Executive Summary
- Federal Indictment: Nine alleged members of the Salinas Acosta Plaza gang face racketeering conspiracy charges.
- Violent Crimes: The indictment covers acts from 2014-2024, including 11 murders and 14 attempted murders.
- Ongoing Operation: This legal action follows Operation "Dead End," which previously charged 11 associates in 2024.
SALINAS, Calif. — The Department of Justice and the Salinas Police Department have announced the unsealing of a federal indictment charging nine alleged members of the Salinas Acosta Plaza gang with racketeering conspiracy. Officials revealed the charges during a media conference on Tuesday, detailing a criminal enterprise allegedly responsible for a decade of violence involving numerous capital crimes.
According to the Department of Justice, the indictment, returned by a federal grand jury in the Northern District of California on December 18, 2025, outlines a pattern of racketeering activity spanning from July 2014 through April 2024. Prosecutors allege the conspiracy encompasses more than four dozen specific crimes, including 11 murders, 14 attempted murders, armed robberies, firearms trafficking, and the distribution of narcotics. Authorities stated that the group also orchestrated the firebombing of a Salinas apartment.
Federal investigators identified the alleged targets of this violence as perceived rival gang members, transient individuals, and former gang members who had disassociated from the organization. The nine defendants named in the indictment include Jesus Saldana, Oscar Benitez, Carlos Gutierrez, Jesus Avalos Fernandez, Gustavo Garcia, Lorenzo Garcia Jr., Bertin Medrano, Jose Aguilera, and Marco Sanchez. Several of these individuals, including Gustavo Garcia, Lorenzo Garcia Jr., and Bertin Medrano, were previously charged in a separate 2024 case.
Salinas police confirmed that Jesus Saldana was arrested and arraigned in federal court in San Jose earlier in January. Law enforcement officials noted that the remaining eight defendants were already in state or federal custody at the time the new charges were announced. If convicted under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, each defendant faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Federal Prosecution Strategy
This indictment represents a significant escalation in the federal effort to dismantle violent street gangs through the use of RICO statutes, which allow prosecutors to target the collective leadership and criminal history of an organization rather than isolated incidents. This legal action follows Operation "Dead End," a multi-agency enforcement operation that resulted in charges against 11 alleged members of the same faction in 2024. By leveraging federal racketeering laws, authorities aim to address long-term cycles of violence in the Salinas area. It is important to note that an indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
