Eight alleged gang members in Queens were taken into custody on racketeering and assault charges.
The defendants include Felix Bonilla Ramos (also known as “Chabelo” and “Ferras”), 36, Corona; Uriel Lopez (also known as “Tanke”), 30, Jackson Heights; Refugio Martinez (also known as “Cuco”), 32, Elmhurst; Margarito Ortega (also known as “Pinocchio”), 38, Elmhurst; Orlando Ramirez (also known as “Niñote”), 24, Elmhurst; German Rodriguez (also known as “Loco”), 34, Woodhaven; David Vasquez Corona (also known as “Teba”), 29, Elmhurst; and Marco Vidal Mendez (also known as “Matute”), 36, formerly of Elmhurst.
The defendants are alleged members and associates of the “54 Tiny Locos” clique, which controls a busy commercial corridor along Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights. Six defendants are charged with racketeering conspiracy, including predicate acts involving narcotics and firearms trafficking, production and sale of fraudulent identification documents, and extortion. Seven defendants are also charged with assaults in aid of racketeering, and one defendant is charged with being an alien in possession of a 9mm semiautomatic pistol and ammunition.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, FBI New York Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia and Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz held a press conference to announce new gang arrests on racketeering charges on June 16.
“This indictment represents a significant step in our ongoing effort to dismantle violent gang networks in our communities,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “The 18th Street gang exploited a Queens neighborhood as a hub for violence and illicit activity. Today’s arrests show the community that my Office and our law enforcement partners are working tirelessly to put these violent criminals behind bars.”
According to the charges, the gang allegedly financed its operations through drug dealing and other crimes, including trafficking in fraudulent identification documents — including fake passports, permanent resident cards, Social Security cards, driver’s licenses, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cards — and counterfeit currency. Members of 18th Street, including the defendants, also allegedly committed extortion by charging “rent” to other illicit businesses operating in the area, including unregulated brothels.
Certain defendants are also charged in connection with three past assaults over the past few years. The first incident took place on Dec. 31, 2021, when members of 18th Street, including Bonilla Ramos, Ramirez, and a co-conspirator, allegedly assaulted two victims outside of a Queens bar after asking if they were in a gang. The defendants allegedly violently beat the victims, with one victim being smashed twice with a glass bottle of tequila, leaving him with severe lacerations to his face and nerve damage.
Next, on Jan. 15, 2022, members of 18th Street allegedly attacked two victims outside a bar in Queens. A co-conspirator allegedly stabbed one of the victims while two other defendants held him in place. The victim suffered serious injuries, including injuries to his lung. The defendants then allegedly attacked the second victim with large wooden planks, causing lacerations that required sutures.
Then, on June 20, 2024, the gang members allegedly attacked a victim believed to be a rival gang member in a Queens parking lot. The assailants, including certain of the defendants, allegedly beat the victim with a bike lock and a metal chair, among other things. The victim received medical care for lacerations to his head, which required sutures.
“Every resident deserves to feel safe walking down the street, without having to worry about gang violence. My office will continue to combat violent criminal enterprises and assist partner investigations to dismantle gangs as they try to establish themselves in our neighborhoods,” stated Queens District Attorney Katz.
Nocella expressed his appreciation to the Queens County District Attorney’s Office, the FBI New York Metro Safe Streets Task Force, the Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General – New York Office, the United States Secret Service, and the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations, New York City Field Office, for their invaluable assistance with the case.
