Law Enforcement Sensitive
The MIC Outlook
Bulletin No. 5
December 2009
Federal Bureau of Investigation
McAllen Intelligence Center
1200 N. McColl Rd.
McAllen, Texas 78501
Phone: (956) 984-6300
Fax: (956) 984-6440
mic3@leo.gov
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Published by the McAllen Intelligence Center
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designated as “Law Enforcement Sensitive” and should not be disseminated beyond
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Sensitive material could adversely affect or jeopardize investigative activities.
Gangs Promoting Violence and Illegal Activity
through Social Websites
Overview
The McAllen Intelligence Center (MIC) has noticed
a significant trend in the role social websites like
MySpace and Facebook play in gang violence
amongst youth gangs in the Rio Grande Valley.
Gangs display their affiliation via the internet; youth
gangs are no longer only in conflict with a rival
gang from the same town or where their turfs
connect. Social websites provide the primary means
for gangs from different cities across the Rio Grande
Valley to widen their area of operation. What results is gangs that would
ordinarily not be competing with one another because of their geographic
location, they are now competing through the Internet. These sites provide
valuable intelligence involving weapons and drugs as they are often displayed in
photographs on their personal pages for others to see. The sites may also provide
insight to future events and can provide valuable knowledge to law enforcement
officers investigating gang activity.
Gang members displaying their tattoos Drug paraphernalia picture posted
and hand signs on MySpace on MySpace
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 Law Enforcement Sensitive

Bulletin No. 5 The MIC Outlook December 2009

Incidents
The MIC has learned through open sources and law enforcement that recent drive-by shootings in Edinburg
were sparked by graffiti. On November 5th, a series of four different shootings culminated with the death of
an 18 year old “Sureño” associate Joshua Mora Vega. Sureño gang members conducted three different drive-
by shootings aimed at members of the Texas Chicano Brotherhood which resulted in a family member being
injured from a gunshot wound to the arm. Texas Chicano Brotherhood members responded with a shooting of
their own which killed Vega. Both of the gangs have a strong showing on MySpace where they display
pictures, weapons, drugs and promote their gang lifestyle and ideology. Authorities are still on the look out for
the individuals involved in the murder.

Texas Chicano Brotherhood members conducted another drive-by

shooting on November 28, 2009. This time the intended target was
36 year old Jose “Killer” Garcia; reported leader of the Brown
Pride and a former Texas Chicano Brotherhood member. Mark
Anthony Arce and Jesse I. Ortega, both with extensive criminal
records have been arrested in connection with the shooting; which
wounded both Garcia and his wife. Both are Texas Chicano
Brotherhood members and authorities are still looking for two Mark Anthony Arce, 17 Jesse I. Ortega, 21
more individuals who were in the vehicle at the time of the
shooting. No connection has been established between the shooting which killed Vega and this latest drive-by
aside from the fact that both were carried out by members of the same gang.

All incidents are currently part of ongoing investigations. Full reports on all of the shootings can be found at:
http://www.themonitor.com/articles/suspect-33048-arrested-drive.html
http://www.themonitor.com/articles/sheriff-33101-deputies-shooting.html
http://www.themonitor.com/articles/edinburg-32350-drive-shooting.html

Quick Facts on Social Networking

The amount of time Internet users are spending online has risen to 14 hours per week.
These users are not just accessing information, online tools and games, but also
contributing to online content and joining in social networking. Almost 44 percent of
users share their thoughts and files in the online world. Almost 22 percent have
uploaded some photographs online, and seven percent have webcams that allow others
to view live pictures of their life. More than 11 percent of Internet users maintain
1
blogs, and almost 40 percent of the people read others blogs.

In a March 2009 report by Nielsen, social networking and blogging surpassed email
among popular Internet activities. Many Web analysts are finding that the growing
demographic of Internet users over 35 are gravitating to social networking and e-
purchasing services. Although youth-oriented sites such as Xanga and Friendster
remain popular among the younger generations, comScore.com has shown a major
increase in the number of adults to popular social networking sites, such as MySpace,
which supports more than 300 million accounts with 110 million monthly active users.

