SANTA ANA, Calif. — A reputed Orange County Mexican Mafia leader and two alleged associates have been charged in the Christmas morning 2016 killing of a San Juan Capistrano man whose son was the intended target of an assault, federal prosecutors announced Friday.
A superseding indictment returned Wednesday charges Johnny “Crow” Martinez, 50, of Placentia; Gregory Muñoz, 39, also known as “Snoopy” and “Louie,” of Placentia; and Agustin “Boogie” Velasquez, 30, of Anaheim, with murder in aid of racketeering.
Martinez, who is incarcerated, is identified by prosecutors as a leader of the Orange County Mexican Mafia. All three defendants are expected to be arraigned in federal court in the coming weeks.
According to the indictment, Velasquez and a co-conspirator broke into a San Juan Capistrano home on Dec. 25, 2016, intending to assault a man identified in court documents as F.M. Instead, they killed his father, identified as J.M., prosecutors allege.
In the months before the killing, Martinez, Muñoz and others discussed F.M., including that he had been in county jail and was “on a list,” according to court documents.
The indictment also describes a separate fatal robbery in January 2017.
Prosecutors allege Muñoz, acting on Martinez’s behalf, ordered Velasquez and two other men — Ysrael Jacob Cordova, 41, of Placentia, and Ricardo Valenzuela, 44, of Buena Park — to rob a man identified as R.R.
On Jan. 19, 2017, a Mexican Mafia associate drove the three men to the victim’s neighborhood, according to the indictment. They confronted R.R. outside his home at gunpoint, and Cordova shot and killed him, prosecutors said.
A federal jury convicted Cordova and Valenzuela of R.R.’s murder in July. Their sentencing hearings are scheduled for March 25, 2027.
Martinez and others also face federal racketeering charges involving alleged violence, extortion and drug trafficking from 2016 through April 2022.
The Mexican Mafia, also known as La Eme, is a U.S. prison gang that directs criminal activity by Hispanic street gangs in Southern California and collects a share of proceeds from drug trafficking, illegal gambling and other crimes, authorities said.
If convicted of the Christmas killing, Martinez, Muñoz and Velasquez face mandatory life imprisonment or a possible death sentence, according to the Justice Department.
The charges are allegations. Each defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Quick Fact Checklist
☐ Crime: Christmas morning 2016 killing
☐ Location: San Juan Capistrano, California
☐ Defendants: Johnny Martinez, Gregory Muñoz and Agustin Velasquez
☐ Charge: Murder in aid of racketeering
☐ Allegation: Intruders targeted the son but killed his father
☐ Next step: Federal arraignments expected in coming weeks
☐ Potential penalty: Mandatory life imprisonment or death
☐ Related case: Two men convicted in separate January 2017 killing
☐ Related sentencing: March 25, 2027
☐ Status: Charges remain allegations; defendants presumed innocent