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Crime & Courts

Salinas Gang Member Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison in Developing Racketeering Case

Raul Coronel Suarez was sentenced for racketeering conspiracy involving six shootings, according to federal court records.

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 20, 2026, 9:26 a.m. ET
According to official records from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California, 22-year-old Raul Coronel Suarez, also known as "Ray," of Salinas, California, was on August 11, 2026, to 30 years in federal prison followed by 3 years of supervised release. U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman handed down the sentence after Coronel pleaded guilty on January 27, 2026, to one count of racketeering conspiracy with a special sentencing factor that he agreed to conduct the affairs of the enterprise through murder. Coronel was immediately remanded into custody. Court records state that Coronel admitted to involvement with the Salinas Acosta Plaza Norteño gang from at least mid-2022 through at least April 2024, including participating in six shootings between January 2023 and April 2024 in which two victims were killed and four were wounded. Official records state that five other defendants charged in the indictment have also been : Jose Saldana, 21, received 264 months in prison and 5 years of supervised release; Salvador Mexicano, 22, received 228 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release; Rigoberto Ramirez, 38, received 208 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release; Gil Vasquez, 38, received 72 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release; and Jose Mexicano, 27, received 60 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release. The case remains open and developing as charges against other defendants proceed. Sixteen other gang members have been charged in the indictment and subsequent superseding indictment with racketeering conspiracy. Official court records note that United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Jeff Brannigan announced the sentencing.

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  1. Version 120 Aug 2026, 13:26current

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