LOS ANGELES
Three members of a Los Angeles street gang plead guilty to the fatal shooting last year of Los Angeles Police Officer Fernando Arroyos, the Justice Department announced Friday.
The following defendants – all members of the South Los Angeles-based Florencia 13 (F13) street gang – each pleaded guilty late Thursday to one count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act:
- Luis Alfredo de la Rosa Rios, 29, a.k.a. “Lil J” and “Lil Malo”;
- Ernesto Cisneros, 24, a.k.a. “Gonzo” and “Spooky”; and
- Jesse Contreras, 35, a.k.a. “Skinny Jack” and “Flaco.”
According to three plea agreements filed Thursday afternoon, on the night of January 10, 2022, the defendants drove in Rios’ truck around F13’s “territory” in the Florence-Firestone area of South Los Angeles, looking for people to rob.
The three defendants decided to rob Officer Arroyos because he wore gold chains around his neck. Arroyos was accompanied by another victim, who is identified in court documents as “A.M.” Contreras handed Rios a loaded gun. Cisneros already possessed a loaded gun. Rios and Cisneros, both armed, then exited Rios’ truck.
Cisneros approached the off-duty officer, patted him down, and then took his chains and wallet containing Arroyos’ LAPD identification card. Rios approached A.M., patted her down, and stole her property.
After robbing Arroyos, Rios and Cisneros opened fire. Arroyos was struck by a single bullet, which killed him.
Rios and Contreras admitted in their plea agreements to committing armed robberies against two victims outside a bar in the Florence-Firestone area earlier that day.
(2022 News Report)
“This case starkly illustrates the devastating impact of gangs on our community,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada. “A young man who had achieved great success and returned to serve his community as a Los Angeles Police officer was murdered while shopping for a home in the city he took an oath to protect. These senseless tragedies are repeated too often. Our work in this case sends a message that we will aggressively prosecute violence against our community.”
“The defendants admitted to their role in the callous and cowardly murder of a man – who happened to be an off-duty police officer – who was simply out with his girlfriend when they were randomly targeted for robbery,” said Donald Alway, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “These defendants now face spending the better part of their lives in prison and will no longer be in a position to prey on innocent victims.”
The three gang members pleaded guilty Thursday before United States District Judge Percy Anderson, who scheduled sentencing hearings on September 25 for Rios and Contreras, and an October 16 sentencing hearing for Cisneros.
As a result of their guilty pleas, each defendant faces a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison. Prosecutors have agreed to seek terms of between 35 and 50 years in prison for Rios and Cisneros, and a prison term of 35 years for Contreras.
Haylee Marie Grisham, 20, an F13 associate who was Rios’ girlfriend, pleaded guilty on April 5 to one count of violent crime in aid of racketeering for participating in the fatal robbery of Arroyos.
Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for Sept. 11. She faces up to life imprisonment.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI investigated this matter.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joanna M. Curtis, Chief of the General Crimes Section; Christopher C. Kendall of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section; and Kathy Yu of the Violent and Organized Crime Section are prosecuting this case.