Monday, 27 July 2026, 23:47
Two street gang members were found guilty Wednesday, July 22, 2026, following a nearly two-week trial at the federal courthouse in Santa Ana, of murdering a Placentia drug dealer outside his home—a killing ordered by Mexican Mafia leaders operating from behind bars. The verdict marks a major step in dismantling the prison gang’s control over Orange County’s drug trade.
According to federal prosecutors, Robert Rios, 35, was targeted because he failed to pay “taxes” to the Mexican Mafia for selling drugs in gang-controlled territory. The order to rob and kill Rios came from Johnny Martinez, the alleged leader of the Orange County faction of the Mexican Mafia, who was incarcerated at the time. Martinez communicated the order using contraband cell phones to Gregory Munoz, another imprisoned shot caller, who then relayed it to Cordova and Valenzuela via an “errand runner,” Charles Coghill.
According to the Department of Justice, the order was initially given by a Mexican Mafia member who was imprisoned at the Orange County jail at the time of the murder. That member communicated the order to another Mexican Mafia member incarcerated in a different California prison, who then passed it to Cordova and Valenzuela. According to prosecutors, Munoz relayed Martinez's orders to rob Rios on January 17, 2017.
On January 19, 2017, Cordova, Valenzuela, and Augustine Velazquez drove to Rios’s home in Placentia. When Rios confronted them, Cordova shot and killed him. Velazquez was also shot in the leg but survived. Coghill, who acted as the getaway driver, had supplied the crew with guns, masks, zip ties and tape. The entire incident was captured on surveillance video and shown to the jury.
The murder took place in Placentia, a city in northern Orange County. The case is part of a sweeping federal racketeering indictment that has charged 31 members and associates of the Orange County Mexican Mafia. Prosecutors say the gang controlled drug sales and other crime in neighborhoods across the county, including Placentia, Buena Park, and Santa Ana.
The Mexican Mafia, also known as “La Eme,” is a powerful prison-based gang that directs street gangs from behind bars. The Orange County faction has been particularly violent since the death of longtime chieftain Peter Ojeda. Johnny Martinez allegedly took over and ordered a wave of violence, including the Rios killing, to consolidate power and fill the void left by Ojeda. A prior state case against Velazquez was dismissed after a judge found a sheriff’s gang expert had given dishonest testimony.
The Mexican Mafia, also referred to as La Eme, is a prison gang with “immense control” over Latino street gangs in Southern California, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Incarcerated Mafia leaders order gang members to carry out illegal acts from behind bars and then collect a portion of proceeds from drug sales, gambling and other crimes. Those who disobey their orders face violent retribution.
The racketeering element of Cordova’s and Valenzuela’s charges comes with a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole and signifies that their crime was committed in order to maintain standing within a criminal organization. Charging them with racketeering also enables prosecutors to go after the men who allegedly directed the crime from behind bars — identified in this case as Johnny Martinez, 50, and Gregory Muñoz, 38. Martinez, aka “Crow,” is a Mexican Mafia member who was in charge of criminal activities on the streets and inside the prisons of Orange County at the time of the murder, prosecutors said. While incarcerated at Salinas Valley State Prison in Monterey County, Martinez is accused of directing the armed robbery of a victim referred to as R.R. more than 300 miles away in Placentia. Muñoz, aka “Lou,” “Louie,” “Snoopy” or “Snoops,” is accused of acting as a middleman and delivering the orders for Cordova and Valenzuela to commit the robbery. At the time, Muñoz was imprisoned at Calipatria State Prison in Imperial County, prosecutors said.
On Jan. 19, 2017, Cordova and Valenzuela were driven to R.R.’s neighborhood in Placentia to rob R.R. at gunpoint, prosecutors said. During the robbery, Cordova shot and killed R.R. The two men, armed with long guns, then fled the scene.
Cordova and Valenzuela were charged in 2022 as part of a sweeping 33-count federal grand jury indictment targeting 31 alleged Mexican Mafia associates and gang members for crimes involving murder, drug dealing and illegal firearms. At the time of the indictment, 21 defendants were already in custody and the others were freshly arrested. Since then, prosecutors have secured 15 convictions in the criminal case, including three men found guilty of a 2017 killing in Orange.
Muñoz is scheduled to go to trial in July 2027 on the same charges that led to convictions for Cordova and Valenzuela. Meanwhile, Martinez, who was not a defendant in this trial, and six other defendants are set to go to trial in August 2027 for an array of charges including drug trafficking and firearms offenses, as well as directing and carrying out violent crimes on behalf of a criminal organization.
Both Cordova and Valenzuela face mandatory life sentences at their October 22 hearing. Seven other defendants, including Martinez and Munoz, await trial. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli stated, “We will never tolerate senseless acts of gang violence on the streets, especially those ordered by convicted felons behind bars. We will vigorously prosecute gang violence to keep our community safe and to provide justice for the victims.”
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva added, “Gang members directing crimes from behind bars cannot be tolerated. This case charged both the shooters and the perpetrator who ordered the robbery. Acts of violence like these have no place in our communities, and the Criminal Division will continue to work to keep our citizens safe.”
Coghill cooperated with prosecutors in the case against Cordova and Valenzuela. Omar Mejia, another former Mexican Mafia shot caller who shared a prison cell with Munoz at the time of the Rios killing, also cooperated with the government, saying he overheard details of the plot that ended with Rios’ death.
Munoz, the alleged shot caller said to have set up the confrontation, had a falling out with Martinez. Munoz was attacked twice in prison, stabbed and then shot in the street after his release. He survived and is awaiting trial. Attorneys for Cordova and Valenzuela denied that the Rios attempted robbery turned killing was tied to the Mexican Mafia, arguing that Munoz orchestrated the attempted robbery as a “side job” for his own profit. When other Mexican Mafia leaders learned of the plot and the killing, they issued a “kill order” against Munoz, leading to the violent attacks against him, the defense attorneys added.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva added, “Gang members directing crimes from behind bars cannot be tolerated. This case charged both the shooters and the perpetrator who ordered the robbery. Acts of violence like these have no place in our communities, and the Criminal Division will continue to work to keep our citizens safe.”
Acting Assistant Director John R. Dozier Jr. of the FBI’s Criminal Division stated, “These convictions help ensure that those engaging in harm as part of gang-related activity will be brought to justice. The FBI, showcased today through our efforts on the Homeland Security Task Force, remains committed to pursuing and disrupting individuals bringing violence to our communities.”
Velazquez was the only alleged participant in the fatal confrontation to be tried and convicted in state court, but his case was overturned after an appellate court found his rights had been violated. He is awaiting a new trial.
U.S. District Judge Fred W. Slaughter presided over the trial and will sentence the defendants on October 22.
According to the Justice Department, the robbery was ordered by a Mexican Mafia member in charge of criminal activities in Orange County, who was imprisoned at the Orange County jail at the time of the murder. He communicated the order to rob the victim to a Mexican Mafia member incarcerated in a different California prison, who in turn communicated the order to Cordova and Valenzuela. The robbery and murder were captured on a surveillance video recording which was introduced by the government as evidence during the trial.
Cordova, also known as “Trips” and “Tripper,” of Placentia, and Valenzuela, also known as “Solo,” of Buena Park, have been in federal custody since the spring of 2022.
