SANTA ANA
A Santa Ana man affiliated with the Mexican Mafia was sentenced Monday to 10 years in federal prison for taking part in a 2019 attack inside an Orange County jail that left another inmate with his throat slashed, federal officials announced Tuesday.
Robert Amezcua, 54, also known as “Flaco,” was sentenced to 120 months by U.S. District Judge Fred W. Slaughter after a jury convicted him of committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering.
Jurors found Amezcua guilty in January 2024 following a three-day trial. Prosecutors said the crime stemmed from gang-related activity tied to the Mexican Mafia prison gang.
According to authorities, the assault occurred Dec. 31, 2019, at the Theo Lacy Facility in Orange. Authorities said Amezcua, a member of the Madison Park clique of the Lopers street gang, repeatedly punched the victim while another inmate used a razor blade to slash the man’s throat.
The victim survived.
Amezcua was among 31 defendants charged in a 33-count federal grand jury indictment returned in 2022.
Two other inmates were charged in connection with the attack. Mher Darbinyan, 50, known as “Hollywood Mike,” of Valencia, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison after pleading guilty in January 2024 to conspiracy to commit assault resulting in serious bodily injury.
In his plea agreement, Darbinyan admitted he and two others assaulted the victim.
Robert Martinez, 43, also known as “Lil Rob” and “Blacky,” of Placentia, is scheduled to stand trial Aug. 4 on charges related to the attack, along with additional counts.
Of the defendants named in the indictment, four have been convicted at trial — including three found guilty of VICAR murder in October 2023 and Amezcua. Sixteen defendants have pleaded guilty. Eleven others remain scheduled for trials this summer on charges including racketeering conspiracy and VICAR murder.
The case was investigated by federal authorities along with multiple local and state law enforcement agencies.