Federal authorities have charged 68 members of a California-based white supremacist street gang with intent to dismantle the organization.
At least 42 members of SFV Pecker Woods, based in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles County, have been arrested so far.
The 76 indictments include racketeering, drug trafficking, including fentanyl, illegal possession of firearms, and engaging in COVID-19 benefit and loan fraud.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the Pecker Woods gang sometimes receives orders from the Aryan Brotherhood, a neo-Nazi gang based in California prisons, and is closely linked to the Mexican Mafia prison gang, which controls most Latino street gangs in California. We are affiliated.
U.S. Attorney Merrick Garland said Wednesday that the Peckerwoods are accused of committing robbery and financial fraud to fund their operations and support the Aryan Brotherhood, as well as trafficking fentanyl and other drugs in the region. He said there was.
The members used iconography and tattoos to communicate their ideology, including a swastika, Symbol 88, the code for “Heil Hitler,” and images of Nazi aircraft, according to the Justice Department.
U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said the group is a “grave threat to our community” and a “destructive force.”
Federal prosecutors allege the group primarily trafficked narcotics, including fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine. Members of the Hollywood District are accused of maintaining so-called secret rooms where drugs were stored.
Some members have also been charged with filing false applications for the Payment Protection Program, a coronavirus relief effort that provides loans, many of which are forgivable, to help small businesses stay afloat. There is.
The Justice Department says the defendants could receive up to life in prison if convicted.