Source: Office of United States Attorneys
SAN DIEGO – Odyssey Carrillo, a member of the Emerald Hills Bloods gang, was sentenced in federal court today to 168 months in prison for his role in a racketeering conspiracy involving coordinated violent crimes by street gangs.
Carrillo is the ninth and final member of the conspiracy to be sentenced. He pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Conduct Enterprise Affairs Through a Pattern of Racketeering Activity and Hobbs Act Robbery. According to court documents, the crimes committed by the enterprise included armed robbery, sex trafficking, prostitution, violence and other profit-driven illegal activities.
The defendants were charged with racketeering conspiracy – the statute’s original inspiration was to combat organized-crime syndicates and mobsters. But as criminal street gangs have become more sophisticated and prolific in their illicit business pursuits, this statute has become an effective tool to address all aspects of coordinated violent criminal conduct.
Previously sentenced defendants include Jerome Brunson, Cedric Jordan, Stephen Nathaniel Calhoun, Jr., Carl Moore, Maurice Johnson, Dajay Leon Scott, Taashawn Henderson and Sergio Valentin Louden.
In his plea agreement, Carrillo admitted that he joined the conspiracy that engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity that included robbery, prostitution and sex trafficking. Carrillo further admitted to committing racketeering activity himself, including two specific armed robberies.
Carrillo, Calhoun and Moore admitted to participating in the January 19, 2019, armed robbery of San Carlos Jewelers in San Diego and the February 11, 2019, armed robbery of the Bert Levi Family Jewelers in San Diego.
Calhoun also admitted to robbing the Medicine Shoppe in San Diego by gunpoint on May 20, 2019. Calhoun and Moore both admitted to being Lincoln Park Bloods (LPK) gang members; Carrillo admitted to being an Emerald Hills gang member, a Bloods-aligned street gang that often works cooperatively with LPK. Calhoun and Moore were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Cynthia Bashant to 176 months and 105 months in custody, respectively.
According to their plea agreements, in furtherance of the racketeering conspiracy, Jerome Brunson admitted to being an LPK member who participated in the November 19, 2019, armed robbery of a Jared’s jewelry store in National City. Judge Bashant sentenced Brunson to 57 months in custody. Dajay Scott and Sergio Louden admitted to being LPK members who robbed numerous women of their purses outside nail salons in January 2020. Judge Bashant sentenced Scott and Louden to 48 months and 72 months in custody, respectively.
Cedric Jordan, Maurice Johnson, and Taashawn Henderson admitted to being LPK members who, during the course and in furtherance of the conspiracy, engaged in sex offenses related to sex trafficking and transportation for purposes of prostitution. Judge Bashant sentenced Jordan, Johnson, and Henderson to 63 months, 60 months, and 58 months in custody, respectively.
“Every member of our community is put at risk when criminal street gangs engage in armed robberies, sex trafficking, and other violent criminal acts,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Haden. “This case is the result of outstanding teamwork and collaboration between our local and federal law enforcement partners. We will continue to hold these violent groups accountable, using the RICO tools at our disposal, to bring justice to crime victims and to make our community safer.”
“Today’s sentencing reflects the hard work, determination, and collaboration of multiple agencies to dismantle an organized crime conspiracy,” said FBI San Diego Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy. “The violent crime and gang threats are too diverse, too dangerous, and too all-encompassing for any of us to tackle alone. FBI will continue to work with our partners to disrupt violent crime, human traffickers, and violent gangs whose criminal acts devastate our communities.”
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mario J. Peia, Katherine E. A. McGrath, and Matthew Brehm.
DEFENDANTS Case Number 21cr2909-BAS
Jerome Brunson Age: 27 San Diego, CA
Cedric Jordan Age: 36 San Diego, CA
Stephen Nathaniel Calhoun, Jr. Age: 24 San Diego, CA
Carl Moore Age: 34 San Diego, CA
Maurice Johnson Age: 34 San Diego, CA
Dajay Leon Scott Age: 26 San Diego, CA
Taashawn Henderson Age: 29 San Diego, CA
Sergio Valentin Louden Age: 36 San Diego, CA
Odyssey Carrillo Age: 23 San Diego, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Conspiracy to Conduct Enterprise Affairs Through a Pattern of Racketeering Activity – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1962(d)
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $250,000 fine
Interference with Commerce by Robbery – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1951
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $250,000 fine
Brandishing a Firearm During and In Relation to a Crime of Violence – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 924(c)
Maximum penalty: Life in prison with a seven-year mandatory minimum and $250,000 fine
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Federal Bureau of Investigation
San Diego Police Department
San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force
San Diego County Sheriff’s Department
National City Police Department
San Diego County District Attorney’s Office
*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.