News in brief from California's North Coast
The Associated Press
Last Updated 2:50 p.m. PST Monday, January 12, 2004
SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) - Several members of the notorious Nuestra Familia prison gang are prepared to testify against their top leaders in a federal racketeering case, according to court papers.
Using confidential informants, investigators said they've uncovered a hierarchy at Pelican Bay State Prison responsible for crimes from Salinas to the Oregon border. Prosecutors say the gang's leaders communicated by some form of secret code within the walls at Pelican Bay State Prison to carry out the crimes.
Lawyers for the eight defendants, however, are likely to attack the credibility of the witnesses - convicted felons who made deals with prosecutors for reduced sentences, The Press Democrat reported Monday.
The case grew out of information developed by Santa Rosa Police, who joined the FBI and other agencies in an investigation of street gang activity in Northern California about six years ago.
One of the highest-ranking defendants in the upcoming trial, slated for Sept. 13 in San Francisco, is Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba of Tulare County. Rubalcaba is accused in court papers of ordering dozens of murders while imprisoned at Pelican Bay, including attempts on two assistant district attorneys in Santa Clara County.
---
The Associated Press
Last Updated 2:50 p.m. PST Monday, January 12, 2004
SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) - Several members of the notorious Nuestra Familia prison gang are prepared to testify against their top leaders in a federal racketeering case, according to court papers.
Using confidential informants, investigators said they've uncovered a hierarchy at Pelican Bay State Prison responsible for crimes from Salinas to the Oregon border. Prosecutors say the gang's leaders communicated by some form of secret code within the walls at Pelican Bay State Prison to carry out the crimes.
Lawyers for the eight defendants, however, are likely to attack the credibility of the witnesses - convicted felons who made deals with prosecutors for reduced sentences, The Press Democrat reported Monday.
The case grew out of information developed by Santa Rosa Police, who joined the FBI and other agencies in an investigation of street gang activity in Northern California about six years ago.
One of the highest-ranking defendants in the upcoming trial, slated for Sept. 13 in San Francisco, is Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba of Tulare County. Rubalcaba is accused in court papers of ordering dozens of murders while imprisoned at Pelican Bay, including attempts on two assistant district attorneys in Santa Clara County.
---
