BLACK Main Street Mafia CRIPS member ran a huge Mafia drug operation out of California prison; has been shut down; meth, fentanyl, heroin, cocaine

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Mafia operation run out of California prison shut down

A prison inmate in California was charged for orchestrating two national crime schemes.

thenationaldesk.com

Mafia operation run out of California prison shut down​

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by STEPHEN HAWKINS | KBAK Staff
Mon, February 26th 2024 at 5:01 PM
Updated Mon, February 26th 2024 at 5:04 PM








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Over 180 pounds of methamphetamine, 14 pounds of fentanyl, 9.5 pounds of heroin, and 8.5 pounds of cocaine seized from Operation Fraud Street Mafia. (Photo: FOX26 Photojournalist Bert Montelongo)

FRESNO, Calif. (KBAK) — A prison inmate in California was charged for orchestrating two national crime schemes.
U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced the results of "Operation Fraud Street Mafia," which targeted a nationwide criminal enterprise run out of Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP).

As a result of the operation, a KVSP inmate has been charged in two separate federal complaints with drug trafficking and COVID-19 fraud.
Seven other people in California and Maryland were also charged in the two schemes.
Talbert held a news conference on Friday with DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian M. Clark, Acting Special Agent in Charge Mark Remily of the FBI Sacramento Field Office, and IRS Criminal Investigation Oakland Field Office Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Mosley.
“It is remarkable that a prison inmate coordinated with others on the outside to distribute over 100 pounds of methamphetamine into the community,” said U.S. Attorney Talbert. “But that apparently was not enough: he also conspired to pursue over half a billion dollars in federal tax credits that were meant to help struggling businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic."

Over 180 pounds of methamphetamine, 14 pounds of fentanyl, 9.5 pounds of heroin, and 8.5 pounds of cocaine seized from Operation Fraud Street Mafia. (Photo: DEA San Francisco)

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to combatting organized crime whether it is drug trafficking or theft of taxpayer money, and whether it is committed inside or outside of prisons.

“This extensive drug trafficking investigation exposed a massive fraud operation being conducted from behind bars. As a prison inmate engineered a criminal network from coast to coast to peddle poison, law enforcement put their collective authorities together to dismantle this organization brick by brick,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Clark.

Strong law enforcement partnerships built on action are an invaluable tool to ensure prison is no longer a place where violent criminals can operate without consequence.

“I applaud the work of our California COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force and the hard-working prosecutors, agents, and analysts in the Eastern District of California who conducted this investigation,” said Michael C. Galdo, Department of Justice Director of COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement.

The Department will continue to work with our law enforcement partners around the country to uncover these schemes and hold those accountable who attempt to steal from the American people—whether they are hiding overseas or, like the allegations in this investigation, operating conspiracies from behind bars.

“The criminal enterprises we battle today are more sophisticated than ever before,” said FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Remily. “From interstate drug trafficking rings to massive fraud schemes aimed at stealing pandemic relief funds meant for struggling American businesses, the criminal conspiracies we face are complex and ever-changing. Despite these challenges, the dedicated men and women of the FBI and our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners will continue to diligently investigate these criminals."

We will use every investigative technique at our disposal to disrupt their activities and bring them to justice.

“Kristopher Thomas and his associates being in federal custody are a result of an incredibly detailed, multi-agency OCEDTF investigation and is a critical milestone in this case,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Mosley. “While incarcerated and with the help of his associates, Thomas is accused of leading a conspiracy to defraud taxpayers of over $550 million by falsely claiming COVID-19 Employee Retention Credits."

CI agents specialize in financial investigations and remain on the front lines of fighting fraud.

According to court documents, in August 2022, the DEA began a wiretap investigation into a methamphetamine trafficking operation that was run out of the Kern Valley State Prison in Delano, California, by inmate Kristopher Thomas, 36.
Thomas has been incarcerated since December 2010 after being convicted of a gang-related first-degree murder.
Thomas is a long-time member of the Main Street Mafia Crips, a street gang located in South Los Angeles.
Agents reviewed recorded jail calls placed by Thomas on a prison-issued tablet to numerous romantic partners, family members, and other individuals believed to be involved in drug trafficking. Agents also intercepted Thomas sending and receiving text messages about what appeared to be a tax fraud scheme. The intercepted text messages contained screenshots of tax information for many businesses with tax refund amounts. This triggered the DEA to request assistance from IRS Criminal Investigation and the FBI.
The drug trafficking and the tax fraud scheme are being prosecuted separately, and Thomas is charged in both cases.