Dyno has since expanded his own label, Darkroom Studios, starred in three independent movies, and penned a fictional autobiography about a gangster named Joaquin who takes up arms for the Zapatistas. They were operating a sophisticated shop, gang expert Lewis said. He was very concerned about his familys safety, his safety. walls at Pelican Bay State Prison to carry out the crimes. I wanted to get out of there, to come to California and do what I needed to do.. And though prison officials recently reorganized the housing in a way that slows down gang communications, coded directives are still smuggled out that translate to violence in California cities and farm towns. During his time with Nuestra Raza, Gratton learned the boot camp basics: how to make shanks, decode letters, and memorize the NF Constitution. Not only was there one less Sureo, but Lizard also showed a knack for attacking without detection. Daniel Hernandez sends a red line to several imprisoned (NF) leaders recommeding the impeachment of (NF) General Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba and lieutenant Sheldon Villanueva. After Gratton stabbed an enemy in Corcoran, he was transferred to Pelican Bays infamous Secured Housing Unit the college for prison gangsters. He crawled into his living room before dying in his familys arms. He has since repudiated his former gang life, and spends his time writing and speaking to law enforcement gatherings about prison gangs. Transferred to Chino State Prison, he celled with two Texas gang members whod been banished for terrorizing their own prison system. But one day on the yard, he was approached by Juan Nato Gurule, a long-lost cousin from the East Bay. Im so afraid, oh my God/Dont take me away, he raps, slowly, to the jailers whove come for him. He complained again that his overhead was too high; he had to charge $3,200 per pound of meth, while his competitors were selling it at $2,600 to $2,800. Dec. 22, 2021 5 AM PT. As Chuco watched from up the street, David Dreamer Escamilla and Santos Bad Boy Burnias charged their target and chased him into his garage. Thats it. If you ever want to talk, call me. They were expected to smuggle in a copy of the Nuestra Familia constitution inside their legal folders and commit the document and its philosophy to memory. They formed their own gang: Nuestra Familia our family. Not just in rap, but everywhere. He is the most significant witness and cooperators in this prison gang/organized crime family in history. You wouldnt isolate an inmate and make him a target for the other side., But some criminologists now acknowledge that this practice strengthened the gangs. While the recognized leaders of the Norteos in Pelican Bay ask that members respect the former leaders, they have been effectively stripped of their authority. After a Nuestra Familia-led intifada left Folsom State Prison wet with blood, officials transferred most if not all of that facilitys Norteos to other state institutions. For this outburst, prison administrators shipped Lizard off to Pelican Bay State Prison the last stop for riders. This is a combined effort to enlighten the worthy, as the time is now that we must leave old attitudes to the past, and adopt new and more meaningful and fulfilling ideas. Black tattoo ink scribbled across their forearms and crawled up their necks, and some of them hid stone-faced beneath dark Ray-Ban-style glasses. For months, Dynos attorneys have been trying to distance their client from the rest of the defendants and get him his own trial. January 22,2001 Lawyers for the eight defendants, however, are likely to attack Quoting the prophet Jeremiah from the Old Testament, Bishop Manuel Cruz, a Cuban emigre himself, passionately said: "Woe to me if I do not care for my people and hear their cries." He took the gangs oath, Blood in, blood out, and rose to the rank of captain within a few years. The rapper says his final meeting with Gratton occurred while the label owner was outside washing his car. It probably aggravated the situation, and forced people to align, pick a side. He oversaw battalions across the greater Bay Area, and relayed their progress to his bosses back inside. The idea was to create a music CD that would appeal to young Latinos and help recruit them into the ranks of the Nortenos, the breeding ground for hate toward the soldados of the Mexican Mafia. From inside Pelican Bay State Prison, Lizard had served as the brutally violent gangs principal secretary, helping inmates in solitary confinement set up bank accounts in Idaho, direct drug sales across Northern California, and even order murders. Copyright 2023 They didnt care about agendas like that.. Californias most fearsome prison is located near the Oregon border, a windswept fortress surrounded by three walls and two barbed-wire fences. If he went back to Pelican Bay, his elders would be upset to see him. Even though the project had cash potential tomorrow, Sir Dyno still needed money today. Gratton had been deployed by his bosses to run the gangs Zapatista crew, which operated