An Ontario, Ore., man was sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison in federal court Tuesday in Boise for conspiracy, attempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon in connection with gang activity in Oregon and Idaho.
U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge also sentenced Jessie Rodriguez, 24, to three years supervised release and a $4,000 fine. According to prosecutors, Rodriguez, a member of the Brown Magic Clica gang, admitted to firing shots from a rifle into a crowd of people at a baby's baptism in Parma in July 2006. He also admitted to attempting to murder a rival gang member during a drive-by shooting on in July, 2006 in Ontario. Rodriguez admitted to threatening people in Payette in May 2010 with a knife.
"These gangs are like a devil's workshop," Lodge said Tuesday, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney for Idaho. "If you want to live in this community you have an obligation to try and make it a good place to live. This gang exists in order to instill fear and intimidation in the very community your family has to live.”
Another gang member, Adam Gomez, 24, of Boise is scheduled to be sentenced in April after pleading guilty to racketeering.
A jury trial is set for May for several remaining defendants named in a federal indictment, including Alfredo Castro, 35, Adelaido Gomez, 26, and Juan Jimenez, 27, of Boise and Juan Gonzalez, 26, of Cottonwood. Three other co-defendants have already been sentenced.
