Gang Member Sentenced in California to 40 Years in Federal Prison for Role in Ambush Killing of Young Father

A veteran member of the Pueblo Bishops Bloods street gang was sentenced today to 40 years in federal prison for his role in a racketeering plot that resulted in the death of a young man with no gang affiliation who was executed in front of his 2-year-old son.
Anthony Gabourel, also known as “Bandit,” 23, of South Los Angeles, was sentenced by United States District Judge S. James Otero for violating the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act in relation to the murder of 24-year-old Francisco Cornelio.
During the sentencing hearing, Judge Otero stated Gabourel and other Pueblo Bishops “executed Cornelio, who was minding his own business” simply because “he was of Mexican descent.”
A federal jury determined that Gabourel plotted with other members of the Pueblo Bishops to retaliate against a Latino because members of the rival 38th Street Gang had recently shot and killed a member of the Pueblo Bishops (see: http://www.justice.gov/usao/cac/Pressroom/2012/094.html).
In papers filed in relation to today’s sentencing hearing, prosecutors asserted that Gabourel and another Pueblo Bishops members, armed with shotguns, ambushed the unarmed Cornelio while he was vacuuming his car with his young son. The Pueblo Bishops shot Cornelio once in the back without saying a word. Federal prosecutors argued to Judge Otero that Gabourel was the shooter.
The incident was unsolved prior to a federal racketeering indictment that was unsealed in August 2010. Gabourel was first tried in state court in relation to the Cornelio murder, but a jury acquitted him in August 2011.
Two other men were convicted at trial with Gabourel. Gary White, also known as “Big J-Killa,” 47, who resided in Los Angeles and Victorville, was sentenced to 14 years in prison. Jermaine Hardiman, also known as “Lil’ J-Killa,” 31, of South Los Angeles, is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Otero on April 8.
According to evidence presented at trial, the Pueblo Bishops Bloods street gang has been active in and around the Pueblo Del Rio Housing Projects of Los Angeles for decades. This case is the first federal RICO action in this district alleging that a Bloods or Crips street gang was a racketeering enterprise.
As a result of the federal investigation into the Pueblo Bishops Bloods, a total of 45 defendants were charged in federal indictments. Prosecutors have secured convictions of 40 of those defendants. Two defendants are in state custody, and two are fugitives. The 45th defendant, Rondale Young, who is charged with conspiring with Gabourel in the murder of Cornelio, is scheduled to be tried before Judge Otero on November 5, 2013.
One of the 40 defendants convicted in this case, Marquis Edwards, 23, who was known by the moniker “Baby Uzi,” and who pleaded guilty in relation to the murder of two people (see: http://www.justice.gov/usao/cac/Pressroom/2012/046.html), was sentenced in November to 40 years in prison.
The investigation into the Pueblo Bishops Bloods was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Los Angeles Police Department, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development-Office of Inspector General, and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.