in the Modesto, Tracy, and Turlock areas. The eradication was criticized by some prison gang experts, citing that Eme members now filled a power vacuum, and that future Norteos, outnumbered and alone, would only serve as bait. All rights reserved. Copyright Weeklys All rights reserved. He told them about killing Brown Bob. They pulled in young guys by the bushel.. That report, based on information from another snitch, revealed that Cuete was demoted by the generals to the lowest rank for skimming funds and gossiping. He also was responsible for ensuring the battalions on the streets were holding fast against Sureos and sending drug profits to help pay the legal bills of their incarcerated generals. Later, when Heltons team arrested an alleged Nuestra Familia member named Vidal Spider Fabela during a traffic stop, they found G.U.N. Both were steeped in the Jehovahs Witnesses faith. Even though he was broke and sleeping on friends couches, Sir Dyno felt he was on the cusp of the big time, ready to break. Meanwhile, Lizard received government paychecks totaling more than $52,000 for his seven months of work, according to FBI reports. Lizard was the kind of guy who took the NF way very seriously. Days later, Big Smiley sent Lizard his own wilas, as well as books on Chicano history. If they come for him, he said, he worries only for them, his enemies. He said that was where he picked up the nickname Lizard, from friends who admired his clandestine nature.. In it, he explains how the CD brought him unwanted attention and more money than hed expected, but he never reveals whether Sir Dyno knew North Star was a front for Nuestra Familia. I was getting my game back, Lizard said. His bike frame was made by Dyno, so the kids at school called him Dyno Dave. By the time he turned twenty, though, youthful angst had sunk in, and Too $hort cassettes found a home in Dyno Daves music box. I told him, Listen. Not with NF.. It was explained to Rocha that the RICO charge had to do with racketeering and his involvement with Nuestra Familia prison gang; specifically in the creating of the Generations of United Norteos compact disc and how the CD was financed. Then he waited. All those guys didnt want to see me up there. The DA was forced to offer Lizard a six-year deal, which he happily accepted. Lizard initially followed his script and pushed for peace, according to the transcripts. Lizard had made other deals, too. Select the option or tab named Internet Options (Internet Explorer), Options (Firefox), Preferences (Safari) or Settings (Chrome). The case grew out of information developed by Santa Rosa Police, Thousands bought the album in the major record chains like Sam Goody's. Every day we prepared for war., Lizard speaks about his gang membership with such conviction and authority that one law enforcement official jokingly compared his oratory skills to those of Fidel Castro. For instance, if Lizard wrote Hey Love, that meant that every third word was part of the real message. Its as sensible as that East Coast-West Coast thing. He could shank n roll, as the prisoners say. What they will do within the federal prison remains to be seen, but investigators said stabbings have increased and communication with the outside has been established through cell phones smuggled into prison. His character on the track writes a letter to his daughter, apologizing for his absence while she grows up. I was ready to go, he recalled. And when that rhyme ran out, as it usually does, he went where other rappers go to make up for the sudden loss of material: He started making shit up. But Lizards exploits show how prison policies adopted to control gangs such as Nuestra Familia may actually have helped them bloom. With the prison population growing so fast, they had their pick, Lewis said. I was already doing what I was doing, you know? For penance, Cuete was allegedly ordered to write an essay on the consequences of being a gossip. The album would preach the unification of norteos Chicanos born north of an invisible border located somewhere around Fresno who, once inside the prison system, were eligible to join Nuestra Familia. Gratton is the guy whos going to make the entire case against David; its his word against Davids. Lizard brushed aside Holguins offer. Hed turned his parents garage into a makeshift studio, recorded cassettes, and sold them at low-rider shows and East Bay record stores. No one who entered the system could safely walk alone. Silent also provided Lizard with a stolen Dodge Durango to test-drive. Instead, he says, Gratton talked business. "DC Cervantes is calling the shots," said J.R. Auten, a former gang investigator for state prisons and now a consultant for federal and state law enforcement. Still, the accusations put Lizards conduct under scrutiny. On January 24, 2001, at the FBIs prodding, Lizard hosted a junta for local underbosses at a Motel 6 in Tracy. In August 1998, the CD appeared on the radar of Tim Helton, an investigator on Modestos Street Terrorism and Apprehension Team. Rocha still did not understand the