After its formation in 1986, both the Texas Syndicate and Texas Mexican Mafia refused to recognize the Aztecas and declared war on the gang. It is a sign of recognition between those that are in the occult. When Vicente and his friend Armando Garciaalso a pleasant, nonconfrontational fellowbegan to ask Sandoval if he had a light, the guard refused at first, and finally decided, after repeated requests, what the hell. So it may be a week or a month or a yearbut that hit is on.. Perhaps it was because Vicente was so quiet and servile or perhaps he had such a talent for lingering that the porters simply paid him no mind. Until Judge Justices decree, TDCJs inmate population was essentially governed by brutal trusties known as building tenders, whose methodswhich included beating and sodomizing inmates into terrified submissionwent largely unchecked by prison officials. Daniel Vaughn is the countrys first barbecue editor, and he has eaten more barbecue than you have. Sandoval put his hand against the wound, looked up, and saw Crippin and McCool standing there, gaping. The warden would later testify that Sandovals actions were somewhat heroic. But, Peterson added, the hero had seemed awfully calm in the midst of all the bloodshedperhaps too calm. Not everyone was so sympathetic, however. After building tenders disappeared due to a court order, the Syndicate's activities turned to drug trafficking, extortion, prostitution, protection, illegal gambling, and contract killing. Several weeks after the jurys verdict, he told me over the phone that he wished to recant everything he had said to me on tape about his involvement with drugs. Yell fight, he said, but the two officers seemed paralyzed. McCool opened the picket gate to allow Sandoval into the rest room. Did you know that 40% of all inmate escapes occur during transport? Still, gang members will frequently get tattoos to show their allegiance to their clique. That afternoon, Ellis I warden Jerry Peterson called Sandoval into his office to congratulate him on a fine job. They ally with the Texas Mafia; Dirty White Boys, and Border Brothers. Murder wasnt his thing. Texas Syndicate Number eight on our list of biggest organized crime groups in America is the Texas Syndicate, established as a prison gang in order to counter other gangs preying on. In contrast, sixteen current or former Ellis I employees testified. On another occasion, Vicente asked Sandoval to deliver the phone message that Vicente needed money to buy arts and crafts supplies. Asked point-blank by his attorney, Did you ever bring drugs inside TDCJ? Apple Jack protected his mule, however, and though many knew of the officers extracurriculars, the hammer never fell on him. West Texans Are Learning What It Means to Live in Bear Country, H-E-Bs True Texas BBQ Restaurant Is Slipping. Sandoval insisted that he didnt know anything about the Arredondo murder other than what he filed in his report. Released or parole members who generate money for the gang must surrender a 10% tax ("the dime") of all proceeds toward the Texas Syndicate in prison. Texas Chicano Brotherhood 11. He squinted through the smoke and the bars and the memories. The prosecutors of Luis Sandoval not only conceded this but went out of their way to make it part of their case. Beneath them in the gang hierarchy are captains, lieutenants, sergeants of arms, and numerous soldiers. The first major TDCJ gang, a Hispanic group known as the Texans, consisted of former residents who were doing time in California penal institutions in the mid-seventies. Theres no way to shut them down, Sandoval said. Throughout that specific decade, the state of California saw the birth of several criminal organizations. Facebook Either the guard didnt know what was going on, or he did. There was no further violence, a signal to those who understood gang behavior that Arredondo had been snuffed out by one of his own rather than by a rival gang. When asked about it, Sandoval testified that the report merely contained Schapers accusations, which Sandoval denied then and would deny now, under oath. As the show progresses, we see the challenges that El Paso Detective Sonya Cross (Diane Kruger) and Jurez Detective Marco Ruiz (Demian Bichir) face in working together across cultural divides as well as in an environment of extensive police and government corruption. Texas Mexican Mafia comes in a distant second with 4,700 members, followed by the Texas Syndicate (3,400 members), Latin Kings (2,100 members) and MS-13 (800 members). Sandoval was then ordered to take off his uniform and replace it with inmate furlough clothes. school of professional studies acceptance rate duplexes for rent in lebanon, mo duplexes for rent in lebanon, mo Inmates fashioned shanks out of road signs, door hinges, food trays, typewriter platen rods, and field equipment. The two inmate snitches who testified against Sandoval understated their criminal history, contradicted