On March 28, four members and associates of the Pomona gang, who are tied to the Mexican Mafia, were found guilty of multiple racketeering-related crimes, including the murder of a federal inmate. The convictions were announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
Michael Lerma, 68, also known as “Pomona Mike” or “Big Mike”; Carlos Gonzalez, 41, a.k.a. “Popeye”; Juan Sanchez, 33, a.k.a. “Squeaks”; and Jose Valencia Gonzalez, 44, a.k.a. “Swifty,” were convicted by a federal jury after a lengthy investigation. The group had been involved in numerous criminal activities, ranging from extorting drug proceeds from Latino street gangs in Pomona to engaging in narcotics trafficking, robberies, identity theft, fraud, and violence.
Lerma, a full-fledged member of the Mexican Mafia, led the criminal enterprise from February 2012 until June 2020. His operations included managing drug distribution networks in Pomona and coordinating illegal activities from within the Calipatria State Prison.
The most significant charge brought against the group was the murder of an inmate identified as “S.B.” at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in June 2020. Gonzalez, Valencia Gonzalez, and Sanchez entered S.B.’s cell and killed him on Lerma’s orders. The murder was reportedly carried out in retaliation for S.B.’s failure to settle outstanding drug debts owed to Lerma’s Mexican Mafia faction.
In addition to the murder charge, Lerma and Valencia Gonzalez were found guilty of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and heroin inside MDC and throughout Pomona. Gonzalez and Valencia Gonzalez were also convicted for being felons in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
All four defendants have remained in federal custody since 2018. Their convictions mark the culmination of extensive law enforcement efforts to dismantle a dangerous criminal enterprise operating within California’s prison system and the surrounding communities.