charge or why he was being placed into custody. Hed been Cuetes right hand for four years. To the FBIs delight, he also boasted about his existing Ecstasy ring, which was clearing a few thousand dollars a week. He pleaded guilty to arranging two murders from prison, and will be sentenced to life in prison in December, along with the gangs generals. In September, the final eight defendants pleaded guilty, following the first thirteen members indicted. Bakersfield was the traditional dividing point, but with the crush of immigration, the numerically superior Sureos pushed the demarcation line further north, first to Fresno and then to Modesto. But as his FBI handlers dug further into Lizards tenure as their employee, they unraveled other disturbing facts that threatened to compromise the credibility of their star witness. Arresting the majority of the defendants was easy; they were already in prison. Police dogs sniffed through his car and came up with three ounces of crystal meth. County./AP. with prosecutors for reduced sentences, The Press Democrat reported A member of the Mexican Mafia, Ortiz was cast out of the criminal organization in the mid-1990s after angering . Address: 318 Harrison Street, Suite 302, Oakland, CA 94607 Phone: (510) 879-3700 www.EastBayExpress.com More by Justin Berton Lizard is a Rat new AltWeeklies Award - Feature Story East Bay Express | Justin Berton | 04-21-2008 | Media Tags: media Growing Up Right new At any one time, an estimated two to three hundred members are incarcerated there, including the gangs top three generals. Lizard was paroled to the outside world on May 18, 2000. According to court documents, Gratton says he regularly fronted Sir Dyno four ounces at a time. The federal indictment named 13 members, including Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba, the boss who greenlighted Viramontes, and the two other reigning La Mesa members, James "Tibbs" Morado and Cornelio "Corny" Tristan. In fact, the 31-year-old gangsta rapper, whose real name is David Rocha, wanted nothing more than to distance himself from his codefendants. Jared Lewis, a former Modesto gang investigator, says the impact of G.U.N. Its a tough call. This was the place where we took all of our training to the next level. In a corner of his home thats been scribbled on with black markers by one of his kids, Sir Dyno still works daily, mixing beats on a computer, recording new rhymes, diddling on a keyboard. They sat by and watched these guys pick each other off one by one. According to motions filed by Zilversmit, at least two other alleged Nuestra Familia members were attacked while the feds were listening in. Grattons information cast a domino effect, eventually leading to 21 cooperating witnesses for the government. But the feds believe his relationship with Gratton ran deeper than words on wax. But Lizard hadnt exactly gone straight. Theres nothing to prepare. A huge warehouse complex project is before the American City Council. They need their cut, he said. In the aftermath, some of the gang's thousands of Norte-o associates -- street-level soldiers who answer to Nuestra Familia -- stayed loyal to the exiled generals and captains, while others looked to Pelican Bay because the gang's written constitution said its leaders must reside there. But copies were intercepted in Pelican Bay, giving investigators a heads-up about the leadership changes. Still Sir Dyno says he wasnt getting paid. One such order last year told Norte-os across Northern California to clean the streets of Sure-os. On Daddys Home, instead of the stone-cold thug who whacks his way through the streets, Sir Dyno raps about what he truly is: a 31-year-old father facing a life sentence for the choices he made years earlier. Click here to follow the step-by-step murder of Brown Bob, as conducted from inside prison walls. No one who got whacked was an innocent man. But while prosecutors were assembling their final case against the gang, Lizard was drug-tested as part of the terms of his release. But claiming norteo is at least a step toward gang culture, where the stakes are high. There was also the lean and smooth figure of Gerald "Cuete" Rubalcaba, the gang's most powerful captain, whose job inside Pelican Bay, a fellow gang member told the feds, was to "keister" the syndicate's constitution in his rectum, along with the master hit list which, by now, read fifty names long. At a hearing last month, Steven Gruel, US assistant attorney and Chief of Major Crimes, told the court that Sir Dynos limited role with Nuestra Familia made no difference under the law: It doesnt matter if you associate with a RICO enterprise for five years or five minutes; it still makes you part of the conspiracy.. [Gratton] said he was sick and tired of going to prison, he didnt want to go back, he wants to be legitimate, Dyno recalls, so he wants to sell cars and start a record company. The strings of evidence crossed, and the investigation grew, joined by the FBI and dubbed Operation Black Widow. New soldiers became captains and generals by stabbing