each other, and came off looking like dirtbags who would say anything for the right price. In addition to Shamoo Rodriguez and Porky Amaro, 11 others have already pled guilty. The drugs are distributed by the gang on both sides of the border. Theyre coming in from work, theyre coming out of the tanks to go eat or recreate or go to school or go to the chapel, said Sandoval. The brutality of the murder, coupled with Sandovals complete inability to prevent it, made quite an impression on the young guard. At the same time, rules in prison became stricter. Hey, Boss, you got a light? Every newly hired prison guard, or new boot, hears the question. At Ellis I, Sandoval had never seen so many rules enforced so haphazardly. The first Texas prison guard ever to be tried for the murder of an inmate seemed eager to describe, to me and to the jurors, the pressures and temptations a correctional officer faces. It took months before someone looked closely at the gas mask featured on the patch and realized that every correctional officer at the unit had been wearing the letters TS across his forehead. Throughout most of its early life, the Texas Syndicate was primarily a prison gang, with little to no contact with the outside world. But the sudden absence of gang wars did not mean that the gangs had gone away. It was also a dangerous practice in light of the fact that a narrow corridor intersected the west end of the B-wing and only an officer standing at that end could see what was going on in the corridor. At that time, the Texas jail and prison systems were under the control of the Texas Mexican Mafia, or Mexikanemi, and the older Texas Syndicate (TS) prison gangs. The Texas Syndicate, unlike the Mexican Mafia or Nuestra Familia, has been more associated or allied with Mexican immigrant prisoners. To get drugs out of the free world and into prison cells, there must be a courier. But as the weeks rolled on, as the dos and donts of the training manual began to look more and more like some bureaucrats idea of a joke, his resolve cratered. Peaceable inmates who had lost faith in TDCJs ability to protect them now felt less inclined to carry shanks everywhere they went. At certain times, more than five hundred of them might flood the B-wing hallway en route to the gym, the chapel, the woodshop, or the chow hall. His father died. Gang members may change or modify the tattoos as corrections officials and law There were many times when he said, I aint gonna do this shit anymore. And wed think, well, maybe were putting too much pressure on him. The Department of Public Safety has released its 2018 Texas Gang Threat Assessment, and all 14 of the state's highest-threat gangs have a presence in Bexar County, the report showed. The Bloods and the Crips will likely adapt to their new environment just as other inmates do. One was an officer who muled marijuana and cocaine for a black inmate known as Apple Jack, whose activities were no secret at the unit. Many of the Mexican cartel crimes in the illegal alien community go unreported. Chip Gaines Bought Larry McMurtrys Historic Texas Bookstore. The murder would take place in a corridor abutting the B-wing: the maximum-security area where Luis Sandoval often worked. These include 13, Black Hand of Death, The M, and La Eme, which is Spanish for "the M". But that was if they caught him. It was a blind spot, and unit officials hoped the inmates wouldnt notice. Leaders direct members to forward a portion of their profits to Barrio Azteca members in prison and to their lawyers. Yes, he had mailed Vicentes letters, had cashed two money orders for the inmate, and on three different occasions, had delivered packages from a parking lot to a telephone booth. This booklet contains historical synopses of all STGs recognized by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), as well as recognized tattoos and other related indicators most often used by STGs and various street gang members. By the time 21-year-old Luis Sandoval, a new boot at Huntsvilles Ellis I Unit in the summer of 1985, was approached by an inmate with an unlit cigarette, his ears were still ringing from a more desperate request he had heard during his first week on the job. We know who you take orders from. By current estimates, more than 2,000 members make up their ranks. 13 is traditionally known in the West as an unlucky number, but it is also part of several other gang names . We report on vital issues from politics to education and are the indispensable authority on the Texas scene, covering everything from music to cultural events with insightful recommendations. Dale Schaper dutifully typed up his report, and sent it through the proper channels. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. texas syndicate hand signs. I knew he didnt have nothing to do with it. The ink from U.S. district judge William Wayne Justices signature on his 1980 Ruiz v. Estelle decree had not yet dried before critics were predicting that the prison reforms specified in the judges order would leave a dangerous power vacuum. I had the burden lifted from my shoulders., You have these inmates, said an Ellis I correctional officer, where you write em up [for rule infractions] and nothing happens. The man accused of getting into a police shoot out was a Texas syndicate gang member. Exaggerated? texas syndicate hand signsjack paar cause of death. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force, including DPS Special Agents, located and arrested GONZALEZ at a local motel in Lubbock.GONZALEZ is a violent offender with a history of aggravated robbery, aggravated assault . The field for their activities, though fertile, was finite, thus making turf wars inevitable. The new boots new habit, like everything else, was duly noted by the inmates. The Texas Syndicate also operates in state and federal prisons across the United States, with significant activity being reported at FCI Oakdale in Louisiana and San Quentin State Prison in California, as well as some representation in the Florida Department of Corrections. Texas Chicano Brotherhood (TCB) Texas Mafia. Understand that the Texas Syndicate is always in the right; 5. Seemingly everyone in Ellis I would snitch or be snitched on. Sandoval did not tell his mother why he was such a vulnerable candidate. By the fall of 1986, several months after the gang lockdown policy had been instituted, Joe Arredondos cockiness began to catch up with him. In your house you can walk around in the dark and not bang your shins because you know every square inch, said a former Ellis I officer. BUSTED: 22 alleged gang members accused of running Houston brothels filled with undocumented immigrant s. Texas Gang Threat Assessment . Get these inmates in the chapel, he told them. What you usually see in any gun buyback program is elderly people turning in old junk guns from some closet or garage where they have sat gathering dust for many years. Mike Hall writes about criminals, musicians, the law, and barbecue. Rank is taking care of them.. To pay for his legal expenses, his mother sold the family home. He had a one-week prison furlough coming up; the gang didnt want to spook him, fearing that he might not return to Ellis I. That statistic does not come close to reflecting the actual number of TDCJ employees suspected of involvement in corrupt activities. hornitos tequila vs patron. It was their house, not his or the states. What sustains the gangs is money, which inmates use to bribe prison employees. Tango Blast. [1], Development of the Texas Syndicate was initially motivated by self-protection against the historical "building tenders" in prison. Throughout the Sandoval trial, guards on the witness stand were asked if they had ever stopped a gang member from murdering an inmate. Current Location: Most of Texas, Other Zones in The United States; Rivals: Mexican Mafia, Tengo Blast, Nuestra Familia. Colors: Red, black, green; Green can be used with Red ; 5 point star or crown; Pitchfork pointed down; MOB ; UBN; 21 Brick Pyramid; Dawg paws; hand sign making "B"; "P" or "TP". Why does an offender join an STG? It is seemingly a simple, humble favor asked of men in gray by men in white. In this role, you will be required to transport the signs to the customer's location, prepare the sig. The drug trade was lucrative, and Sandoval always seemed to be hurting for money. Rodolfo "Rudy" Ortiz GONZALEZ, affiliated with the Texas Syndicate gang, was captured on September 6, 2019, in Lubbock, Texas.Working off tip information, members of the U.S. On the witness stand, Sandoval suggested that the caller was someone from TDCJ Internal Affairs; more likely, he was a Texas Syndicate member delivering the message that the TS would not be amused if Sandoval blew the whistle on their activities. But the system will not change. A State Intelligence Estimate . But Arredondo had brought back nothing. SMU is among the Texas colleges that have unique ways of showing pride -- with their hands. His refusal would prompt the reply, Then Ill tell your supervisor about when you lit my cigarette., At first the young guard spurned the inmates who pestered him, and threatened to write them up for disciplinary action. Don't quit your day job, ChatGPT! These would mostly come to life within the prison system; both as a physical response to assaults and as a way to achieve greater racial unity. That afternoon in the interrogation room, Special Prison Prosecution Unit investigator Royce Smithey bore down on Sandoval. Sandoval marveled at the river of red the inmate had left behind. For his trouble, the inmates offered the guard $75. Everyone wanted informationon the inmates, on their superiors, on their peers. [4] [5] Overview [ edit] The Texas Syndicate is headed by a presi dent and vice president who are elected by the entire membership. The packages, he admitted, most likely contained drugs. After