1. http://www.mysecurecyberspace.com/articles/statistics-trends/

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 Law Enforcement Sensitive

Bulletin No. 5 The MIC Outlook December 2009

Almost 40 percent of the users of social networking sites belong to the 35 and over age group.2

In a recent study by California officials, about 70% of gang members say it’s easier to make friends online
than in the real world; 89% of students say they are the primary users of technology in the home and 41% say
3
they do not share with their parents where they go on the Internet. Since social networking sites such as
MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube can not control who uses their website, the majority of gang
related users are young juveniles under the age of 18. Lack of parental supervision and lack of enforcement or
knowledge by school officials allow these children to enter a world of crime, gangs, sex and violence without
impunity.

And it's not just MySpace, Facebook and Twitter that parents and law enforcement should be concerned about,
warned Doug Semark, executive director of the Gang Alternatives Program, in San Pedro. You can go into
special areas of AOL, special areas of Yahoo or special areas of some of the other large Internet presences
where (gang members) will go in and they’ll target specific topics and specific groups, Semark said. And kids
may be in those areas with their parents’ blessing because the parents think they’re safe.4

Facebook
• Over 350 million users.
• 50% active users log on in any given day.
• 2.5 + billon photos uploaded each month
• About 70% of users are outside of the U.S.
• Average user spends more than 55 minutes/day
• Used in more than 35 different languages.
• 45% of U.S. users are 26 or older (fastest growing
demographic).
MySpace
• Over 200 million users.
• 76 million members in the U.S., with a U.S. growth
of 0.8 percent per month.
• User averages almost 4.5 hours on the site every
month, a 5% increase over last month.
Twitter
• Over 45 million users.
• 4.43 million unique visitors in December 2008.
Other Social Network Sites
Bebo: 40 million users
Flickr: 32 million users
MocoSpace: 3 million users
Xanga: 27 million users
Youtube: 62 million users

2. http://www.mysecurecyberspace.com/articles/statistics-trends/
3. http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-cyber-thugs,0,6600876.story
4. http://www.dailybulletin.com/ci_13948862

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 Law Enforcement Sensitive

Bulletin No. 5 The MIC Outlook December 2009

Conclusion
The word “disrespect” has very common usage in the gang culture all the way from teenage gangs to older
organized prison gangs. A simple comment placed on a social website “disrespecting” another gang or gang
member can quickly escalate to the type of violence that can lead to death. Graffiti on the internet has the
ability to travel to massive amount of viewers as compared to a physical location where only a limited amount
of people can see. Social networking sites are a perfect tool for gangs to get their message out. Gangs are
increasingly using the internet and social networking sites to promote the gang lifestyle in general. Some gang
members have established and maintain websites to promote their gang as well as to compete against rival
gang members. Social networking sites can provide investigators with valuable information in order to
mitigate and potentially prevent future gang violence. Intelligence on these sites may provide law enforcement
with information regarding the parties involved, identification of rival gangs, and possible gossip regarding
gang activity. These gangs and their online activities present a serious threat to the community and this latest
method of promotion, communication, and development can be utilized by law enforcement to gain more
thorough understanding of the threats posed by gangs not only to each other, but also to local communities.
New gangs can participate in a virtual drive-by without leaving the comfort of their bedrooms.

Intelligence Gaps
1. What history exists outside of the social networking site between rivals that do not usually interact outside
of the internet?
2. Are these younger gang members being pushed to commit the most serious crimes by older gangs or are
they trying to make a name for themselves by representing their gang and turf?
3. Has the use of social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook increased gang violence among juveniles
in the Rio Grande Valley?

Interested in more information about gangs in the Rio Grande Valley, please join:

Mission:
To create an interagency gang intelligence sharing platform for Rio Grande Valley area
law enforcement agencies.

Membership Requirements:
Sworn Law Enforcement Personnel or agency intelligence analysts assigned to gang
related investigations and intelligence in the Rio Grande Valley/ South Texas.

For more information, please contact: SA Nicole Gates

McAllen Intelligence Center
1200 N. McColl Rd, McAllen, TX 78501
Phone: (956) 984-6300
Fax: (956) 984-6440

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Federal Bureau of Investigation MIC Outlook: Bulletin No. 5, Dec 2009
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