or killing people. Inside the state prison system, norteos side with Nuestra Familias syndicates, and sureos with La Eme, aka the Mexican Mafia. Operation Knockout Its not realistic to integrate them now, said Holguin, now retired from the Department of Corrections. If he was going to hold the case together, hed need to account for his own alleged crimes as a snitch. They also hardened into gang boundaries on the streets. Nineteen-year-old Armando Frias was shooting pool when he recognized the wanted man. Whites joined the Aryan Brotherhood or Nazi Low Riders for protection. He already was serving a life sentence for murder in Pelican Bay State Prison, but now he was under indictment for ordering a hit on an underboss named Miguel Mikio Castillo. You have permission to edit this article. Gang affiliation in California is often a matter of geography, but for Daniel Hernandez it wasnt that simple. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. After a few weeks of writing and recording, the CD was released on Cinco de Mayo of 1998 and found its audience immediately. Years earlier, a young Norteo paroled from Pelican Bay had given a Santa Rosa detective a lead into the prison gang. But the state prison guards union and correctional officials have argued that to mix inmates now would only bring more violence. Outside prison walls, the reach and violence of Nuestra Familia had only grown. In the eyes of the law, that would make Sir Dyno a real-life gangster. Cuete took a shine to Lizard because Lizard was a stickler for detail, one police investigator said last year. The guys I played with didnt care Norteo, Sureo, or what side you were on. By now, rumors were swirling that G.U.N. According to Lizard, the commander had one more piece of information: Cuete says youre a no-good. Prisoners are permitted reading materials, including legal documents in manila folders, which are hands-off to the guards who routinely search the cells. Frias, a 22-year-old Salinas native, maintains that Hernandez, the informant, approved the "green light," the execution order, on Sanchez while working for the FBI. His shackled codefendants didnt even look at him as he took his seat among them. He took a job at a golf course and used his access to the links to reclaim his swing, sometimes playing 36 holes a day. I was giving them a taste of something they wanted for a long time. Eager to shore up his status in Nuestra Familia, Lizard said, he soon stabbed Sureo Rudolpho Castillo in the throat, nearly killing him. But at the time, it seemed like the right thing to do. In the eyes of the law, that would make Sir Dyno a real-life gangster. Lizard and Nato were both soon paroled. His most recent, Engrave These Words on My Stone, is probably his most cathartic, if not authentic. Sir Dyno, however, isnt charged with any individual crime, just one count of RICO conspiracy, and his connection to that crime seems to be largely related to his performance on Generations of United Norteos. Were moving your ass. Blacks sided with the Black Guerrilla Family or the Five Percenters. Together, Nato and Lizard robbed drug dealers, committed petty crimes, and raised funds for their carnals back inside. When Lizard asked Goose about protection for the rings, the underling said, Ill produce the manpower [and] the weapons to facilitate our needs and firepower to lay the motherfuckers down.. Lexipol. When his handlers shook him from his slumber, Lizard felt relieved, not irritated. Copyright 2023 Lexipol. Even though theyd heard about the hit in advance, FBI agents never told Sanchez he was marked for violence. Back among the general prison population, Lizard reported to his ranking captain, Gerald Cuete Rubalcaba, one of the gangs most revered members. The prosecutors revealed that Gratton would testify Sir Dyno dealt meth on his behalf. Sir Dyno wanted to make a name for himself, Lewis says, so he sold his soul to the devil. Since then, district attorneys from five NorCal counties had teamed up to share unsolved homicide files on dead Norteos. But nowhere on the CD, or in the lyrics, do the words Nuestra Familia appear. At the time, the $5 million price tag and networking of thirty different law enforcement agencies made it the most expensive and largest investigation into a California prison gang. Ramirez confided to Lizard that his own boss, Heredia, who would later be Zilversmits client, wanted to go to war. What to do? Lizard said he attacked Huero-T as he slept, pummeling him into a bloody mess until guards pulled him off. Instance, if Lizard wrote Hey Love, that would make gerald cuete'' rubalcaba Dyno dealt meth his. Of information: Cuete says youre a no-good he recognized the wanted.... Investigation grew, joined by the FBI and dubbed Operation Black Widow oh my God/Dont take me away, said! And violence of Nuestra Familia member named Vidal Spider Fabela during a traffic stop they... Them now, said Holguin, now retired from the Department of Corrections this prison gang/organized family! 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