Norteño Gang Member Sentenced To 15 Years For Conspiracies To Commit Assaults And Murders In Monterey County Jail

SAN JOSE – Jorge Jasso was sentenced today to 180 months (15 years) in federal prison following his convictions for multiple conspiracies involving gang violence in the Monterey County Jail, announced United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Beth L. Freeman.

Jasso is the last of 15 gang members who were charged, convicted, and sentenced in this case for wide ranging criminal conspiracies involving violence and drug trafficking.

On June 7, 2022, Jasso, age 30, of Soledad, California, was convicted by a federal jury of all charges against him. The charges consisted of engaging in a racketeering (RICO) conspiracy; engaging in a conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering; and engaging in a conspiracy to commit assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering.

In the same jury trial, Jasso’s co-defendant Vincent Gerald Garcia was convicted of the same charges. Garcia was sentenced on November 1, 2022, to 306 months (25 years, 6 months) in federal prison.

Trial evidence showed that Jasso was an active member of the Norteño street gang beginning in 2007. From at least May 2012 to September 2013, Jasso was incarcerated in the Monterey County Jail. During a portion of that time in jail, Jasso was a squad leader in his Norteño housing pod. Garcia, Jasso’s co-defendant, was also incarcerated there and held the position of Regiment Commander for the prison gang Nuestra Familia (“NF”). NF was in charge and controlled the criminal activities of gang inmates throughout the Monterey County Jail. The Norteño street gang is affiliated with and subordinate to the NF, and Norteño gang members pledge loyalty to the NF. Evidence showed that inside prisons and local jails, all members and affiliates of the NF, including Norteños, worked together to maintain gang structure and to follow the gang’s rules.

Trial evidence showed that Jasso conspired with other gang members to engage in attempted murders and assaults that took the form of “removals.” A removal refers to the removal of a gang member from the gang and consists of an organized attack upon the targeted victim. Any gang member in a Norteño housing unit who committed a serious violation of the rules could be subject to a removal. A removal first had to be authorized by the NF leader of the jail. The removal was then planned by the Norteño in charge of the housing unit and executed by the unit’s Norteño gang members. In the attack, one or more “hitters” stabbed the victim. The hitters were immediately followed by at least two “bombers.” Bombers viciously beat the victim. The beating by the bombers inflicted further injury to the target and continued a chaotic distraction, allowing time for the hitters to hide their weapons and wash off.

The trial focused on ten removals in the Monterey County Jail between December 2012 and April 2014. Most of the removals occurred in “K-Pod,” a cell block of housing units in Monterey County Jail that housed active Norteño members and associates exclusively. Three of the removals occurred in the jail’s main yard, during the recreation period for inmates who were housed in the lockdown pods for Norteños.

Evidence showed that Jasso played the role of a bomber in at least three removals. On December 2, 2012, one gang member, referred to as Victim-1, was removed in Monterey County Jail’s K-16 housing unit. During the removal, Victim-1 was stabbed over 20 times in the chest and back by a hitter. Immediately thereafter Jasso and another gang member punched and kicked the victim to inflict as much injury as possible, allowing the hitter to escape being caught by guards with the stabbing weapon. On February 25, 2013, another person,Victim-2, was also removed from the K-16 housing unit. The hitter in that removal stabbed Victim-2 in the head and face using a shank made from an electrical outlet plate sharpened into a stabbing instrument. Immediately thereafter the bombers – Jasso and another gang member – punched and kicked the victim to allow the hitter to escape. The wounds to Victim-2 required eight staples to his scalp and numerous stitches to his face and hand.

On April 29, 2013, Victim-3 was removed in the K-16 housing unit. As part the removal plan, Jasso falsely assured Victim-3 that Norteño leadership would not be punishing Victim-3 for his infraction, a tactic designed to cause Victim-3 to let his guard down and become an easier target. During the ensuing removal, the hitter stabbed Victim-3 repeatedly in the head. The bombers, which included Jasso, then descended upon Victim-3. As a result of the removal, Victim-3 suffered lacerations to his head requiring ten staples, a torn earlobe requiring seven sutures, and a facial droop.

Jasso was in custody at the time of his sentencing hearing and will begin to serve his sentence immediately.

The 15 defendants now convicted in this case are listed below with their charges and sentences:

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen Meyer and Neal Hong prosecuted the case at trial with the assistance of Christine Tian, Mimi Lam, Laurie Worthen, Susan Krieder, Lynette Dixon, and Elise Etter. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI with assistance from the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, the California Highway Patrol, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Salinas Police Department, the Soledad Police Department, and the Fresno Police Department.