the big lockdown, metal detectors were installed in every prison unit to discourage the carrying of shanks. One of them is fear. I didnt do it, Sandoval announced to me in a recent phone conversation. Video cameras monitor the hallways. More accurate investigations lower the number to about 4000, with some sources even going as low as 3800. Garcia, 38, is a member of the Texas Syndicate gang with ties to the Rio Grande Valley. Sandoval got up, ran into the hallway, and yelled fight twice. His assignment was one of the toughest jobs in Ellis I. At the Ferguson Unit, for example, guards wore special caps sporting a patch designed by an inmate. Unlike most state crises, there is absolutely no mystery to the takeover of our prisons by violent gangs. Were he to pay his old workplace a visit, Luis Sandoval would notice several changes at Ellis I. Its like a fly in a salt shaker., Today the numbers still favor the inmates: There are 47,751 of them and only 3,500 security personnelnone of whom carries a gunper eight-hour shift. how to become a school board member in florida ocean deck band schedule Recruitment is conducted through social ties and involves a background check to screen for informants.[1]. A certain order prevailed, which stilled the critics and deflected the interest of the media. But the first six months is hell. Sandoval was determined to tough it out. Whoever killed him had to have come through the B-wing hallway and had to have been dripping with blood. Either way, Sandoval was out. Llmenos para una consulta. Theyre gonna say you were in on it. Look, man, I think Im being watched, Sandoval told Garcia the next day. The caller advised Sandoval not to show up for his March 18, 1991, trial, and then hung up without identifying himself. In prison, he had come to learn, if you gave, you got. Push inevitably came to shove: In two separate gang confrontations, the Texans murdered one California inmate and seriously wounded another. The corridor where Joe Arredondo was murdered is now permanently guarded. France's plugin electric vehicle share reached 23.8% in February, up from 20.1% year on year. Back in February, Texas Syndicate member Ernesto Medrano and some 20 of his fellow gang members were in a Dallas federal courtroom receiving multi-year prison sentences for importing hundreds of . Armando, I cant jeopardize my life, man., Garcia took the story to the Texas Syndicate. But things got more interesting when Internal Affairs investigator Dale Schaper walked into the room and handed Sandoval copies of his phone records, showing that 25 phone calls he had made on Vicentes behalf were to a high-ranking TS official named Felix Benavidez. Alcohol was forbidden, yet chock, or homemade wine, was made in a variety of ways in cells, the crudest method being by letting food wrapped in a plastic bag fester in a toilet tank. In a press release, USPS says it has awarded contracts to Ford to purchase 9,250 left-hand-drive regular production E-Transit electric vans as well as 14,000 EV charging stations to support their . . Many of the gang leaders who had been doing time are now in the free world, spreading the gang network across the state, beyond prison walls. For about three months thereafter, while state officials sought a long-term solution, every prison unit experienced a total lockdown. At about five-thirty that afternoon, Sandoval approached CO II Cade Crippin, who was inside a cellblock, observing the inmates. Sandoval weighed his choices. But he stayed out of trouble, in large part because of two hall porters, Bubba Ray Smith and Johnny Abrams. I dont have any money to get any stamps, Garcia explained. And as in any society, some lead while others are led. As the free world would have it, there are good inmates and bad inmates. Porky Viscaino-Amaro, 41, is a Mexican citizen. Extra guards to supervise the gathering had to come from some other post. The moment Garcia asked Sandoval to bring marijuana into TDCJ, it did not take superhuman deductive powers for the guard to figure out the Hispanic inmates clientele. (This inmates name has been changed as a condition of his interview.) Upon Arredondos return, they ushered the inmate to an infirmary cell, where a guard stood nearby, waiting for Arredondos bowels to evacuate a container of drugs. In the tenements across the street from the Texas A&I University stadium lived a fifteen-year-old girl named Veronica, whom he married on June 22, 1985, after learning that TDCJ had accepted his application for employment as a correctional officer, or CO. But, he insisted, that didnt make him a murderer. Meanwhile, white inmates, tired of being robbed and sexually assaulted by the larger population of black inmates, began the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas. Convicts made primitive ovens out of foil-lined cardboard boxes equipped with a light bulb, and cooked deer or rabbit killed by inmates working in the fields. In