Source: Office of United States Attorneys
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a six-count superseding indictment against Ronaldo Mudrano Ayala, 74, of San Diego; Angel Anthony Esparza, 41, of Indio; Ronald Paul Sepulveda, 40, of Riverside; Samuel O. Morales, 42, of Seattle; Allen David Fong, 33, of San Mateo; and Alexis Rodriguez, 23, of Seattle, Washington; charging them with racketeering and controlled substance offenses, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced. The superseding indictment was returned on Dec. 19, 2024, and was unsealed yesterday following the arrest and arraignment of Rodriguez.
According to court documents, the defendants were members of an organization known as the Mexican Mafia or La eMe, whose members engaged in, among other things, interference with commerce through extortion, arson, controlled substance trafficking, and firearms trafficking. La eMe was founded in Folsom State Prison. Thereafter, La eMe grew within the California and Federal prison systems, and today, La eMe exerts influence and control over various illegal activities both inside and outside of the prison systems. La eMe controls and organizes Sureño street gangs into a larger, La eMe-controlled, criminal organization, and it enforces its rules and promotes discipline among its members and associates by assaulting and threatening those individuals, including associates, who violate the rules, fail to carry out an order, or pose a threat to La eMe. Members and associates of La eMe routinely used contraband cellphones smuggled into prisons to communicate with each other.
The superseding indictment alleges that La eMe generated revenue through the collection of “La eMe taxes.” For instance, La eMe required the payment of taxes on any illegal activities that generate revenue within their area of influence. To ensure the payment of taxes, La eMe offered protection should an individual paying the taxes serve a sentence of incarceration. Also, La eMe sought to burn property belonging to persons who failed to pay taxes. La eMe also collected taxes from entertainers or persons perceived to be profiting by using La eMe’s reputation, insignias, or claiming La eMe or “mafia” affiliation.
La eMe collected La eMe taxes in areas throughout the Western United States including throughout California and in Washington state. The superseding indictment alleges that La eMe formed a partnership with the Sinaloa Cartel offering protection for the cartel’s incarcerated members, including Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, in exchange for the Sinaloa Cartel supplying controlled substances from Mexico.
The superseding indictment alleges that the defendants served the following functions, among others, within the enterprise:
Ronaldo Mudrano Ayala, aka “OG,” aka “El Professor,” aka “Profe,” was an inmate at San Quentin State Prison. Ayala oversaw La eMe’s interests and tax collection efforts in the areas throughout the United States including San Diego, Riverside County, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Seattle. Ayala also oversaw the agreement between La eMe and the Sinaloa Cartel, ordered the extortion of persons who failed to pay La eMe taxes, ordered the arson of property belonging to persons who failed to pay La eMe taxes, communicated La eMe directives to La eMe associates inside and outside the prison systems, and enforced discipline among La eMe associates.
Angel Anthony Esparza, aka “Snappy,” aka “Snaps,” was an inmate at San Quentin State Prison. Esparza handled La eMe business for Ayala. Esparza instructed others concerning the amount of La eMe taxes which Ayala ordered to be collected on controlled substances received through the agreement between La eMe and the Sinaloa Cartel. Esparza also provided instructions concerning the payment of La eMe taxes including, coordinating the receipt of La eMe tax payments.
Ronald Paul Sepulveda, aka “Temper,” acted as a La eMe associate outside the prison system in Riverside County. Ayala or his associates communicated La eMe directives to Sepulveda who, in turn, oversaw their commission. Those directives involved the collection of taxes, extortionate threats, arson, and taxes collected from persons in the entertainment industry, particularly musicians, who purported to have Sureño or La eMe affiliation.
Samuel O. Morales, aka “Payaso,” aka “Paya” was a member of the United Lokotes, a Sureño gang located in the Seattle area. Through his membership in a Sureño gang, Morales acted as a La eMe associate. Morales carried out a La eMe a directive to improve La eMe tax collection by organizing Sureño gangs in the area surrounding Seattle. Morales also assisted La eMe in a plot to extort a musician, and Morales oversaw the arson of property belonging to the musician.
Allen David Fong, aka “Frank,” aka “Frankie Chino” was an incarcerated La eMe associate. From inside California State Prison – Solano, Fong acted as a La eMe associate who helped to arrange controlled substance transactions and to collect La eMe taxes.
Alexis Rodriguez, aka “Menace,” was a member of the United Lokotes, a Sureño gang located in the Seattle area. Through his membership in a Sureño gang, Rodriguez acted as a La eMe associate. Along with Morales, Rodriguez assisted La eMe in a plot to extort a musician, and Rodriguez helped in the arson of property belonging to the musician.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Abendroth is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Ayala, Esparza, and Fong face a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. If convicted, Sepulveda, Morales, and Rodriguez face a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. The specific mission of the OCDETF Sacramento Strike Force is to identify, investigate, and prosecute the most significant criminal organizations operating in the Eastern District of California. OCDETF Sacramento Strike Force is composed of agents and officers from DEA, FBI, HSI, IRS-CI, USMS, ATF, USPIS, BLM, USFS, the Sacramento Sheriff’s Office, the California National Guard, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the California Department of Justice, and the Central Valley California HIDTA. The prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of California with the assistance of the Yolo County and Placer County District Attorneys.