Gang Trial: Indictment Adds 2016 Christmas Day Murder

Federal prosecutors filed a superseding indictment on Wednesday that adds a decade-old Christmas Day murder to the case against the Orange County chapter of the Mexican Mafia. The new charges target the reputed leadership of the gang and connect them to a fatal shooting in San Juan Capistrano that occurred in December 2016.

The indictment names Johnny Martinez, 50, of Placentia, as the head of the local branch. He is charged alongside Gregory Muñoz, 39, and Agustin Velasquez, 30, of Anaheim. According to federal allegations, the gang members intended to attack the son of the victim, Javier Maldonado, but mistakenly shot and killed the 60-year-old father instead.

Deputies responded to the 25000 block of Avenida Cabrillo at 5:20 a.m. on December 25, 2016, where they found Maldonado fatally shot inside his home. The superseding indictment states that Velasquez and an unnamed co-conspirator broke into the residence to carry out the attack. Prosecutors noted that Martinez and Muñoz had previously discussed the target, who was in county jail.

Velasquez had previously been convicted in state court for a separate January 2017 killing, but that conviction was reversed last November because investigators questioned him after he requested an attorney. He is currently awaiting retrial. The federal government took over the broader case after legal issues caused state cases against Martinez and other defendants to be dismissed.

The indictment also details the January 19, 2017, murder of Robert Rios. Ysrael Jacob Cordova and Ricardo Valenzuela were convicted in July of murder in the aid of racketeering for that killing and are awaiting sentencing. U.S. Attorney Caitlin Campbell stated that the men killed Rios because he failed to pay taxes on his drug profits to the gang. The Mexican Mafia is described as an umbrella organization of 150 to 200 elite members who oversee street gangs from prison.

Campbell said that Muñoz, a shot-caller, used a smuggled cell phone to coordinate the attack on Rios. He directed Velasquez, Cordova, and Valenzuela to rob the drug dealer. Charles Frederick Coghill drove the men to the neighborhood and testified at trial after accepting a deal with prosecutors. The prosecution relied on surveillance video, phone records, ballistics, and informant testimony because the murder weapon was never recovered.

Campbell noted that Martinez, who was in Salinas Valley State Prison at the time, allegedly received a cut of Rios' profits. She stated that the attack was meant to send a message to other gangs about paying their dues. After the Rios killing, Muñoz and Martinez had a falling out. Mejia, another shot-caller, ordered attacks on Muñoz for breaking gang rules, though not specifically because of the conflict over Rios.