US gang members face federal prison for RICO conspiracies and murders

Federal authorities have secured significant convictions against members of organized criminal gangs in Arizona and California involving racketeering and violent crimes.

In Tucson, David Kapone Williams was sentenced to 335 months in prison following a guilty plea to conspiracy to participate in a pattern of racketeering activity. Williams admitted to being a member of the Western Hills Bloods (WHB), a gang involved in narcotics trafficking, witness intimidation, and murder. Court documents state Williams participated in the May 2015 murder of a rival gang member near the Tucson International Airport and was linked to a 2014 homicide. Several co-defendants in the WHB case have also received lengthy prison sentences.

In Los Angeles, Walter Chavez Larin, 27, was convicted by a federal jury on charges including conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and two counts of murder in aid of racketeering. Prosecutors detailed a series of violent killings used by gang members to advance their standing within the organization. The crimes included various methods of killing in remote locations such as the Angeles National Forest, where victims were reportedly beaten, stabbed, or shot before their bodies were discarded.