a sense, you become a convict also.. Fire Ants Have Unleashed Chaos in Texas for Decades. Twelve days later, Texas chief prison prosecutor Travis McDonald flew to L.A., took custody of Sandoval, and flew him back to Huntsville, where he was held without bond at the Walker County jail. (Officials also say the Texas Syndicate is far more selective and does not, for example, recruit homosexuals.) And were there in it. 15-51164 (5th Cir. A week later another juror wrote Sandoval a four-page letter, expressing her chagrin that he had been put through all the agony. Id say about eighty percent of the inmates knew he was dealing clamed one inmate who was close to the action. It criticized TDCJs good ol boy system, which Sandoval claimed has ruled with an iron fist since the penal system was first established. Hispanic guards, he said, were either coerced into quitting or found doing something wrong. Supervisors treated inmates like animals. He further wrote, I am not the only one who worked there that knows that TDCJ is linked to the gangs and their illegal activities. Inmates know their surroundings, and they know that the surroundings are theirs. As the organization continued growing, drug trafficking came to be one of their favorite activities and sources of income. It was not the most hospitable climate for trust, which was something Sandoval felt inclined to consider when Armando Garcia and Vicente held out a letter and asked Sandoval to mail it for them. Some offenders join an STG in an effort to exert influence and take advantage of other offenders. Most notably, the Los Zetas cartel has been known to count on members of the Texas Syndicate to plan and carry out murders, armed assaults and other violent wet-work. He would stand at the searchers desk like he was running the building, Sandoval said. This would put the Texas Syndicate in contact with several Mexican-based cartels. Bring on the Shiplap. This time, however, four Internal Affairs officers greeted him inside by reading him his rights and charging him with murder. Theyd say, Dont mess with him., The new boot thereby became a feared boss among bosses. Ive seen about five new boots take one step out of the control riot-gate and into the main hallway and turn around and say, See you later, said Sandoval. TDCJ intelligence files indicate that by the close of the eighties, the TS, the Mexican Mafia, and other prison gangs had developed active memberships in every major Texas city, as well as in several small towns. One Ellis I officer reported that in 1986, between one hundred and two hundred gallons of chock was discovered on a weekly basis within the unit. The main activities of the TS are centered on drug trafficking, extortion, protection rackets, and internal discipline and contract murdering. If the Texas Syndicate had told him there was a murder happening, he wouldnt have gone for it. We are seeking a detail-oriented sign installer to transport and install a variety of signs. Sandoval got off in Los Angeles and found his way to Van Nuys, where a cousin put him up in his apartment. Great comedians and humorists have a deep understanding of human complexity and emotions in a way that a computer application never can or will. Receipt of inmates on interstate compact and the current membership in groups with Hispanic and Latino supremacy ideology lend to the threat of an organizing TS within our facilities. Bring a gurney! called the lieutenant. Fifty-two prisoners were murdered in a 21-month period that became known as the " war years ." Over 50 different gangs were represented in our study. Then he headed for the bathroom, a route that took him through a confined area guarded by CO II Nolan McCool. And each gang, after accomplishing the first objective of protection from other gangs, preyed on inmates who would buy drugs or sex or who could be intimidated into giving sex or buying protection. The ugly crimes of kidnapping, human trafficking, extortion, gang violence, and unsolved murders are often committed by Mexican cartel members in cities across the United States but remain unreported. Eventually, Sandoval agreed to bring drugs into Ellis I. It seemed that everywhere Sandoval went, there was Vicente, pushing his broom across the floor, sometimes waving or offering a greeting to the new boot, but never badgering him. [4][5], The Texas Syndicate was established at Folsom State Prison in California in 1978 in direct response to the other California prison gangs, notably the Aryan Brotherhood and Mexican Mafia, which were attempting to prey on native Texas inmates. I just want to take care of my business, he would tell gang members who tried to recruit him. They reinvest these funds to fuel the gang's supply of drugs, guns and ammunition. The Texas Syndicate 2,082 views Jun 18, 2022 62 Dislike Share Save Gangsters Cops and Politicians 3.4K subscribers Gang Expert Gabe Morales discusses the California roots of the Texas.