Johnny Martinez, Mexican Mafia: Indictment, Death Penalty, Sentencing

Johnny Martinez, the alleged Orange County leader of the Mexican Mafia known as “Crow,” is awaiting federal trial on racketeering charges that accuse him of directing murders, drug trafficking, and extortion from inside California state prison using smuggled cellphones. He has pleaded not guilty, is representing himself, and as of April 2025 federal prosecutors were reconsidering whether to seek the death penalty.¹

Who Martinez Is and How He Rose

Martinez, a member of the PLAS street gang, was convicted of murder in 1995 at age 18. He served much of the sentence in high-security facilities, including roughly 15 years in the Security Housing Unit at Pelican Bay State Prison, before being transferred to Salinas Valley State Prison.²

His alleged rise within La Eme followed the downfall of Peter Ojeda, known as “Sana,” who had run the Orange County faction for about 30 years, including from federal prison in Pennsylvania. Ojeda was convicted on federal racketeering charges in 2016 and died in prison in 2018.³ Prosecutors say Martinez then seized control of the Orange County jail system in 2016, forming a ruling “triumvirate” with Robert Aguirre and Dennis Ortiz.⁴

What the Federal Indictment Alleges

On April 27, 2022, a federal grand jury in the Central District of California unsealed a 33-count indictment against 31 members and associates of the Orange County Mexican Mafia, naming Martinez, Aguirre, and Ortiz as its leaders. The alleged conduct spanned from roughly 2016 to at least April 2022.⁵

According to the government, Martinez ran the enterprise from behind bars, using contraband cellphones and written notes known as “kites” to issue orders, gather intelligence, and authorize violence. Investigators documented more than 3,500 cellphone communications from him while he was held at Salinas Valley State Prison.⁶ The three alleged leaders divided territory across Southern California, demanded “taxes” from local street gangs in exchange for permission to sell drugs, and used “shot-callers” and “mouthpieces” to enforce orders on the street and in the jails.⁵ Prosecutors say Martinez kept a “hard candy list” of people marked for assault or death, a practice also described as “green-lighting.”⁷

The indictment charges the enterprise as a whole with:⁸

Racketeering conspiracy under the federal RICO Act.
Violent crimes in aid of racketeering, including two murders and six attempted murders.
Conspiracy to distribute and possess methamphetamine and heroin.
Firearms offenses, including using a firearm to cause death.

Individually, Martinez is charged with racketeering, murder in aid of racketeering, using a firearm in a crime of violence, conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and heroin, and attempted assault and attempted murder.⁹

The Killings and Attacks at the Center of the Case

The federal case pins several acts of violence directly on Martinez’s orders. Richard Villeda was shot and killed on August 21, 2017, in Orange, California, after allegedly stealing drugs and money that Martinez controlled. Three associates — Mike Escobar, James Mendez, and Kevin Trejor — lured Villeda from his Anaheim home and drove him to a residential neighborhood, where he was shot seven times in the back and once in the head. All three were convicted in 2023 of violent crime in aid of racketeering and face up to life in prison.¹⁰

Prosecutors say Martinez also turned on his own people. Michael “Shaggy” Cooper, a former shot-caller, was stabbed at Calipatria State Prison and, in 2019, had his throat slit with a razor blade by inmates at an Orange County jail. Martinez’s former cellmate Omar Mejia later testified that he arranged those attacks on Martinez’s instructions. Gregory “Snoopy” Munoz, once described as Martinez’s right-hand man, survived two stabbings at Calipatria and, after parole in July 2017, was shot seven times in Placentia on August 5, 2017.⁹

A separate state case tied to the January 19, 2017 killing of Robert Rios outside his Placentia home did not survive. In 2021, Orange County Superior Court Judge Patrick Donahue dismissed the charges against Martinez in that case, finding no probable cause to proceed.⁹

The Overturned 1995 Conviction and Denied Bail

In December 2023, Martinez’s 1995 murder conviction was overturned after a change in California state law, and a judge reduced it to misdemeanor assault. For the first time in nearly three decades, he was technically eligible for release from state custody, but he remained locked up because of the federal indictment.¹¹

His defense moved for bail in 2024. Attorney Richard Herman offered $100,000 for bond and said he would provide Martinez with employment if released.¹² Probation officials, clergy, and academics submitted letters describing Martinez as “warmhearted” and as an advocate for a countywide gang truce. Federal prosecutors opposed the request, pointing to wiretap recordings in which Martinez threatened violence, including telling a gang member he had “no problem showing up to a motherf—‘s house and shooting them point-blank range.”¹¹

Representing Himself Against a Possible Death Penalty

In July 2024, Martinez filed a handwritten 10-page motion asking to represent himself. At a July 16 hearing, U.S. District Judge Fred Slaughter granted the request after warning Martinez about the risks, including the possibility of the death penalty. Martinez told the court he had spent “30 years” studying the law and held two certificates, though he acknowledged he had never delivered opening or closing arguments to a jury. Judge Slaughter said the decision might be to Martinez’s “own detriment” but that the court had to respect it. His court-appointed lawyers, Richard Novak and Melissa Weinberger, remained on the case as standby counsel.¹³

In the motion, Martinez accused prosecutors of “prosecutorial vindictiveness,” alleged perjury by law enforcement officers and confidential informants, and complained that his access to evidence was “very limited.”¹³

At the July 2024 hearing, prosecutors said they would not pursue the death penalty. That question was reopened by April 2025, when a court hearing revealed the government was reconsidering. No final decision had been announced. Four unnamed co-defendants were scheduled to go to trial in June 2025, with Martinez expected to be tried separately and last.¹

His Wife’s Sentencing

Martinez’s wife, Brenda Vanessa Campos Martinez, was among the 31 defendants in the 2022 indictment. Prosecutors described her as a “secretary” for the organization who tracked which gangs fell under its control, collected extortion payments, and managed the books. She pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess heroin and methamphetamine.¹⁴

On March 12, 2026, Judge Slaughter sentenced her to 57 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release, with a self-surrender date of May 15. Her attorney argued she was motivated by a desire to please her husband rather than personal gain and had tried to distance herself from the organization in 2019 by relocating and cutting off contact with gang associates.¹⁴

1
KESQ. Feds Reconsidering Death Penalty for Reputed OC Mexican Mafia Boss
2
Center for Constitutional Rights. A Mother’s First Contact Visit in 15 Years With Her Imprisoned Son
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Los Angeles Times. Mexican Mafia Orange County Boss Convicted
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NBC Philadelphia. US Prosecutors Indict Mexican Mafia Leadership in California
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U.S. Department of Justice. 3 Mexican Mafia Members and 28 Associates Charged in Racketeering Indictment
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ABC7. OC Mexican Mafia Leader Ordered Killing From Prison, DA Says
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OC District Attorney. Orange County Mexican Mafia Leader and Three Members Indicted for Soliciting Murder of Man Shot Eight Times in Placentia
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U.S. Department of Justice. 31 Gang Members and Associates of Mexican Mafia Charged in Racketeering Indictment
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Los Angeles Times. Johnny Martinez Mexican Mafia
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KTLA. 3 Soldiers of Mexican Mafia Convicted of Killing Man on Behalf of Imprisoned Leader
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Los Angeles Times. Johnny Martinez
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Mercury News. Prosecutors Fight Bail Release for Reputed Mexican Mafia Chief in OC
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KFI AM 640. Reputed OC Mexican Mafia Chief Seeks to Represent Himself in Federal Case
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NBC Los Angeles. Orange County Mexican Mafia Boss Wife