possessing a firearm in a crime of violence, and violating the Fair Housing Act.
United States District Judge Christina A. Snyder is scheduled to sentence Hernandez on Oct. 7 where he will face a statutory maximum penalty of life in prison.
Previously in this case, the other seven defendants who were charged in 2016 pleaded guilty to federal hate crime and related offenses. All of those defendants also admitted that they participated in the firebombings because of the victims’ race and color and with the intent to force the victims to move away from the federally funded housing complex in the Boyle Heights section of Los Angeles. Those seven defendants are scheduled to be sentenced later this year.
The investigation into the firebombing was conducted by agents and detectives with the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Los Angeles Police Department; the Los Angeles Fire Department; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Charges:
18:241: Conspiracy to Violate Civil Rights
(1)
18:1959(a)(3),2(a): Violent Crime in Aid of Racketeering, Aiding and Abetting
(2)
18:1959(a)(6): Violent Crime in Aid of Racketeering
(3)
42:3631,18:2(a): Interference with Housing Rights by Force; Aiding and Abetting
(4)
18:844(f)(1),(2),2(a): Attempted Arson of Federal Property; Aiding and Abetting
(5)
18:844(n): Use Fire and Carry Explosive to Commit Another Federal Felony
(6)
18:844(h)(1),(h)(2),2(a): Use Fire and Carry Explosive to Commit Another Federal Felony; Aiding and Abetting
(7)
18:924(c)(1)(A)(i): Possess, Use, and Carry a Firearm During and in Relation to, and in Furtherance of, a Crime of Violence
(8)
Outcome: 04/08/2019 270 MINUTES OF STATUS CONFERENCE/CHANGE OF PLEA held before Judge Christina A. Snyder as to Defendant Carlos Hernandez. Defendant sworn. Court questions defendant regarding the plea. The Defendant Carlos Hernandez (1) pleads GUILTY to Count 1,2,4,7,8. The plea is accepted. The Court orders the Plea Agreement filed and incorporated into the record. The Court refers the defendant to the Probation Office for an investigation and Presentence Report and continues the matter to October 7, 2019, at 2:30 P.M. for sentencing. The Court orders the Jury Trial VACATED as to this defendant.Court Reporter: Laura Elias. (lc) (Entered: 04/08/2019)
04/08/2019 271 PLEA AGREEMENT filed by Plaintiff USA as to Defendant Carlos Hernandez (Jenkins, Mack) (Entered: 04/08/2019)
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
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