Salinas "Murder Squad" member pleads guilty in 2017 killing spree
The Brief
A member of a Salinas-based street gang pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a 2017 murder spree.
Andrew Alvarado, 34, is the sixth member of the self-proclaimed "Murder Squad" to plead guilty.
Alvarado is scheduled to be sentenced in July.
OAKLAND, Calif. - A sixth member of a Salinas-based Norteño street gang today pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of racketeering conspiracy and one count of conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering.
Andrew Alvarado, 34, was indicted along with multiple co-defendants by a federal grand jury on Oct. 15, 2020.
Dig deeper
Court documents state Alvarado was a member of the self-proclaimed "Murder Squad," a street gang affiliated with the Nuestra Familia prison gang. Members would go on "hunts," seeking out rival gang members, or those perceived to be, to shoot and kill. The group would use military-style tactics such as traveling in a convoy of vehicles with a designated shooter vehicle and a designated security/spotter vehicle, which maintained communication via a conference call. Spotter vehicles would seek out a target and transmit their location to the shooter vehicle. Shooters would arrive, exit the vehicle, shoot at their targets until their weapons were empty, then speed away.
Alvarado, in pleading guilty, admitted that he participated in six such "hunts" between January and May of 2017. He was the shooter in three of those, which resulted in the deaths of three victims and the wounding of a fourth. He admitted to being in the spotter vehicle on three other occasions that left three people dead and four wounded.
What's next
Five of Alvarado's co-defendants pleaded guilty in May, 2024 to racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering. They were sentenced in September of that year to between 25 and 41 years in prison.
Alvarado is scheduled to be sentenced on July 15, 2025, and remains in custody until then. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Ex-CPA admits to bank fraud conspiracy that cost lenders millions
SPRINGFIELD — A former accountant pleaded guilty in federal court to participating in a conspiracy that prosecutors say obtained commercial mortgages for area properties using false information. Christine Gendron, 61, pleaded guilty before Judge Mark G. Mastroianni on Friday to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, according to U.S. Attorney's Office spokesperson Caroline Ferguson. Gendron's sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 30. Gendron — whose certified public accountant status expired in June 2023 — described herself as 'resident CPA' of JLL Realty Developers, according to a statement of facts attached to her plea agreement signed April 16. She was sister to one of the partners of the company, Jeannette Norman. Norman's federal case is still pending. Norman, court documents note, was a vice president at Goldman Sachs between 1998 and 2007. The other partner of JLL Realty Developers was Louis Masaschi, Gendron's brother in law. In April, he pleaded guilty to wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. His sentencing is set for July. Gendron, the statement of facts reads, helped submit false documents, such as rent rolls, and profit and loss statements, starting in May 2016, to obtain commercial loans for properties in Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. The documents 'contained inflated monthly rental payments and lease expiration dates ... that bore the signatures of Masaschi or Norman, as well as the forged signatures of the tenants,' says the statement of facts. Prosecutors wrote in court documents that JLL Realty tried to obtain $60 million in commercial loans, although some financial institutions did not issue the money. 'After receiving these loans, Masachi, Norman, and their companies made some or no payments and ultimately defaulted on the loans, causing substantial loses to the commercial Lenders,' documents state. Altogether, the financial institutions lost $19.3 million. Among the affected financial institutions, Workers Credit Union loaned JLL Realty $11.5 million in 2018 after the group put up an East Longmeadow property as collateral. Ultimately, the Littleton-based financial institution lost $2 million, according to the statement of facts. In 2017, Springfield-based Freedom Credit Union lent the group $6.25 million based on the collateral of three properties in Springfield and ended up losing $5.37 million, according to court documents. A year later, JLL Realty tried to obtain a $400,000 loan from the credit union, but was unsuccessful. Meanwhile, Berkshire Bank denied JLL Realty's two applications for commercial loans in 2018, one for $11 million and another for $3 million, according to court records. The financial institutions did not immediately return requests for comments. Gendron, court documents state, did not personally guarantee the loan nor receive the proceeds of the loans. She only collected a salary at JLL Realty, which totaled about $393,000 between 2015 and 2022, court records say. Prosecutors in April sought the forfeiture of Gendron's full salary. Special agents with the FBI visited Gendron at her Feeding Hills home in May 2021, according to information filed with the court in April. 