“Project Safe Neighborhoods is a proven program with demonstrated results,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. “We know that the most effective strategy to reduce violent crime is based on sound policing policies that have proven effective over many years, which includes being targeted and responsive to community needs. I have empowered our United States Attorneys to focus enforcement efforts against the most violent criminals in their districts, and directed that they work together with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and community partners to develop tailored solutions to the unique violent crime problems they face. Each United States Attorney has prioritized the PSN program, and I am confident that it will continue to reduce crime, save lives, and restore safety to our communities.”

U.S. Attorney Scott stated: “Our office has a strong track record of working with our federal, state and local partners to prosecute cases aimed at reducing violent crime in our communities. We have developed a model that targets the most violent street gangs plaguing counties in our district, and we have focused on stemming the tide of illegal firearms flowing into our communities, prosecuting those who manufacture, distribute, and possess those weapons. We have deployed this strategy in the Counties of Fresno, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Shasta, Kern, Solano and Tulare, and we are working to spread this model throughout the district. Project Safe Neighborhoods is alive and well in the Eastern District of California.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office works regularly with District Attorney’s Offices in Fresno, Sacramento, Kern, Stanislaus, Solano, and Tulare Counties, and partners with local law enforcement and federal agencies to target drivers of violence in those communities, including gang members and those who inject illegal firearms into the hands of criminals. This team collects and analyzes statistical and anecdotal data to refine the targeted use of pooled resources. Since the revitalization of PSN in October 2017, more than 110 defendants have been indicted federally for charges arising from PSN investigations in Fresno, Kern, Merced, Stanislaus, and Tulare Counties. In 2018, a total of 35 PSN defendants were sentenced to between two and 15 years in prison.

Project Safe Neighborhoods has helped to reinvigorate existing partnerships in our district, which has a history of successful collaborations with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Those collaborations have resulted in several large-scale, long-term, multidefendant gang cases, with many arrests, guilty pleas, and sentencings occurring over the past year. Below are examples.

• Operation Blue Inferno (Fresno) — 21 defendants were charged with offenses including murder, kidnapping, assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, as well as a drug trafficking conspiracy.
• Operation Dog Track (Fresno) — The defendants were charged with various racketeering, human trafficking, fraud and firearms offenses in U.S. v. James York, et al. All 17 defendants have pleaded guilty, and 11 have been sentenced, receiving sentences of up to 10 years in prison.
• Operation Alpha Dog (Fresno) — The 2017 investigation into Fresno criminal street gangs resulted in federal charges against 18 defendants and state charges against at least 14 defendants. The various charges include drug trafficking, conspiracy to traffic illegally in firearms, and transportation for the purpose of prostitution.
• Operation Blind Mice (Kern)— A multi-agency investigation of Bakersfield’s West Side Crips gang resulted in federal indictments against 11 gang members or associates as well as state charges against approximately 30 individuals for crimes ranging from burglary to murder.
• Operation Downward Dog — Two defendants from this operation were in court last week: Christopher Martinez Jr. pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking conspiracy, and Randy Seja was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in the drug trafficking conspiracy. Both were members of the Bulldogs criminal street gang and ranking members of the related Malos Hechos motorcycle gang.
• Operation Red Sol (Tulare) – The final defendant, Fabian Magana, from this Tulare County operation targeting Nortenos and associates, was sentenced in November 2017. The investigation resulted in 6 federal indictments and convictions on drug trafficking and firearms charges, and a substantial number more state charges. All 6 defendants have been sentenced with sentences up to 15 years imprisonment.
  Additionally, Project Safe Neighborhoods has targeted individuals engaged in a number of firearms offenses, including armed robbery, felons in possession of firearms and firearms trafficking. Some of those cases are highlighted below.
• Javier Alonso Beltran and Ulises Medina were members of a conspiracy that committed a series of armed robberies of gas stations, convenience stores, and liquor stores in Tulare and Kern counties from May 19, 2016, until July 22, 2017.
• On April 5, 2018, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging seven Tennessee and California residents with various firearms offenses. Firearms purchased in Tennessee were shipped to California where they were offered for sale.
• On March 8, 2018, Turlock residents Miguel Rosas and Francisco Rosas were charged with dealing in firearms without a license with regard to the sale of 24 firearms, including a multiple AR-15 style rifles, a short barrel shotgun, a short barrel rifle, bulletproof vests and ammunition. Jaime Arellano, of Fresno, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
• On March 8, 2018, Jovan Escalante of Fresno, was indicted for maliciously damaging a building by fire. Escalante allegedly threw multiple Molotov cocktails (ignited bottles of gasoline) at an apartment complex in Fresno, causing fire damage to the apartment and a car parked at the apartment complex.
• On June 4, 2018, Luvell Ronell Blinks, a two time convicted felon and East Side Crips gang member, was sentenced to five years in prison for possession of a loaded .357‑caliber Smith and Wesson revolver and a loaded handgun.
  In addition to prosecutions, the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative in Fresno and Bakersfield supports law enforcement, clergy and community groups working to reduce gun violence. This is critical, as the goal of PSN is not to merely manage or punish crime but to make every district safer through community partnerships.
  In Fresno, the HOPE Coalition (link is external) does a monthly block party where food/groceries are given away, bicycles for kids are given away, and free food and entertainment are provided. The location of the block parties are typically ones where a shooting has occurred and the residents may be too fearful to come out of their houses. The block party tries to bring the neighborhood together. The HOPE Coalition also organizes special events to give away backpacks, Christmas presents & Easter baskets. They are currently working on hosting evening community forums at Southeast Schools.
  The Bakersfield Safe Streets Partnership (link is external) also does occasional block parties with other non-profit organizations, as well as, partnering with Kern County Superintendent of Schools for various youth trainings – Youth Mental Health First Aid & Youth Mentoring. They also do an annual Stop the Violence March.
  Bakersfield also hosts meetings in which law enforcement, clergy, social service organization, medical providers, and the community come together to talk to individuals who are involved in gangs or are at risk for becoming involved in gangs in an effort to provide alternatives to choosing that path.

Improvements to Community Safety

• The FBI’s official crime data for 2017 reflects that, after two consecutive, historic increases in violent crime, in the first year of the Trump Administration the nationwide violent crime rate began to decline. The nationwide violent crime rate decreased by approximately 1 percent in 2017, while the nationwide homicide rate decreased by nearly 1.5 percent.
• The preliminary information we have for 2018 gives us reason for optimism that our efforts are continuing to pay off. Public data from 60 major cities show that violent crime was down by nearly 5 percent in those cities in the first six months of 2018 compared to the same period a year ago.
• In the city of Fresno, one area in which PSN partnerships are strong, statistics from the Fresno Police Department show a decline in violent crime, including murders and shootings since 2017. As of September 3, 2018, in the city of Fresno, there is a 34 percent reduction in murders, a 24 percent reduction in gang-related murders, a 29 percent reduction in shootings, a 27 percent reduction in gang-related shootings, and a 12 percent reduction in robberies.

These enforcement actions and partnerships are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime. Learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods.