O.C. gang members convicted of murder while carrying out armed robbery for Mexican Mafia

Two members of an Orange County street gang were found guilty of murdering a man while attempting to carry out an armed robbery under the direction of the Mexican Mafia, authorities said.

The Mexican Mafia, also referred to as La Eme, is a prison gang with “immense control” over Latino street gangs in Southern California, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Incarcerated Mafia leaders order gang members to carry out illegal acts from behind bars and then collect a portion of proceeds from drug sales, gambling and other crimes. Those who disobey their orders face violent retribution.

On Wednesday, a jury found Ysrael Jacob Cordova, 41, aka “Trips” or “Tripper,” of Placentia and Ricardo Valenzuela, 44, aka “Solo,” of Buena Park guilty of one count of murder each in aid of racketeering, prosecutors said.

The racketeering element of Cordova’s and Valenzuela’s charges comes with a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole and signifies that their crime was committed in order to maintain standing within a criminal organization.

Charging them with racketeering also enables prosecutors to go after the men who allegedly directed the crime from behind bars — identified in this case as Johnny Martinez, 50, and Gregory Muñoz, 38.

Martinez, aka “Crow,” is a Mexican Mafia member who was in charge of criminal activities on the streets and inside the prisons of Orange County at the time of the murder, prosecutors said. While incarcerated at Salinas Valley State Prison in Monterey County, Martinez is accused of directing the armed robbery of a victim referred to as R.R. more than 300 miles away in Placentia.

Muñoz, aka “Lou,” “Louie,” “Snoopy” or “Snoops,” is accused of acting as a middleman and delivering the orders for Cordova and Valenzuela to commit the robbery. At the time, Muñoz was imprisoned at Calipatria State Prison in Imperial County, prosecutors said.

On Jan. 19, 2017, Cordova and Valenzuela were driven to R.R.’s neighborhood in Placentia to rob R.R. at gunpoint, prosecutors said. During the robbery, Cordova shot and killed R.R. The two men, armed with long guns, then fled the scene.

Cordova and Valenzuela were charged in 2022 as part of a sweeping 33-count federal grand jury indictment targeting 31 alleged Mexican Mafia associates and gang members for crimes involving murder, drug dealing and illegal firearms.

At the time of the indictment, 21 defendants were already in custody and the others were freshly arrested. Since then, prosecutors have secured 15 convictions in the criminal case.

Muñoz is scheduled to go to trial in July 2027 on the same charges that led to convictions for Cordova and Valenzuela. Meanwhile, Martinez and six other defendants are set to go to trial in August 2027 for an array of charges including drug trafficking and firearms offenses, as well as directing and carrying out violent crimes on behalf of a criminal organization.

“We will never tolerate senseless acts of gang violence on the streets, especially those ordered by convicted felons behind bars,” said First Assistant U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli in a statement Wednesday. “We will vigorously prosecute gang violence to keep our community safe and to provide justice for the victims.”