Five affiliated members of the San Fernando Valley-based street gangs, Vanowen Street Locos and Elmwood Rifa 13, were detained on federal charges, including a murder-for-hire plot that misfired tragically, injuring the intended target's partner. The arrests, as part of a federal crackdown on local gang violence and organized crime operations, aim to to dismantle what law enforcement sees as a pernicious cycle of retribution and power struggles.
The individuals facing charges are Carlos Armando Ochoa Grimaldi, known as “Spanky”; Christopher Ayala, dubbed “Hits”; Edir De La Cruz, referred to as “Temper”; and Maria de Jesus Mares, or “Mary Oceans.” They are accused of utilizing interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire. Their associate, Jose de Jesus Gonzalez, Jr., “Listo,” is charged with conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. In the wake of their arrest, law enforcement also seized a cache of firearms, silencers, and ammunition.
According to a report from the U.S. Attorney's Office, the plot unfolded against a backdrop of intense rivalry within the Armenian Organized Crime sphere, involving two crime bosses, Robert Amiryan and Ara Artuni, both now in federal custody. This rivalry reportedly escalated to multiple assault attempts, a kidnapping, and the misdirected shooting that occurred earlier this year.
Affidavits indicate that in March 2025, Grimaldi and accomplice Vahagn Stepanyan shot and wounded Amiryan's partner in her car, while their children were present. The mix-up led to disappointment among the perpetrators, with Mares communicating to De La Cruz after the shooting that they might not get fully paid "because it was the wife not him." Indeed, she was later paid a "reduced rate" for her role, despite the failure to eliminate the intended mark, Amiryan.
If convicted, all suspects face a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. The initial court appearances for the defendants were expected to occur recently in the United States District Court in Los Angeles. This case is part of the larger Operation Take Back America, which is a federal push to combat the surge in illegal activities by cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
The interagency investigation leading to these arrests involves the Los Angeles Police Department Major Crimes Division, Homeland Security Investigations, and several other federal departments, reflecting the seriousness with which authorities are taking these incidents of organized crime in the San Fernando Valley and beyond.