'Gendron falsely stated that she was unaware of any fraudulently obtained loans, and that it would surprise her that (her co-conspirators) would submit fraudulent documents to the bank,' prosecutors wrote. Gendron's attorney did not immediately return a request for comment. 'Clash of the Cans' mural contest transforms empty lot in Holyoke WMass shelter determined to make a difference — 14,000 cats and counting This WMass college is offering free course in AI essentials Westfield apartment fire claims life Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
San Jose fraud prevention expert charged with healthcare fraud
(KRON) — A woman who worked as a security manager at Nvidia and regularly spoke as an expert on fraud prevention was charged with submitting 167 fraudulent healthcare claims against the Santa Clara-based tech company, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office announced Friday. Faranak Firozan, 47, is accused of submitting the fraudulent claims between November 2020 and January 2024 to Nvidia's self-insured health plan, according to prosecutors. The DA's office said that many of the claims were either entirely made up or that bills were altered by changing service dates. 'Providers verified that services listed in her claims were either not performed at all or were duplicated claims,' the DA's office wrote. The scheme began to unravel in August 2024, according to prosecutors, after the California Department of Insurance received a suspected fraudulent claim referral from Cigna, which administered Nvidia's health plan. Motorcyclist suffers 'life-changing injury' in San Jose hit-and-run 'On her LinkedIn page, Firozan described herself as an expert in abuse prevention systems and fraud investigations for financial institutions,' the DA's office wrote. 'In 2020, she provided training on cyber laundering for the Information Systems Security Association Silicon Valley Chapter.' Firozan was charged with altering medical records with fraudulent intent and preparing false statements in connection with insurance claims. She also faces an added aggravated white-collar crime enhancement. Firozan is scheduled to be arraigned on July 15. If convicted, prosecutors said she faces years in prison and would be ordered to pay restitution. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Several killed as separatists clash with Malian army, Russian allies in the conflict-hit north
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Malian security forces clashed with members of an armed separatist group over two days, resulting in the deaths of 10 separatists, the Malian army said Friday. The Azawad separatists said it killed dozens of Malian soldiers and members of a Kremlin-controlled armed force. The clashes began with a military offensive in the northern Kidal region on Thursday, the Malian army said in a statement. On Friday, the Malian military's logistics convoy was ambushed before the attack was repelled, it added. The separatists reported they killed 'dozens' of Malian soldiers and fighters with the Kremlin-controlled African Corps in the ambush. The Azawad separatist movement has been fighting for years to create the state of Azawad in northern Mali. They once drove security forces out of the region before a 2015 peace deal that has since collapsed was signed to pave the way for some ex-rebels to be integrated into the Malian military. 'We recovered 12 trucks loaded with cereals, tankers full of diesel, one military pickup, and one armored vehicles from the 30 vehicles in the convoy,' Mohamed Maouloud Ramadan, spokesman for the Azawad separatists, said in a statement that acknowledged the death of three of their members. Viral videos shared by the separatists showed military trucks on fire in a large swathe of desert land amid gunfire as gun-wielding hooded young men posed in front of the trucks. The videos also showed bodies with uniforms that resemble those of the Malian army. The Associated Press could not independently verify the videos. The latest clashes show how difficult it is for security forces in Mali to operate in difficult terrains like Kidal, according to Rida Lyammouri, a Sahel expert at the Morocco-based Policy Center for the New South think tank. 'It's difficult to gather actionable intelligence to protect their convoys, and this gives a significant advantage to armed and jihadist groups', said Lyammouri. The latest attack occurred days after Russia's mercenary group Wagner – which for more than three years helped Malian security forces in the fight against armed groups – announced it was leaving the country. The Africa Corps, under the direct command of the Russian defense ministry, said it will remain in Mali. There are around 2,000 mercenaries in Mali, according to U.S. officials. It is unclear how many are with Wagner and how many are part of the Africa Corps.
